[Digital Today reporter Daegeon Seok] Baemin B Mart's "lowest-price challenge" project increased both orders and transaction value by more than 50 percent in a year. Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, said on Wednesday that orders for items covered by the project rose about 62 percent as of July, 10 months after it expanded nationwide in September last year. Transaction value also increased about 53 percent.

The "lowest-price challenge" is Baemin B Mart's always-on promotion that offers a wide range of products, from fresh food to processed food and household goods, at prices comparable to the lowest in the market. It was introduced in July last year and expanded its service area nationwide two months later, in September. Covered items display a "lowest-price challenge" badge, and users can also add only those items to their cart through search.

Since launch, more than 80 percent of total orders have included "lowest-price challenge" items. Backed by consumer response, the number of eligible products increased to about 600 this month from about 250 initially. The best-selling item was the PB product "Baemin Easy Fresh-Squeezed Grade 1A Milk 900ml," which Baemin planned and made in-house, with more than 2.4 million units sold.

A Baemin official said essential grocery items such as vegetables, eggs, meat and milk were popular early in operations, and demand has recently expanded to general product groups. The official said the company will continue to add more items centered on daily necessities while steadily strengthening price competitiveness to help customers enjoy reasonable shopping across a wider range of categories.