Pop-up marketing is gaining attention as more Korean consumer goods companies expand into the Japanese market.
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said Tuesday that it has been strategically supporting pop-up marketing through year-round collaboration with Japanese department stores, select shops and other retail channels, as a growing number of companies focus on experiential marketing in Japan.
Pop-up marketing has established itself as a method for companies to test local consumer response through short-term operations before committing to full-scale market entry, allowing a phased approach. Musinsa, Korea's leading online fashion platform, drew tens of thousands of visitors with a series of large-scale pop-ups in prime commercial districts including Shibuya. Amorepacific also adopted a strategy of repeatedly operating pop-ups and temporary stores at major retail channels such as Loft and @cosme to build brand awareness before transitioning to flagship stores.
Taking note of this trend, KOTRA has been supporting pop-up marketing since last year, primarily for companies participating in its overseas branch agency program, which acts as a local branch for small and mid-sized enterprises without their own overseas offices to provide customized export and market entry support. For example, Korean bakery brand Bat, an agricultural corporation, set the all-time highest sales record in the bakery pop-up category at Isetan Shinjuku with its signature "potato bread." Lifestyle brand Warmgrey Tail also achieved the highest sales in the general merchandise category at the same department store, drawing long queues of customers. Mothercare, Studio662, and Tocommabi also used pop-ups to gauge Japanese consumer response and assess the feasibility of entering retail channels.
The "potato bread" relay pop-up series is scheduled at major department stores including Isetan and Mitsukoshi through the end of this year, with events planned for March and April in key commercial areas such as Shinjuku, Tachikawa, Nihonbashi, and Ginza. Another company in the branch agency program, hy, sold out its stock early during a two-week Seventeen collaboration tteokbokki pop-up at Shibuya Marui starting late last month, marking a commercial success. Buoyed by these results, Marui has proposed an additional pop-up in Shinjuku in April and a two-week temporary permanent store, which hy is actively preparing for.
Strategies combining Korean Wave content are also proving effective. Experiential marketing that attracts initial interest through K-pop artist or character IP collaboration products, secures consumer touchpoints via pop-ups, and connects these to actual purchases is becoming increasingly active. A virtuous cycle in which consumers experience products firsthand, share them on social media, and then drive further purchases is also emerging in the Japanese market.
Starting with The Pinkfong Company (403850.KQ) Shinjuku Marui pop-up last year, the company operated more than three standalone pop-ups in Tokyo, expanded its business through collaborations with Japanese publishers, clothing brands, and merchandise brands including plush toys, and has broadened its stage to Osaka this year. hy's Seventeen tteokbokki is another case of leveraging a K-pop idol-themed pop-up as a springboard to achieve substantial sales growth.
KOTRA's Japan Regional Headquarters plans to expand cooperation with major Japanese retail channels and continue creating pop-up and promotional opportunities to raise brand awareness and broaden consumer touchpoints.
"A formula for successful Japanese market entry is taking shape — attracting interest through Korean Wave content and converting it into purchases through experiential marketing such as pop-ups," said Park Yong-min, head of KOTRA's Japan Regional Headquarters. "We will actively support efforts to expand opportunities for Japanese consumers to experience Korean brands firsthand, so that these experiences can lead to greater K-consumer goods exports."
