GS25 Achieves 100x Sales Growth in 2023 Thanks to K-Pop Collaborations

Convenience store chain GS25 is experiencing remarkable growth through collaborations with K-Pop idols. On the 22nd, the company announced that cumulative sales from K-Pop idol albums and collaborative products this year have reached 100 times the annual sales volume recorded at the beginning of such collaborations in 2023.

GS25 entered the K-Pop fan market by starting to sell idol albums in 2023. Leveraging its nationwide store network, core customer base of teenagers and young adults, and platforms like the “UirdongneGS” app, it expanded its influence. As a result, it became a key sales channel, with intense demand for albums and exclusive merchandise during every comeback season.

Recently, the company has launched collaborative products reflecting album concepts alongside album sales, along with joint marketing efforts featuring direct participation from idols. In June, in line with the release of BOYNEXTDOOR’s first full-length album “HOME,” GS25 sold the album exclusively through its convenience store channels and introduced various products using the album’s artwork, along with original content.

The response to these collaborative products has been extremely enthusiastic. Breads included with random member stickers topped sales rankings in their category shortly after release, while bone-conduction speaker candies containing members’ voices saw all 4,000 pre-order units sold out. Original content created by the idols themselves and purchase verification events generated a total of 7 million views on their official social media accounts.

This month, GS25 released two new ice cream flavors inspired by the concept of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Yeonjun’s new song, and all 40,000 initial units were sold out. In the first half of this year, foreign customers accounted for over 70% of sales from idol albums.

This strategy creates a “Win-Win” synergy between GS25 and entertainment companies. GS25 enhances product visibility and awareness through idol collaborations, while entertainment companies gain expanded offline access to fans and improved marketing outcomes.

Recently, there has been an increase in cases where record labels propose collaborations first ahead of new song releases. Lee Jung-pyo, head of marketing at GS Retail, said, “Moving forward, we will continue to organically connect albums, collaborative products, experiential content, and online and offline marketing efforts. Our goal is to establish GS25 as a must-visit destination for foreign customers who come to Korea seeking K-content, while also fostering new fan culture.”