Pop-Up Stores Are Becoming A Crucial Part Of K-Pop Album Promotions

With the ever-changing world of K-Pop, different promotional events are becoming the norm. Recently, at the PLAVE pop-up store in Seoul, fans expressed their excitement. One fan commented, “Because PLAVE is a virtual idol, there aren’t many opportunities to meet artists through offline events.” Some fans also came to see the merchandise in person before purchasing.

With pop-up stores becoming an essential part of K-pop idol groups’ album promotions, many groups such as NCT, P1Harmony, LE SSERAFIM, and more have received positive feedback from the pop-up store promotions.

Groups that include foreign members, such as (G)I-DLE, have opened pop-up stores in Korea and several cities in China. These pop-up stores are the perfect way to promote the group’s storyline and album concept. Although the group does not appear in person, it allows fans to communicate and network with other fans.

These promotions are another opportunity to attract new fans. In the case of P1Harmony, they stated, “About 30% of the visitors were regular customers and not fans. It was a great way to introduce the group to more people.”

In the case of HYBE LABELS, they have been particularly active with pop-up stores. Since 2019, they have opened 71 pop-ups in 39 cities in 19 countries worldwide. A HYBE official commented, “These pop-up stores allow fans to have a deeper experience with the artists and create a space for fans to interact with each other.”

Another reason for the popularity of pop-up stores is the increase in sales through albums and limited edition goods. By opening a pop-up store with a commerce platform, agencies can reduce the burden of operating costs.

With pop-up stores becoming a familiar space for the MZ generation, most of these stores are held in popular areas in Seoul. Popular culture critic Shim Jae Geol stated, “If you look at the reality, it’s just a showcase for new merchandise. It can become a good marketing tool for fandom culture content if we focus on making authentic and meaningful content.”