From online to the malls, K-pop merchandise is making a big splash

WHILE most businesses are looking to digitalise and go online, many K-pop (or Korean pop) merchandise shops in Singapore are doing the opposite by expanding their physical presence at malls across the island. 

Fans of all ages can be seen at such shops buying merchandise, such as music albums, photo books, light sticks and posters.

One such shop, House of Kpop, has opened three physical stores over the past 18 months at Jem, Plaza Singapura and Orchard Central. There are plans to open another branch at SingPost Centre at Paya Lebar later this year. 

For owner Erika Chong, what first started out as a small group order for fans on online marketplace Carousell in 2016 grew bigger until she had to quit her full-time job as an accountant at the end of 2020 to fully focus on the business. 

“K-pop is the trend now. People are picking up the Korean language even in the US, and designer brands are getting K-pop stars to help them advertise (their products),” she said. 

Another business, Infinity Kpop, shifted its store from City Gate along Beach Road to a more accessible location at Suntec City to cater to a growing customer base. It has also seen more foreign customers after Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted. 

“Maybe they can’t find the merchandise in their own country, and shipping from South Korea may be quite expensive,” said owner Karin Chan. “Walking into a store is also a different experience from buying online, as seeing (the merchandise) in person is different than on a screen.”

Chong noted that customers prefer to be in a store to choose their favourite albums, some of which contain a random photocard of a member of the group.

“My customers always tell me they can ‘feel’ their biases inside one of the albums,” she said. “So if they buy online, it’s not their own ‘feel’ because it’s someone else picking it out for them and not their own luck.”

Tricia Wu, a secondary school student, frequents the physical stores because of the better selection and the ability to browse the different options on sale.

Undergraduate Megan Cheah enjoys seeing the variety of albums on offer at the physical stores. “You can see what people are buying and what kind of stock the stores have,” she said. “Sometimes they have older albums, or albums from groups that have already disbanded. You can also compare prices between the physical shops and online stores.”

While some items sold at brick-and-mortar stores might be slightly pricier compared to what is available online, the overall difference is negligible after factoring in shipping costs, she added. 

For other fans like Poh Ying Xuan, there is the incentive of being able to enjoy the merchandise immediately after walking out of the shop. The secondary school student, who spends about S$200 every few months when her favourite group releases a new album, said: “You don’t have to wait to open (the items) if you buy from the physical stores, so the thrill is there.”

A social experience

Besides selling merchandise, some stores have introduced activities to make shopping a more social experience and to bring in the crowds. 

For instance, Beadsofbullets, which moved its retail store to a larger unit in Orchard Gateway last year, has a photo booth and a lucky draw machine for customers to win photocards. Infinity Kpop’s Chan said the store once organised an event with K-pop group Billie, and she is hopeful about having more of such interactive fan events in the future. 

For fans like Cheah, shopping at K-pop merchandise stores is a fun social activity, and she makes it a point to hang out at such places with her friends whenever possible.  

“I’m not super sociable, but if I see people holding albums of a group that I like, I’ll make conversation with them,” she said, adding that she also chats with the staff when she opens her albums because they are usually fans as well.

House of Kpop’s Chong has noticed some customers making friends with one another as they exchange items such as photocards.

More reliable

Another key reason cited by fans for why they buy from a brick-and-mortar store is that it is more reliable compared to online shops and organised group orders. 

Chan of Infinity Kpop shared that customers have said they were scammed through online orders in the past, and that is why they turn to physical stores instead as there is greater accountability. 

Chong also pointed out that stores are responsible for liaising with suppliers and making sure they send accurate and undamaged items, and having them replace any item that is defective.

One complaint regarding group orders is that these can sometimes take months to fulfil if the organiser is not competent, said Cheah.

“Sometimes it takes a while because the managers of group orders do have their own lives and jobs as well,” she said. “But for physical stores, you know for sure they are legitimate and (the merchandise) does arrive quite fast.”