[Anchor]

Extreme heatwaves are changing consumer habits. People are opting for delivery even from convenience stores just a few minutes' walk away, while items like iced beverages and cooling sprays, so-called "heatwave survival essentials," are flying off the shelves.

Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the story.

[Reporter]

At 11 a.m., an alarm sounds at a convenience store in Seoul, signaling a delivery order.

[A delivery order has arrived.]

The ordered items are a chilled pizza and iced coffee.

An employee gathers the items into a bag and hands them over to a delivery rider who arrives shortly after.

[Could you please verify the number once?]

We asked how close the delivery destination was to the convenience store.

[About 300 meters. (Do people use convenience store delivery often these days?) They order a lot. I'd say it accounts for about 10 to 20% of total sales.]

It is a distance that takes only a few minutes to walk, but with scorching heatwaves exceeding 35°C (95°F) continuing, people are choosing delivery instead of stepping outside to their neighborhood convenience store.

Over the past week, total delivery sales for this convenience store brand surged 102% compared to the same period last year.

[Kim Taeyoung / GS Retail Manager: Amid the persistent heat, we are seeing a significant increase in customers conveniently purchasing various heatwave relief products, such as iced coffee, cold drinks, and ice cream, via home delivery.]

Despite the intense heat, people lined up outside a promotional event venue featuring so-called "survival beauty" products designed to help them endure the weather.

Sales of products designed to prevent makeup from melting in the sweat soared by over 860% compared to the same period last year, while searches for cooling sprays that lower body heat increased by 160%.

[Kim Yubin / Serving in the military: My duty is a gunner, and since I work a lot in hot places, having a product that cools things down when sprayed is really convenient. So I decided to buy one today.]

As the heat persists even at night, sales of melatonin products designed to aid sleep also jumped by over 100% compared to the first half of the year.

With extreme heatwaves becoming increasingly frequent, the market for "survival items" to escape the heat is projected to grow every year.

(Photo: Shin Jin-su | Video Editing: Kim Yun-sung | VJ: Jeong Han-wook | Design: Kim Min-young)