(GS25·CU)
Competition in the quick commerce sector – ultra-fast local delivery once dominated by companies like Coupang Inc. and Kurly Inc. – is rapidly expanding to include convenience stores and Daiso, spreading across the broader retail industry.
According to industry sources on Tuesday, Coupang Eats began significantly expanding its 24-hour delivery partnership services with GS25 and CU.
CU had already operated delivery services from around 7,500 stores nationwide between 6 a.m. and 3 a.m. the following day through its own app, Pocket CU, linked with Coupang Eats.
With the transition to a full 24-hour system, orders can now also be placed during the previously unavailable 3 a.m.-6 a.m. time slot.
The service will first be introduced at stores capable of 24-hour operation in regions including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gwangju, Busan, and Daejeon.
GS25 is also launching 24-hour delivery services in partnership with Coupang Eats at around 1,000 stores in the Seoul area and other key regions.
Convenience store operators noted that rapidly increasing nighttime and late-night delivery demand led them to expand delivery operating hours.
The actual growth in delivery demand has been steep.
CU’s delivery sales from January to April this year increased 91.6 percent compared to the same period last year. During late-night hours between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., delivery sales surged by 120 percent.
GS25 also reported strong late-night growth.
Over the past six months since November 2025, late-night delivery sales rose 42.7 percent. The share of late-night orders within total delivery sales also increased from 17.4 percent in November to 21.7 percent in April this year.
Industry analysts noted that quick commerce competition is expanding beyond simple food delivery into broader lifestyle consumption.
Retailers such as convenience store chains and Daiso, which possess nationwide offline store networks, are increasingly functioning as urban logistics hubs, likely intensifying competition in the instant-delivery market.
Daiso has also officially entered the quick commerce expansion race.
Last week, the company expanded the operating area of its instant-delivery service from Seoul’s three districts – Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa – to all 25 districts of Seoul.
The move is widely interpreted as a strategy to utilize Daiso’s roughly 1,600 offline stores nationwide as urban micro-fulfillment centers. By leveraging existing store networks instead of building separate large-scale logistics centers, the company can rapidly secure delivery hubs.
The service is also tailored to quick commerce demand.
Orders placed before noon can be delivered by 6 p.m. the same day, while products paid for before 6 p.m. are delivered by 3 p.m. the following day. Weekend and holiday delivery services are also available.
The retail industry’s accelerating push into quick commerce reflects both rapid market growth and changing consumer behavior.
According to global market research firm Statista, Korea’s grocery quick commerce market is expected to grow from $3.19 billion in 2025 to $4.3 billion in 2030.
Industry observers noted that instant delivery is evolving from a simple convenience service into a core competitive advantage for retailers.
“Quick commerce is no longer just a delivery service,” said an industry official. “It is changing consumers’ lifestyles. Companies capable of using nearby stores as logistics hubs are likely to gain a strong advantage in future market competition.”
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