Convenience Stores Intensify Efforts to Target K-POP Idol Fanbases…CU Music Library Store Sold Out in 4 Hours, GS25 Album Sales Top the Charts

Marketing strategies by convenience stores aimed at K-POP fanbases are achieving unprecedented success. CU drew significant attention by completely renovating an existing store in Hongdae into a “CU Music Library Store.” Leveraging the high volume of foreign tourists and idol fans aged 10 to 20 who frequent this area, the store represents an innovative expansion beyond traditional convenience store concepts. The “entertainment space” inside the Music Library Store features over 200 idol albums and merchandise. A kinetic signage unit measuring 6 meters wide and 2 meters tall constantly displays idol videos, including those of Jennie. During the first pop-up event featuring TXT (Tomorrow X Together) after the store opened, 3,500 albums were sold out within just 4 hours. CU’s history with fanbase marketing dates back to 2023, when it partnered with YG Plus, a subsidiary of YG Entertainment focused on IP development, to sell TREASURE’s second studio album. The company offered posters to customers who purchased the album directly. Additional promotions such as lucky draws and giveaways of namaneka cards printed with member photos and handwritten signatures spread quickly among fans, sparking what could be described as “holy site pilgrimages.” CU also released “K-POP merchandise” in collaboration with ITZY. Products like “Twin Ji Carong” and “Twin Ji Jelly” became highly popular due to their stickers featuring cat-themed characters representing the members. This strategy precisely targeted fans’ tendency to purchase repeatedly until they obtained a desired member’s item or to collect stickers for each member. GS25 has also fully entered the arena of idol fanbase marketing. By establishing a “K-POP album zone” at its “GS25 Ground Blue 49” store in Insadong, K-POP albums surpassed bestseller products like “Banana Milk” to become the top-selling items at the store. On-site sales are also actively conducted at locations with high foot traffic, such as the T1 West branch at Incheon Airport and the Yeoksam DXLAB branch, in alignment with new album releases. GS Retail has collaborated with NMIXX and ZEROBASEONE to launch limited-time products. These items, which include stationery items typically sold in文具 stores like diaries, hand mirrors, and photo cards, are seen as an expansion of convenience store offerings. Following its exclusive sale of LE SSERAFIM’s third album last year, GS25 added a “Lifestyle & Culture” tab to its “Uridongne GS” app to further expand its album sales service. Currently, it is offering pre-orders for a special unit album by HOSHI and WOOZI to target the consumption trends of young people aged 10 to 20. E-mart 24 has also joined the marketing competition. Just as in previous years, it is exclusively selling STAYC’s albums and applying STAYC-related IP to all product packaging, including bento boxes, onigiri, and desserts, tailored to the members’ preferences. Customers who buy albums receive unreleased photo cards, while those who purchase collaboration products are entered into draws for invitations to face-to-face fan signings and merchandise. It is also exclusively selling the debut album of the new boy group NouerA, thereby establishing its position as an album sales platform. Industry experts describe this partnership between convenience stores and idols as a “win-win strategy,” as K-POP fans aged 10 to 30 overlap with convenience stores’ primary customer base. Convenience stores can increase sales by leveraging their existing customers, while idols can reach new customer groups through the widely accessible convenience store environment. The efforts of convenience stores to target idol fanbases are seen as an expansion beyond simple star marketing, impacting the entire retail industry. To differentiate themselves, various convenience store chains are focusing on “exclusive sales” and developing “customized merchandise.”