Mobile Application Page Outage
Expected to Surpass 100,000 Applications in Record Time
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The 'KB Kookmin Pengsoo Nori Check Card' is gaining remarkable popularity. It is showing signs of becoming a blockbuster product, with 40,000 cards issued within a day of its launch.
According to KB Kookmin Card on the 18th, the KB Kookmin Pengsoo Nori Check Card, launched the previous day, had 40,000 cards issued in just one day. Typically, check cards are classified as hit products if more than 300,000 are issued annually. At this pace, the company expects to surpass 100,000 cards in the shortest time ever.
Pengsoo is an EBS character featured on the EBS YouTube channel 'Giant PengTV' and enjoys overwhelming support from the 20s and 30s generation. KB Kookmin Card used Pengsoo’s unique greeting pose, Pengha, and various facial expressions as emoticons for the check card design.
The signs of success appeared immediately when card issuance started at 9 a.m. the previous day. The Pengsoo card rose in real-time search rankings, and the mobile application page slowed down and even became unresponsive due to the surge in applications. Among consumers, advice such as 'apply via PC' and 'visit a branch in person' circulated, along with posts certifying successful issuance of the Pengsoo check card.
The KB Kookmin Pengsoo Nori Check Card will be sold for a limited time until February 16 next year. For the first 200,000 customers who apply for the card, stickers featuring Pengsoo’s cute expressions and witty quotes will be included with the physical card.
Cardholders can enjoy the Nori Check Card’s discount benefits within a monthly integrated discount limit of up to 50,000 KRW, depending on their previous month’s usage. Benefits include ▲10% off public transportation ▲35% off CGV ▲20% off Starbucks ▲50% off Lotte World and Everland ▲5% off GS25 ▲2,500 KRW discount on communication fees. Applications for the card can be made through the KB Kookmin Card website, mobile app, customer center, branches, and KB Kookmin Bank branches.
A KB Kookmin Card official explained, "The combination of the charm of the character Pengsoo and the customers’ desire to pursue individuality seems to have resulted in a higher number of issuances on the first day than expected."
In this way, card companies are introducing character partnership cards to secure millennial customers amid difficulties in differentiating card benefits. Millennials, born between 1980 and the early 2000s, are characterized by their preference for expressing unique individuality.
The launch of character cards has proven to be a success. NH Nonghyup Card’s 'Ryan Cheese Check Card,' featuring Kakao Friends’ representative character 'Ryan,' launched in December last year, issued over 100,000 cards within three weeks. Shinhan Card’s Minions Check Card, launched in partnership with NBCUniversal in March last year, surpassed 300,000 issuances within four months.
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