As living costs climb, a clever ready-to-eat restorative meal is catching the attention of "home-health" diners—people who want restaurant-quality, nourishing food without leaving the house.
Food company EasyQ (㈜이지큐) launched the premium restorative gift set Inaka-an Black Can Hitsumabushi, and it sold out in two straight broadcasts on Lotte Home Shopping, underscoring intense consumer interest. The daring idea of packing a whole eel into a single can clearly helped drive demand.
What sets the Inaka-an Black Can Hitsumabushi apart is how it upends expectations for canned eel convenience foods. The product channels the more than 100 years' know-how of Inaka-an, a famed eel specialist in Fukuoka, Japan, giving the dish a richer, more authentic flavor.
Unlike earlier eel products that required refrigeration or freezing, this one comes in a can that keeps the eel tasting fresh at room temperature, making storage and portability effortless. That means you can enjoy a high-end eel meal at home or take it along for camping and travel. With dining prices on the rise, offering that premium experience at a more reasonable price than specialty restaurants has also fueled its popularity.
So scarce they sell out... department-store pop-ups target offline shoppers
The nonstop sellouts have strained supply. An EasyQ spokesperson said the company is streamlining distribution to home-shopping channels and major department-store pop-up events to manage the surge, prioritizing quality control and a steady supply.
Starting this week, pop-up events will roll out sequentially at major department stores in the Seoul metro area, including Shinsegae Department Store (Gangnam), Lotte Department Store (Pyeongchon), and Hyundai Department Store (Mia). Shoppers who missed the home-shopping broadcasts will be able to see the product and buy it in person.
An EasyQ representative said, "Each broadcast's allotted stock sold out faster than expected—demand has outpaced supply. We're prioritizing allocation to our core channels, department-store pop-ups and home shopping, to minimize customer inconvenience."
Song Ki-woo, Reporter kwsong@ekn.kr
