Recently, thanks to "ceramic bowls," food companies' official online malls are heating up in popularity. There are more people signing up for the official malls to buy ceramics. Why are food companies selling ceramic bowls, and what kinds are they offering?
As of the 26th, according to the retail industry, ceramic bowls modeled after the Yukgaejang Sabalmyeon cup noodles and the kimchi Sabalmyeon from the Nongshim official mall have been drawing attention. Both bowls look exactly like the cup noodle containers sold at convenience stores. A feature is that they even matched the number of ridges on the Styrofoam container (108).
Nongshim began selling these bowls in Feb. last year and, after an unexpected response, moved to sell more. The 2,800 bowl sets sold in Feb. last year sold out in 12 days, and the 4,700 sets sold in June last year sold out in 10 days. A Nongshim official said, "Consumers asked us to sell more, so we started sales again in June this year, and at this rate, it looks like all the quantities prepared will sell out within this month."
The popularity of the cup noodle ceramic bowls can also be seen on the secondhand platform "Karrot" and on the retail platform Coupang. On the Nongshim official mall, a Yukgaejang cup noodle set, a snack bundle, and the ceramic bowl are sold together for around 30,000 won, but on Karrot the bowl alone is being resold for 40,000–50,000 won. On Coupang, similarly made cup noodle ceramic bowls are sold in the 10,000 won range. One customer on the Nongshim official mall left a review saying, "It's much cheaper to buy a similar product, but I didn't want to buy a 'fake (counterfeit),' so I waited a year to get it. Thanks for the rerelease."
It is not only Nongshim's cup noodle ceramic bowls enjoying popularity. The Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk five-piece tableware set, available on the Binggrae official mall, also joined the sold-out ranks. When stacked, the Banana Flavored Milk five-piece tableware set forms the shape of Banana Flavored Milk; when separated, it can be used as a rice bowl, soup bowl, small dish, and side dish container. Consumers say the Banana Flavored Milk bowl set is cute and pretty, making it good as an accessory, and it is also useful as diet tableware. A Binggrae official said, "Consumers who missed out are asking for a rerelease, so we are likely to proceed with additional sales." According to Binggrae, about 12,000 units were sold over two rounds and are scheduled to ship in July.
The retail industry sees this as part of so-called "fun consumption." It refers to consumption that is entertaining, cute, and unique, bringing joy during both the purchasing and the using stages. The industry believes that if it leverages the "funsumer" trend of seeking fun and enjoyment in the buying process, it can spur organic word of mouth (viral marketing) and lift sales.
There are also voices saying this is a useful way to respond to the increasingly important fandom consumption market. It is seen as a solution to navigate an era in which artificial intelligence (AI) agents independently handle the entire process from product search and comparison to payment. In the food industry, Orion's recent release of a children's book using the Chocosongi and Goraebap characters with Gimm-young Publishers is viewed as the same kind of marketing approach.
A food company official said, "We see it as useful for building and spreading a consumer fandom," adding, "Even if the immediate sales share is not large, we will move more aggressively to leverage the company's intellectual property (IP)."