Ryan's China Strategy... Kakao Friends Opens First Store in Shanghai

Interior Reflecting Chinese Preferences... Launch of Specialized Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Kakao IX's character brand Kakao Friends announced on the 10th that it will officially open its first store in China on the 12th in Shanghai.

The Shanghai store is a two-story building located on Nanjing East Road pedestrian street, known as the Myeongdong of Shanghai. Kakao Friends explained that they opened their first store in China here to introduce Kakao Friends to more overseas consumers.

The Shanghai store is presented under the concept of 'ONE SCENE ONE IMPACT,' designed as a space where Chinese people can take photos and upload them on Instagram. It harmoniously uses gold, a color preferred by Chinese consumers, and yellow, the symbol of Kakao Friends, and features a large golden Ryan mirror ball installed on the ceiling, offering a new experience unique to the Shanghai store.

Also, under the mirror ball, Kakao Friends characters are displayed with the theme 'I Love Shanghai,' creating a welcoming space for customers.

Kakao Friends will also release exclusive products available only at the Shanghai store. These combine red, representing China, and iconic Shanghai landmarks such as the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, and Expo, as well as famous Shanghai foods like Xiaolongbao and Shengjian, with the characters. Along with the opening of the Shanghai store, Kakao Friends plans to launch a membership club service on 'Xiaochengxu,' the mini-application of the Chinese messenger 'WeChat.'

Since establishing its Chinese corporation in 2018, Kakao IX has operated pop-up stores in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other locations, and since March 2019, has entered major Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Tmall, JD.com, and Xiaohongshu, building brand awareness in the Greater China region. Online channel sales in the first half of this year grew by more than 80% compared to the previous year, and the company aims to double its total online sales this year compared to last year.

Kakao IX plans to further expand its business in China. It will participate in the 'Licensing Expo China' held in October and is considering expanding stores within China, including opening a store at Beijing Universal Resort in May next year. Park Joon-seok, head of Kakao IX's China corporation, said, "China has very high growth potential in the character market and is one of the countries highly interested in K-culture. We will strive to introduce the charm of Kakao Friends to more Chinese consumers in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.