How Zigzag and Ably Conquered the One Market Coupang Couldn't

Coupang changed the rules of South Korea’s e-commerce game. Its Rocket Delivery service—bringing anything to your door within hours—turned speed from a competitive advantage into an expectation. From groceries to gadgets to pet supplies, Coupang made everything faster.

Everything except fashion.

Zigzag and Ably, two leading women’s fashion platforms, didn’t follow Coupang’s playbook. Instead, they rewrote it. Centered around Dongdaemun-based wholesale sellers, they built their own supply chains and fulfillment infrastructure—enabling next-day, even same-day and dawn deliveries without national-scale logistics.

More than speed, they designed the rhythm of shopping itself for Gen Z and millennial women.

While others raced to deliver faster, these platforms asked a deeper question: “What if fast wasn’t the goal—but the baseline expectation?”

Fast delivery isn’t just logistics anymore. It’s about who understands the customer’s daily routine—and becomes part of it. And in this race, fashion platforms are ahead.

Supply Chain & Logistics Strategic Briefing
STREAMLINE: How Zigzag and Ably Conquered the One Market Coupang Couldn't – Fast Fashion Delivery Ecosystem
(July 25, 2025)

❶ Point of View | Fast Delivery Is Not a Race—It’s a System Design

Zigzag and Ably’s fast delivery is not just about shipping clothes faster. It’s about crafting an end-to-end shopping ecosystem: Dongdaemun sellers → dedicated fulfillment → last-mile partners → Gen Z female customers. This system design is one Coupang can’t easily replicate.

The advantage lies not in raw speed, but in understanding a generation for whom speed is already normal.

❷ Inside the Move | Zigzag vs Ably: Two Paths to Fast Delivery

Zigzag: Partners with Delivers to separate fulfillment and last-mile. “Jikjin Delivery” launched in 2021, showing a 95% annual shipment growth through 2024. Monthly volume surpassed 1.5 million by mid-2024. Introduced 7-day-a-week service.

Ably: Operates its own fulfillment + connects to logistics partners. “Today’s Dispatch” transaction volume grew 252% YoY in H1 2024, surpassing KRW 20B/month. Same-day delivery now accounts for 35% of all orders.

Both platforms target young female shoppers and optimize UX by making delivery feel like part of the product.

❸ Business Playbook | Why Coupang Couldn't Crack Fashion

Coupang dominates nearly every product vertical—but not fashion. Why?

■ Seller Reluctance: Free returns policy causes excessive costs (15–20% avg return vs 8–12% at fashion platforms)

■ Brand Image Risk: Some brands avoid Coupang to prevent brand dilution

■ Consumer Habits: Customers rarely shop for clothes on Coupang

■ Inventory Turnover Mismatch: Fashion changes every 4–6 weeks; Coupang buys at 8–12-week cycles

■ Complex Returns: High exchange rates (25–30%) make fashion logistics incompatible with Coupang’s model

Zigzag and Ably built systems tailored to fashion’s tempo—where Coupang’s scale doesn’t fit.

❹ Market Impact | Fast Delivery Reshaped Customer Behavior

Zigzag’s “Jikjin Delivery” grew 35% YoY; market share rose from 12.3% to 15.1%

Teen customers doubled YoY; average monthly purchase frequency rose from 2.3x → 3.8x

Ably saw 300% surge in seller applications; repurchase rate increased from 68% to 81%

Customers using fast delivery spent 23% more per order

Fast delivery isn’t just an option—it’s a magnet for new users and a tool for loyalty.

❺ Competitor Matrix | Fast Delivery Strategies in Fashion Commerce

Platform	Delivery Model	Strategy	Target Users	Logistics Cost %	Competitive Edge
Zigzag	Jikjin Delivery	3PL Partnership (Delivers)	Women, 10s–20s	4.2%	7-day same/next-day delivery
Ably	Today’s Dispatch	In-house + partner network	Women, 10s–30s	5.1%	252% GMV growth in 6 months
Brandi	Shop/Box Shipping	Fulfillment + seller model	Women, 10s–30s	4.8%	Expanding logistics centers
W Concept	Standard Delivery	Designer brand curation	Women, 20s–40s	3.2%	Trendy/high-end positioning
Coupang	Rocket Delivery	National multi-category	All ages	8.1%	Limited in fashion segment

❻ Beyond the Numbers | Fashion Isn’t Unique—It’s Structured for Speed

Lower unit cost: KRW 1,200 avg per delivery via polybag + automation + simplified SKUs

Dongdaemun fulfillment automation efficiency: 87% (15 pts higher than general commerce)

But: still limited in high-ticket, multi-component products (luxury, outerwear)

Editor’s view: The key isn’t the product—it’s how well the product is structured. Fast delivery thrives in ecosystems where SKU complexity is low and fulfillment is repeatable.

❼ Risk & Challenge | The Other Side of Speed

■ Profitability Pressure:

Logistics costs up 8–12% YoY

Loss per same-day order: KRW 800–1,200

■ Structural Risks:

Seller concentration: Top 100 sellers account for 68% of total GMV

Quality control: Monthly 15% increase in complaints (damage, packaging)

■ Scalability Limits:

85% of volume concentrated in metro areas

Delivery delays during peak seasons (fall/winter)

❽ Future Expansion | Applying the Model Beyond Fashion

■ Beauty / Cosmetics

Same-day delivery for trending K-beauty drops

Mass-customized small-batch delivery

■ Pet Supplies

High-frequency, low-volume SKUs (treats, litter, supplements)

Emergency pet care via ultra-fast delivery

■ Personalized Lifestyle Products

Custom phone cases, accessories, stationery

On-demand manufacturing + delivery bundling

❾ Implementation Takeaway | Checklist for Other Industries

■ Readiness Criteria:

SKU standardization potential (< 500 SKUs)

Customer sensitivity to delivery speed

Metro demand concentration (> 60%)

Seller willingness for logistics integration

■ ROI Measurement:

LTV growth rate: Fast delivery users vs others

CAC reduction: Organic traffic through delivery promise

Repeat purchase uplift: Delivery experience → 2nd order conversion

AOV increase: Delivery savings psychology → basket expansion

❿ Summary Insight | The Winner Isn’t the Fastest—It’s Who Made Speed Normal

What matters isn’t who’s fastest. It’s who made “fast” the baseline of customer expectation.

Fashion commerce turned delivery from a logistics feature into a lifestyle experience. The question now is: can this model scale beyond fashion?

The answer won’t lie in the product—it lies in who can redesign customer habits.