'Fun-sumer' Trend Spreads
Pok?mon Becomes a Retail Hit Guarantee
Lotte Opens 'Pok?mon Town' in Jamsil, Seoul
Samsung C&T SPA Brand 8Seconds
'Pok?mon Collection' Sales Rate Exceeds 80%
Sales of Character Collaboration Products Continue to Grow
The retail industry is actively engaging in collaborations with popular characters such as Pok?mon. As the so-called "fun-sumer" (Fun+Consumer) trend, which emphasizes fun and experience, spreads, marketing efforts leveraging character intellectual property (IP) are booming.
According to the retail industry on May 1, Lotte Group has been hosting "Pok?mon Town 2025" in the Jamsil area of Seoul since April 25. Affiliates such as Lotte Duty Free, Uniqlo, Lotte Giants, and Korea Seven have launched new products utilizing Pok?mon IP.
Previously, Lotte held "Pok?mon Town 2024" last year and achieved great success. During the event period, the number of visitors reached 4 million, an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year. A Lotte representative stated, "Last year, the group began to fully pursue the content business for the first time and achieved significant results," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our differentiated content business model by collaborating with global IP in the future."
Lotte is holding "Pok?mon Town 2025 with Lotte" from the 25th of last month until the 18th of next month in the Jamsil area, including Lotte World Tower, Lotte World Mall, and Seokchon Lake in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Provided by Lotte Holdings.
8Seconds, the SPA brand of Samsung C&T Fashion Division, launched the "Pok?mon Collection" in collaboration with Pok?mon in April. Some popular items, such as the Mimikyu Camouflage Mesh T-shirt and the Gengar Pendant Necklace, sold out almost entirely, with sales rates exceeding 80%. A Samsung C&T representative commented, "By combining Pok?mon's familiar image with a vintage street mood, we received a positive response."
Fashion editorial for the Pok?mon collection presented by Eight Seconds, the fashion division of Samsung C&T. Provided by Samsung C&T Fashion.
Global outdoor brand Helinox released a limited edition of camping gear themed "Black Pok?mon" in March, in collaboration with Fragment Design and Pok?mon. Among these, the "Thunderbolt Project Mascot Keyring" proved its popularity by selling out its initial stock within just two to three days of release.
There is also a surge in new products utilizing newly emerging characters. On April 24, CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, launched new products in collaboration with "Catch! Tinyping." The number of character collaboration products at CU has steadily increased from about 50 in 2021 to about 310 last year.
This is a new product launched by CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, in collaboration with "Catch! Tinyping." Provided by BGF Retail.
The sales growth rate of these collaborative products also surged by 1,150% in 2022 compared to the previous year, followed by continued increases in 2023 (320%) and last year (82.2%). A BGF Retail representative explained, "Character products are familiar and approachable to consumers, which makes them catch the eye," adding, "We aim to develop products that match current trends to stimulate consumption and strengthen a young and fresh brand identity."
Recently, the fun-sumer (Fun+Consumer) trend has been spreading throughout the consumer market. There is a clear tendency to prefer products from brands that offer enjoyable experiences, not just focusing on function or price. In fact, when SPC Samlip re-released Pok?mon Bread in 2022, the trend of collecting "Tibushil" stickers featuring various Pok?mon characters led to a buying frenzy, with the product selling out everywhere.
As a result, demand for character products remains steady. According to the "2024 Character Industry White Paper" by the Korea Creative Content Agency, 8 out of 10 consumers have purchased a character product in the past year. The main reasons cited for purchase were "the inherent charm of the character" (55.9%), "representing emotions or states" (52.9%), and "affection for the character" (47%).
An industry official stated, "It is no longer possible to win over consumers with just function or price," adding, "Collaboration utilizing character IP is a powerful means to increase brand affinity and contribute to sales growth."
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