"Really Cute" Daiso Becomes a Must-Visit Tourist Spot in Korea [Evolution of 1000-Won Items]

Foreign Tourists, Daiso's 'Big Spenders'
Overseas Card Payments Jumped 50% Last Year
Cosmetics Established as Must-Buy Shopping Items

"Kore meccha kawaii (This is really cute)."

On the afternoon of the 19th at 2 PM, the Daiso Myeongdong Main Store in Jung-gu, Seoul was bustling with foreign tourists. Japanese tourists who saw the chick character products released as spring new items exclaimed "kawaii," meaning cute.

The area that attracted the most tourists was the cosmetics corner. Japanese tourists were all picking out sheet masks. Upon seeing the 'Vaseline Sheet Mask,' which is also popular in Korea, they said, "I saw this on a recommendation list," and added it to their shopping carts. It was noticeable how they looked at their phone screens and then browsed the shelves to choose products. They were referring to card news such as "Top 10 Recommended Cosmetics to Buy at Korean Daiso" spreading on Japanese social networking services (SNS).

Tourists are lining up to take the elevator at the Daiso Myeongdong Station store. Photo by Jeon Jin-young

Izumi Toyama, a woman in her 20s who visits Daiso every time she travels to Korea, said, "There is a wide variety of cosmetics and fancy goods, and they are cheap," adding, "Sheet masks are already famous, so I buy them every time I come, and these days I also buy Sanrio and Disney character fancy goods." When asked if there are any Daiso cosmetics popular among Japanese people in their 20s these days, she said that tint and other color cosmetics from the Dinto brand are popular.

The Daiso Myeongdong Station store, which occupies the entire 12th floor, showed a similar scene. There was a long line of foreign tourists in front of the elevator on the 1st floor. In front of the cosmetics store on the 2nd floor, male tourists were waiting while looking at their phones as their girlfriends shopped. Hotaka Kitagawa, a man in his 20s, said, "The news that there is a 12-floor Daiso in Korea has spread to Japan as well. Many Japanese come out of curiosity," adding, "While Japanese Daiso mainly focuses on daily necessities, I got the impression that Korea has a much wider variety of items."

Tourists browsing products at the beauty corner of Daiso Myeongdong Main Store. Photo by Jeon Jin-young

As Daiso has established itself as a shopping haven for foreign tourists, sales to foreigners have surged. Last year, overseas card payment amounts and the number of transactions at all Daiso stores increased by 50% and 42%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The Myeongdong and Hongdae commercial districts, which attract many foreign tourists, showed even steeper growth. At Daiso Myeongdong Station, overseas card transactions and payment amounts jumped 60% and 74%, respectively, while the Myeongdong Main Store saw increases of 50% and 60%. Daiso Hongdae Entrance Store's overseas card transactions rose 45%, and payment amounts increased 52%, with the Hongdae 2nd Store growing 29% and 41%, respectively.

The product category with the greatest foreign customer attraction at Daiso is cosmetics. Based on overseas card payment amounts in January this year, an analysis of product categories sold at Daiso Myeongdong and Hongdae 2nd stores showed that cosmetics ranked first in sales at both locations. Second place was souvenir food and beverages such as yakgwa (traditional Korean sweets), third was leisure and hobbies, and fourth was stationery and fancy goods.

Posts that appear when searching for 'Korea Daiso recommendations' on Instagram.

Looking at which products are highly recommended by country, American YouTubers visiting Korea frequently recommended makeup puffs of various types and sizes priced at 1,000 won each, deodorants, and eco-bags with Hangul designs. On Chinese portal sites, posts introduced how to use makeup puffs combined with puff holders, recommended cosmetic brushes, massage devices that can be frozen and used, and various sheet masks. In Japan, there were many posts recommending only cosmetics. Recommendations included color cosmetics such as eyeshadow and highlighter, as well as basic skincare products like the Moisture Balm from the Real Barrier brand recently introduced at Daiso and toner pads from the Medipeel brand.

'The Evolution of 1,000-Won Items' Series

▶Sharing Recommended Items on Japanese SNS: Daiso Becomes a Foreign Tourist Attraction
①Foreign Tourists, Daiso's 'Big Spenders'

How Daiso Became Korea's Representative Shopping Destination
②Daiso Seizes the Opportunity of Economic Downturn for Rapid Growth

Daiso Part-Timers over Coupang... "OK to Work 2 Hours"
③Daiso Also Penetrates Side Jobs

Submitting Daiso Scams: Children's Playground
④Daiso's Secret to Capturing Teens

"What Did I Come to Buy?" Daiso, the Ant Hell for Adults
⑤Targeting Diverse Interests from Beauty to Camping and Home Gardening