Sonokong Sees Pop Mart Robo Shop Sales Triple in a Year Thanks to 'Labubu' Craze

Thanks to the popularity of the character 'Labubu' among the MZ generation, toy company Sonokong has seen related sales nearly triple within a year.

According to Sonokong on August 25, sales at the company's Pop Mart Robo Shop in July increased by about 200% compared to the first half of last year. Pop Mart Robo Shop is an unmanned vending machine business that sells popular character dolls such as Labubu, Skullpanda, and Cryingbaby.

Sonokong began operating Pop Mart Robo Shop in January 2023. This was the result of a contract signed after Sonokong’s management met with Pop Mart Korea in 2022 and highly evaluated Sonokong’s toy distribution capabilities. The unmanned vending system, Pop Mart Robo Shop, uses a 'blind box' strategy, where customers do not know which character product is inside, effectively stimulating the anticipation and collecting desires of the MZ generation.

Currently, Sonokong operates 30 Robo Shops at major locations nationwide, including AK Plaza Hongdae, Wise Park Hongdae, Hyundai Department Store Sinchon, and Lotte Cinema World Tower. Robo Shops have been installed in major cities such as Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Jeonbuk. The company plans to further expand the installation areas in the future.

Pop Mart’s strategy to expand Robo Shops beyond simple sales into experiential content spaces where customers can enjoy the brand’s universe is also expected to create synergy with Sonokong. Sonokong previously distributed toys from Mattel, the world’s leading toy company, and successfully conducted various experiential content events. This know-how is expected to be applied to the operation of Robo Shops.

As Pop Mart plans to launch a series of new products based on the popularity of its intellectual property (IP), expectations for product expansion are rising, and Sonokong's distribution lineup is expected to become even more diverse.

A Sonokong representative said, "We will continue to expand Robo Shops nationwide to increase customer touchpoints and strengthen experiential content utilizing Pop Mart’s diverse IP, consistently introducing products targeting the MZ generation."