While global travel has come to a virtual standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned to buying goods directly from overseas retailers last year, a delivery service company said Monday.

According to Malltail Korea Center, which offers parcel forwarding services for Korean consumers who purchase goods directly from overseas sellers, the number of orders made in 2020 through their platform jumped by about 71 percent from the previous year.

Malltail said purchase data also showed that shopping trends have also changed throughout the year. While home appliances such as TVs and vacuum cleaners were in high demand in the past, smaller IT devices and daily necessities were more popular in 2020.

Breaking down the findings by country, data showed clothing brands such as Polo, Gap, and Lacoste, and IT devices were popular purchases from the US. Vitamins and Nespresso coffee machines were the best-selling items from Germany, according to Malltail.

From China, people bought Xiaomi air purifiers and fashion items, and in Japan, the game console Nintendo Switch and quasi-drugs, which can range from toothpaste to energy drinks, were popular.

“Direct purchasing from overseas retailers is expected to continue to grow this year, and we will do our best to provide strong service to expand our presence in the global market,” a Malltail official said in a press release.

Malltail operates nine logistics centers in seven countries, including three in the US, and in Japan, China and Spain.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)