Customer purchases gift through KakaoTalk / Provided by Lotte Shopping

An average of 600,000 gifts are exchanged daily via Kakao Talk, Korea's largest messaging app, its operator said Sunday, with coffee gift vouchers and vitamins topping the list.

According to data from Kakao Talk, compiled between December 2023 and November 2024, the most number of gifts were exchanged on Pepero Day, a day when friends and lovers exchange chocolate-covered sticks on Nov. 11.

Spikes in online gifting were also seen on Valentine's Day, days prior to the Lunar New Year holiday and one day before the annual college entrance exam, according to Kakao, the operator of the messaging app.

The company said the figures reflected how Kakao Talk has "deeply" placed itself as a major means of gift giving in the digital environment.

Gift items high on people's wish lists included wireless earphones, Korean beef gift sets, lip gloss and gift cards, as well as certificates for beverages sold at convenience stores.

Among gift vouchers, those for cafes, coffee and other beverages topped the list, followed by coupons for chicken, late-night snacks, and those from department stores and large grocery stores.

As for delivered gifts, vitamins sat on the top of the list, while hand creams, lip balms, cakes and chocolate followed next.

The company said 660,000 types of goods from some 8,600 brands have been available through its gifting service this year.

Meanwhile, Kakao has been operating an artificial intelligence-equipped shopping mate ahead of Christmas, offering recommendations for trendy, customized gifts and notifying users of their friends' birthdays in advance. (Yonhap)