"Watched the Short Form and Came to Buy It" Swarm... The 'Secret Weapon' Captivating Kids [Evolution of Cheonwontem]

The Secret Behind Daiso Captivating Teenagers
Affordable Snacks Purchasable with Pocket Money
Fancy Goods Designed with Idol Fan Culture in Mind

"On the way back from a field trip, I stopped by Daiso with my friends. Submitting my Daiso unboxing."

Teenagers are going crazy over 'Daiso-kkang' videos (activities where people unbox and introduce items purchased at Daiso) posted on social networking services (SNS) like TikTok. Whether exploring new products to film or buying items featured in videos to join the trend, teenagers have become a major consumer base for Daiso. Once a place visited only when affordable household items like bath baskets or mops were needed, Daiso has now become a new playground for teens. Stationery and fancy goods stocked by Daiso that instantly respond to interests such as affordable snacks purchasable with pocket money, idol fan culture, and trending characters have become secret weapons captivating teenagers.

On the 24th, children visiting Daiso Emart Mokdong store in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, are looking at the snack shelves with cookies and jelly. 2025.2.24. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Daiso snacks cheaper than convenience stores and marts... What makes them different?

The snack section at Daiso is the most crowded place for kids. This is because there are many inexpensive products that even teens with light pockets can afford. Daiso sells all products at six fixed prices: 500 won, 1000 won, 1500 won, 2000 won, 3000 won, and 5000 won. They purchase in bulk by adjusting manufacturing costs to fit these six price points and minimize costs such as sales promotion and middle distribution channels to maintain low prices.

Daiso’s low prices are not due to selling products close to their expiration dates. Daiso posts notices on the snack shelves stating that they strictly adhere to expiration dates when selling. However, compared to the same products sold at convenience stores and marts, many Daiso products have lower weight despite the cheaper price. Since confectionery companies must match the fixed prices to be stocked at Daiso, they inevitably produce and supply products with reduced weight specifically for Daiso.

Recently, as confectionery companies have been raising prices one after another citing rising raw material costs, the popularity of Daiso snacks, perceived as relatively cheap, has increased further. Orion raised prices on 13 products including Choco Song-i by an average of 10.6% since December last year, and Lotte Wellfood also raised prices on 26 products including Pepero, Mon Cher, Ghana, Crunky chocolates, Butter Coconut, and Margarette starting this month. Originally, snacks at Daiso were not a main product but a bait product to attract customers. However, due to the economic downturn, not only teenagers but also consumers looking for affordable products have increased, making snacks a key revenue driver.

On the 24th, children visiting Daiso Emart Mokdong branch in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, are looking at dolls. 2025.2.24. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Another strength of Daiso snacks is their differentiated product lineup. Since the 2010s, Daiso has expanded its food product range with imported snacks and jellies. As a result, products rarely seen at convenience stores or marts can often be found at Daiso. Moreover, the items sold are not behind trends. For example, the 'Dubai Chocolate,' which gained huge popularity on SNS and was even resold at double the price, once caused concern in the distribution industry when Daiso launched it at 2000 won. Recently, the 'Pfisterble Chocolate,' which caused shortages at convenience stores after being created by a famous overseas YouTuber, was introduced as a new product at Daiso. While it sells for 8000 won at convenience stores, Daiso offers it for 5000 won, making it almost impossible to purchase without pre-ordering online.

'Polku' and 'Dakku' possible at Daiso... Immediate response to teen interests

Besides snacks, stationery and fancy goods are items that teenagers are equally interested in at Daiso. Especially captivating to teens are Daiso’s 'Polku (Polaroid decorating)' and 'Dakku (Diary decorating)' products. These mainly include photo card protective films, masking tapes, and stickers that can be attached to celebrity Polaroid photos or diaries.

This product development was possible because Daiso fully understood the idol fan culture trend of taking 'etiquette shots' where food and celebrity photo cards appear together when visiting popular restaurants. The Polku project started in 2021 when a Daiso store manager knowledgeable about idol culture gathered items like '6-ring binder files' and 'OPP wrapping sheets' to create a dedicated display for photo cards. These were not originally designed as Polku-specific products, but coincidentally matched the card sizes, leading to ways to use them. Since these were much cheaper than similar products on the market, word quickly spread among teenagers.

On the 24th, a student is purchasing items at Daiso Emart Mokdong Branch in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. 2025.2.24. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Upon hearing this, a Daiso merchandise planner (MD) in charge of stationery and fancy goods researched idol culture through TikTok and Instagram. Analyzing which items teens frequently use, they identified the need for albums to organize photo cards and top loaders and sleeves to store cards. They then observed teenage female students buying related products at accessory shops and franchise fancy stores, recognizing market potential and launched 11 Polku items in 2022.

Polku items were so popular that they sold out immediately upon release. Considering the recent teen preference for chic moods, Daiso introduced products with a 'high-teen concept' and last year released albums that can hold idol ID photos or photo booth strips. 'Poca covers' that protect photo cards and binders to organize collected cards became known as Daiso's 'elementary school craze items' and are even being exported.

Character products are also popular. The 'Boli Bbangbbang Friends' series, which started in 2019 with a squirrel character doll, is a Daiso steady seller. Despite not being a famous licensed character, its cute design and low price led to a sensational popularity, selling out all stock within ten days of release. The character lineup has continuously expanded to include rabbits, hamsters, quokkas, and more, maintaining its initial popularity.

Daiso also sells licensed character products popular among teenagers. A representative example is Disney character products. Partnering with companies holding Disney character licenses, Daiso has released Disney dolls, tableware, and stationery series, which now number over 800 related products.

Daiso's 'Friends with Full Balls Season 3'. Daiso.

Currently, Daiso-related digital content has developed into a form of entertainment among teenagers, driving sales growth in categories mainly sought by teens such as snacks and stationery/fancy goods. Videos introducing products bought at Daiso, known as Daiso-kkang videos, guarantee hundreds of thousands of views. A vlog titled 'What do elementary students buy at Daiso?' has 250,000 views on YouTube, and a 58-second Daiso-kkang short showing various purchases recorded 540,000 views. A product introduction video titled 'You must buy this at Daiso' has reached 3.09 million views.

'The Evolution of 1000-Won Items' Series

Sharing recommended items on Japanese SNS, Daiso becomes a foreign tourist attraction
① Daiso’s 'big spenders' foreign tourists

How did Daiso become Korea’s representative shopping hotspot?
② Daiso seizes the economic downturn as a growth opportunity

More Daiso part-timers than Coupang... "OK to work 2 hours"
③ Daiso infiltrates side jobs

▶ Submitting Daiso-kkang" The children's playground
④ The secret of Daiso captivating teenagers

"What did I come to buy?" Daiso becomes an antlion trap for adults
⑤ Targeting diverse interests from beauty to camping and home gardening