As Crowds Gather, Sales in Baseball Stadium Vicinity Also Rise
Notably Increased Sales Near KIA and NC
Gocheok Dome Area Is the Only One to Decline
The 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League professional baseball, which kicked off last March, recorded a total attendance of 2,028,999 on the 27th of last month, surpassing 2 million spectators in just 148 games, showing strong popularity. This is the second fastest pace after 2012, when it exceeded 2 million in 126 games.
Thanks to this, sales in commercial districts around baseball stadiums nationwide have also increased. According to the Shinhan Card Big Data Research Institute on the 12th, the number of card transactions in commercial districts around nine stadiums nationwide during this year's professional baseball season increased by 13% compared to last year.
This compares the number of sales transactions at nearby restaurants, fast food outlets, convenience stores, and coffee shops on game days at each stadium from March 23 to April 16 this year with the same period last year (April 1?25).
The industry with the highest number of transactions was coffee shops. The number of sales transactions at coffee shops near the nine stadiums nationwide increased by 19% compared to last year and by 150% compared to 2019.
Looking at customers by age group using the commercial districts, those in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 27.1%, followed by those in their 40s at 23.2%. Next were people in their 20s (21.1%) and 50s (17.2%). Notably, transactions in commercial districts near baseball stadiums by those aged 60 and over increased by 21% compared to last year and by 94% compared to 2019, showing a remarkable upward trend.
By team, the increase in transaction volume near the home stadiums of the KIA Tigers and NC Dinos, who have maintained top rankings since the early season, stands out. Sales transactions near Gwangju KIA Champions Field increased by 32%, and near Changwon NC Park, they rose by 45% compared to last year.
Among metropolitan area stadiums, the increase rate of transactions near Incheon SSG Landers Field (Munhak-dong, Gwanggyo-dong, Seonhak-dong, Guwol 3-dong) was the highest at 34%. The commercial district around Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium (Jamsilbon-dong, Jamsil 2-dong, Jamsil 3-dong, Jamsil 7-dong), jointly used by LG Twins and Doosan Bears, increased by 11%. Transactions near Suwon KT Wiz Park (Jowon 1?2-dong, Songjuk-dong, Yeonghwa-dong) showed little change compared to last year but increased by 80% compared to 2019.
On the other hand, sales in the commercial district around Kiwoom Heroes’ Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome (Gocheok 1-dong) decreased by 22% compared to last year. This is analyzed to be due to relatively low attendance among metropolitan area stadiums during the analysis period and the relatively small size of the nearby commercial district. However, compared to just before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 (March 23?April 16), the number of sales transactions increased by 11%.
Additionally, the increase rates in transaction volume in the commercial districts around Daegu Samsung Lions Park (Gosan 2-dong), Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium (Sajik 1?3-dong, Geoje 1?2-dong), and Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park also rose by 7%, 6%, and 7%, respectively.
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