SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's August online shopping grew in single digits, driven by a surge in summer vacation travel and the launch of new smartphones, statistical ministry data showed Thursday.
Shopping in cyberspace rose 7.3 percent from a year earlier to 24.21 trillion won (17.8 billion U.S. dollars) in August, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
Online demand for mobile devices soared 44.9 percent due to the launch of Samsung Electronics' latest smartphone lineup, while those for groceries and food delivery services gained in single digits.
Online spending on travel and transportation services increased 8.7 percent, boosted by the peak summer vacation season.
The online sales of cars and car accessories swelled 12.7 percent amid surging online purchases of models from the U.S. automaker Tesla.
Online transactions of e-coupon services added 9.3 percent amid the still robust trend to provide gifts such as coffee and cake through e-coupons.
Shopping through smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets climbed 5.8 percent over the year to 18.90 trillion won in August, accounting for 78.1 percent of the total online shopping. ■