Hyundai Department Store is strengthening content that leverages global game intellectual property (IP). Its strategy is to make collaborations with game companies into regular pop-up stores or bring them in as permanent shops to develop them as the department store's core content.
Hyundai Department Store said on the 14th that it will hold a relay pop-up in collaboration with the global immersive game and creation platform Roblox at four locations: The Hyundai Seoul, The Hyundai Daegu, the Chungcheong branch, and the Ulsan branch.
The department store said last year's pop-up at the Pangyo branch was a hit, so this year it expanded both the number of locations and the content. The Pangyo pop-up last year drew 170,000 visitors over 17 days.
This pop-up will kick off its first event at The Hyundai Daegu from on the 22nd to on the 10th of next month. Alongside experience zones based on popular games such as "99 Night in the Forest" and "Adopt Me," it will run educational content on themes like the environment and art. It will also sell Roblox character goods such as apparel, school supplies, and keyrings.
Hyundai Department Store plans to roll out the pop-ups sequentially at the Chungcheong branch (July), the Ulsan branch (September), and The Hyundai Seoul (December). Beyond Roblox, it plans to collaborate with global game companies such as Blizzard and Riot Games to expand into subculture content including not only games but also character exhibitions and virtual idols. For popular content, it is also pursuing bringing it in as a permanent listing not only at offline stores but at the curation specialty mall "The Hyundai Hi."
Hyundai Department Store's move to bolster IP content, including games, is a strategy to target consumers in their teens and 20s, who show strong fandom-based spending tendencies. At The Hyundai Seoul, more than 40% of the roughly 600 pop-ups held last year featured IP content such as games and entertainment. About 60% of visitors to these pop-ups were new customers visiting Hyundai Department Store for the first time.
A Hyundai Department Store official said, "In the past, IP pop-ups were largely one-off content, but our goal going forward is to develop them into sustainable content," adding, "We will strengthen competitiveness by creating spaces that provide a differentiated offline spatial experience rather than simple sales."