[Report] 'Coupang' Goes Offline... Visiting Seongsu-dong 'Mega Beauty Show'

Mega Beauty Show Popup Opens for Three Days from the 18th
Advance Reservation Tickets Sold Out... Over 1,000 Visitors Per Day

"It's refreshing, not like Coupang."

Visitors to Coupang's 'Mega Beauty Show' popup are lining up in a long queue to enter.
[Photo by Minji Lee]

On the afternoon of the 18th, despite it being a weekday, the area around Coupang's 'Mega Beauty Show' pop-up store held at Cafe Sene in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was bustling with people. Seeking shade from the scorching heat, visitors huddled together, waiting for their turn. Each person carried a blue bag, which was a gift provided to customers who had made prior reservations. Reservations were made through the Coupang application (app) in 30-minute intervals from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., limited to 60 people per slot. On this day, all slots were sold out early, and only on-site registration was available. More than 1,000 people had expressed their intention to visit the pop-up.

Upon opening the glass door and stepping inside, a pleasant fragrance and colorful booths decorated by brand caught the eye. A total of 15 brands participated in the event (Estra, Innisfree, Etude, Rom&nd, Luna, Espoir, Senka, Dr. Jart, Merge, Picasso, AHC, Senka, Cell Fusion C, Cellimax, La Roche-Posay, Banila Co). The booths were divided between the first and second floors, with familiar brands like Innisfree and AHC located on the first floor. Although the space was not very spacious and occasionally people’s feet were accidentally stepped on, it was sufficient to feel comfortable and cool.

Visitors at Coupang's 'Mega Beauty Show' popup are moving between booths, exploring the brands.
[Photo by Minji Lee]

The way consumers were engaged was also fresh. Typical pop-up stores focus on stacking and selling products. However, no packaged products were visible on-site that day. Instead, nostalgic claw machines, personal color analyzers, receipt photo booths, and quiz booths filled the space. Rather than simply saying, "Try this once, and we'll give you a gift," the approach aimed to imprint brand images through games. For example, 'Senka' offered quizzes about the efforts behind making their products, and those who answered correctly received samples. Many brands required participants to upload posts on social networking services (SNS) accounts to join the games, but visitors readily took out their phones without hesitation. One pop-up visitor said excitedly, "When I post on SNS, my friends reply, 'I know this,' and some friends say they will come tomorrow because I said this place is good."

This was the first time online giant Coupang met consumers offline. Since 2021, Coupang has held the 'Mega Beauty Show' online but had never opened a physical experience center. The goal was to bring member companies to the site so customers could meet them up close. Choosing Seongsu-dong, which has become a 'hot place' for young people rather than office workers, reflected this intention. It also showed the company's strong will to expand its beauty sector. Through a QR code placed on-site, Coupang announced that customers who purchase over 20,000 KRW worth of cosmetics from brands listed under the 'Beauty' tab in the Coupang app would receive a beauty box worth approximately 130,000 KRW. This strategy aims to create a positive purchasing experience for customers who had not previously bought cosmetics through the Coupang app, thereby encouraging customer lock-in. In fact, a marketing team member from one of the brands at the booth explained, "Many customers purchased products to receive the lucky box," adding, "Some asked questions about the products, saying, 'Oh, I've seen this before.'"

A small business owner is receiving consultation at the K-Beauty Consulting booth set up in Coupang's 'Mega Beauty Show' popup.
[Photo by Minji Lee]

A small K-beauty consulting booth supporting small and medium-sized businesses was also set up. It provided brand consulting for cosmetics SMEs interested in joining Coupang. The Rocket Growth team, which has recently emerged as a core business for Coupang, handled the consultations. Rocket Growth refers to Coupang providing all fulfillment services once SMEs stock their products. A Coupang Rocket Growth team representative said, "Six beauty companies had consultations scheduled for the day," adding, "Many are curious about how joining Coupang can help their business."

After touring all the booths on the second floor and looking back at the pop-up store, the image of Coupang as a daily necessities provider was nowhere to be found. A male customer carrying a lucky box, who had just received coffee at the caf? set up outside, said, "There were many experiential elements, so it wasn't boring, and not all brands were included, so I could focus and see everything," adding, "It's Coupang, but completely different from online, which is great," as he left the venue.