Thousands of fans gathered in Hyundai Seoul, Yeouido early in the morning on May 30 to line up at Stray Kids’ pop-up store. The long line at Exit 3 of Yeouido Station, which connects the department store and subway station, was packed hours before the event opened at 10am.

Named ‘Stray Kids x SKZOO Pop-up Store ‘The Victory’ in Seoul’, this animal character-themed set was designed after the boy band. According to JYP Entertainment, the 17-day event attracted 21,700 visitors, offering 40 of his merchandise, including food, drinks, and photo spots.

The company added that Stray Kids’ pop-up recorded record-breaking daily and cumulative sales compared to all other pop-up zones held at the iconic pop-up zone in Hyundai Seoul.

In recent years, an ongoing trend in K-POP has jumped on the pop-up shop train by opening temporary stores in the South Korean capital to showcase exclusive merchandise and content. Apart from creating high production value music and videos, creating top-notch merchandise and exclusive content for pop-ups is becoming a popular practice.

If social media culture has contributed much to the stardom of K-pop bands, K-pop agencies have settled on the strategy of creating brands that will win over new customers through pop-up stores.

The Flash Retail Event is open to all, allowing visitors and fans to experience the band’s latest releases first-hand. K-pop groups rarely stick to one concept throughout his musical career, so companies tend to offer short-term sales space for each stylistically unique comeback.

New music projects peel off another layer of lore, and fans can visit pop-up stores to experience the excitement, which leads to continued support. It’s a key feature that appeals to the combined word “fan-summer.”

“Pop-up stores can be social media content, and such content is moving from long-form to short-form, meaning fans are finding more ways to enjoy events online. Fans will be able to transform and recreate content from the offline store into modules for different audiences, which will help them reach a wider fanbase (of the band) and build hype as a result.” said Yoo Seung-chul, associate professor of media convergence at Ewha Womans University. Korea Herald.

Employing such creative strategies could also benefit K-pop companies. Create a framework for idols and fans to maintain a close relationship while generating revenue. This helps build a loyal community, and K-pop idol groups have a strong following with dedicated fan bases through various specialized events.

Pop-ups are not only a low-cost marketing strategy for K-pop companies, but they also help fans and visitors generate buzz. After visiting the store, fans document the visit on social media. This content has the potential to reach beyond fans on the platform and allows the band to engage with new audiences.

“I realized SM Entertainment’s pop-up store was trying to make money with idol merchandise. I think.

Even before the pop-up craze hit the K-pop scene, the BT21 pop-up store in 2017 was lined with BTS character merchandise to showcase its trendy lifestyle. Limited-edition character merchandise such as dolls, clothing, and cushions were launched by Line Friends at Boom the Shop in Cheongdam-dong, south of Seoul.

As part of the growing demand for K-pop idols overseas, agencies are pushing their pop-up marketing strategies overseas as well. Hybe, the entertainment lifestyle platform behind her global K-pop sensation BTS, operates offline pop-up stores in his four Asian cities (Bangkok, Philippines capital Manila, Taiwan capital Taipei and Singapore). I’m here. The band’s “BTS Pop-up: Map of the Soul” store offered products revolving around the group’s album “Map of the Soul: 7.”

K-pop stock prices are soaring right now, and international brands are eager to collaborate with idols.

In June, Sanrio, the character content brand behind Hello Kitty and Friends, partnered with NCT for a new product line. We designed a pop-up store for this event, and provided goods such as pajama sets and photo zones at the pop-up store, which was held until August 21st in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul.

More innovative pop-up stores are emerging as the marketing strategy behind the dynamic multi-billion dollar industry.

Recently, rookie girl group NewJeans became the first K-pop artist to open a pop-up store to celebrate their debut.

According to the band’s label, Ador, the group invited fans to visit the space less than a month after its debut, attracting more than 17,000 visitors during the three-week event. In addition to giving fans access to exclusive merchandise, the pop-up store also became a place for fans to experience the band’s concept and identity first hand.

Visitors listened to the band’s songs and watched music videos that were shown in-store. Fans also enjoyed his solo version of the track “Hurt”, which is included on New Jeans’ debut her album, recorded by each member. A video clip of the band was also shown exclusively at the event.

Last year, Hyundai Department Store and Hybe jointly launched a pop-up store “In the SOOP” in Hyundai Seoul, Yeouido.

The launch of the event is part of an effort to provide diverse experiences to consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, who are rapidly growing as a major customer base, the two said.

According to Hyundai Department Store, there were 186,000 Instagram posts with the hashtag #TheHyundaiSeoul as of early September 2021, the most among South Korean department stores.

“(Millennials and Gen Z) are the generation that can take social media by storm, so pop-up stores are part of the marketing strategy to attract young people. “That’s why agencies tend to open stores here and vice versa. We can turn fans into customers,” a Hyundai department store official told the Korea Herald.

But not all agencies can open pop-up stores right away. According to officials, it takes three months to secure a spot as many brands are eyeing it at the department store.

“Lending a spot to idol pop-ups is a win-win strategy that allows us to team up with K-pop companies. can use this opportunity to introduce merchandise and band albums to guests.

Park Joon Hee ([email protected])