On the afternoon of the 7th, near exit 3 of Seongsu Station in Seoul, at the AliExpress pop-up store (temporary shop). "Are you ready? Here we go, 11-second countdown!" As an employee's shout rang out, participants moved all at once, each holding the tool they had drawn. Some had a catching net, some a scraper, and others a large shovel, piling up everyday necessities such as Buldak spicy ramyeon, dish soap, snacks, and pet pads. The participant who drew the big shovel filled a red shopping bag to overflowing. The contest was decided by how much they could pack within the 11-second time limit.
Ahead of its biggest annual event, "11.11 Singles' Day," AliExpress opened an experiential pop-up store, the "11-second shopping cart challenge," in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, from the 7th to the 9th. Expanding a gamification event previously run online into offline, it was designed so consumers could physically experience a "shopping speed match." With prize events for MacBook, iPhone, and Dyson added, enthusiasm from Millennials and Gen Z (born 1980–2004) was strong.
This pop-up is part of AliExpress's offline strategy to strengthen its presence in the Korean market. It is an attempt to shed its image as a "China direct-purchase platform" and broaden contact points with local consumers.
Earlier, starting last month, AliExpress partnered with Gmarket to pilot the "AliFresh" service selling domestic agricultural products and processed foods, entering the fresh food distribution space. It is the first local business introduced after the Shinsegae–Alibaba joint venture launched in September.
The retail industry interprets these moves by AliExpress as joining the trend of platforms trying experiential retail. This is because online-based platforms have recently been actively using offline spaces as "laboratories for brand experience."
SSG.com last month held its own exhibition-style special show "Museum" to showcase online brands, and Kurly is expanding offline customer touchpoints through its year-round "Food Festa" and "Beauty Festa." Olive Young, Coupang, and Musinsa have also joined the experiential retail competition by holding their own beauty and fashion festivals.
The reason platform corporations are turning to offline isn't simple promotion. It is about securing strategic touchpoints to meet loyal consumer segments directly and obtain behavior and taste data. Offline experiences raise brand intimacy while providing a way to identify key customer groups with strong purchasing power and high likelihood of return visits.
This year, AliExpress designated Korea as a core global market and has continued aggressive investment. Ray Zhang, head of AliExpress Korea, said, "Within three to five years, we will make more than half of online shoppers in Korea use AliExpress." Based on roughly 34 million online shoppers in Korea, the goal is to secure about 17 million.
To that end, it is pursuing multifaceted localization strategies, including ▲ strengthening the cross-border export platform ▲ running the Korea-only section "K-venue" ▲ and an ultra-low-price event "100 billion won Festa." This pop-up is also part of the strategy to expand its entry into the Korean market.
However, there are many tasks before it can settle into the market. Korea's e-commerce market is firmly dominated by the two leaders Coupang and Naver, and even in the value-for-money category, Asung Daiso Co. maintains strong loyalty. Logistics infrastructure is also not yet complete, and AliExpress's plan to establish a domestic logistics center, which it aimed to build within this year, is facing delays.
A retail industry official said, "AliExpress has succeeded in quickly gaining buzz and traffic, but long-term survival requires local competitiveness such as delivery quality and trust," and added, "Experiential pop-ups are effective for building brand awareness, but if they don't lead to service completeness, they may end up as short-term events."