Even amid persistently high prices, the so-called “fandom economy”—where consumers spend freely on their favorite celebrities or characters—has been spreading, and sales tied to K-pop idols have surged.
GS25, the convenience store chain operated by GS Retail, said on the 22nd that cumulative sales of K-pop idol albums and collaboration products this year have grown 100-fold compared with full-year sales in 2023, when the partnership first began.
GS25 began selling idol albums in 2023 and has since established itself as a major sales channel, with customers lining up before stores open whenever idols make a comeback to buy albums and bonus items. The company said the results were driven by a more sophisticated collaboration strategy, which included launching themed merchandise alongside album sales and running joint marketing campaigns with the idols themselves.
A representative example was its June collaboration with BOYNEXTDOOR. In addition to selling the group’s first full-length album, “HOME,” GS25 introduced a range of products featuring the album artwork. Bread products containing random member seals topped the category sales rankings, while bone-conduction speaker candy with members’ voices sold out entirely in preorders. This month, GS25 also released two ice cream products inspired by TXT member Yeonjun’s new song “Ice Cream,” and the initial batch of 40,000 units quickly sold out. Earlier, a collaboration sandwich launched last year to coincide with NCT DREAM’s fifth full-length album also sold out its limited run of 300,000 units.
GS25 said idol collaborations are boosting product visibility and brand awareness, while also expanding sales in related categories and attracting foreign customers. In fact, foreign shoppers accounted for more than 70% of idol album sales in the first half of this year.
Kim So-hyung, compact@sportschosun.com
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