In celebration of Family Month, the ‘reservation competition’ is in full swing as bakeries, cafes, and hotel industries are releasing limited edition cakes one after another.
The product line is increasing rapidly, but most of them are operated in limited quantities, so consumer selection is actually happening faster.
According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) on the 2nd, the size of the domestic dessert market has expanded to about 15 trillion won as of 2023. In particular, May, when anniversaries are concentrated, shows seasonal characteristics in that demand for cakes and bakery gifts increases significantly compared to other months. The industry views this period as ‘the highest concentration of dessert consumption of the year.’
On top of this trend, ‘premium’ and ‘character’ are being strengthened at the same time this year.
In May, when Mother’s Day and Teacher’s Day are celebrated, cakes with the theme of ‘flowers’ are the focus. As its role as a ‘gift to be delivered’ is emphasized beyond simple desserts, competition in design and material is intensifying.
Seoul Shilla Hotel Pastry Boutique introduced ‘Blooming Love’ using fresh carnation flowers and ‘Secret Rose Garden’ featuring white chocolate roses. The representative product, ‘Blooming Love’, is sold for a limited time until May 15th.
Paris Baguette launched the ‘Blue Rose Cake’ with a blue rose as a motif. Peach and lychee compote and tropical fruit custard were added to the white ganache sheet to differentiate the taste. In addition, a ‘tiara cake’ decorated with a silver tiara was also released.
Tous Les Jours expanded flower-themed products such as ‘Flower Montmartre’ and ‘Blooming Tree’ under the concept of ‘Blooming Your Love’. Up to 30% discount is provided when pre-ordering the exclusive app by May 5th, and the pickup period runs from April 28th to May 8th.
As demand for Children’s Day grew at the same time, the change from ‘cakes for viewing’ to ‘cakes for playing’ also became clear.
Seoul Shilla Hotel began expanding its customer base to children by introducing ‘Barrel Together’, a chocolate cake that reveals a heart-shaped cross section when cut.
Tous Les Jours strengthened its product line that combines play elements by launching the ‘Under Construction Cake’ topped with an excavator figure and the ‘Dian Ping and Eclipse Ping’s Magical Cake’ with a 360-degree rotating decoration.
The biggest change this year is the purchasing method. The structure is changing to focus on advance reservations rather than on-site purchases.
Most major products are operated in limited quantities, and as the structure of providing discounts or additional benefits only to customers who make reservations has spread, ‘competition to dominate first’ has become the default. There is an increasing number of cases where popular products are sold out early during the reservation period.
Now, cake is not a product to choose, but a product to secure at the right time. Although it is the same May, the criteria for selection are clearly changing.
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