"Annual Economic Impact Exceeds 1 Trillion Won"... The KBO Merchandise War

'Fandom Consumption' Led by Women in Their 20s and 30s Expands
CJ Onstyle, Starbucks, and Lotte Join the Competition Again This Year

Last weekend at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, fans could spot a wide range of merchandise even before the game began—sometimes standing out more than the uniforms themselves. Everyday items featuring team logos, such as tumblers, keyrings, and folding umbrellas, were quickly spreading among spectators. A woman in her 20s pointed to the keyring on her bag, saying, "I bought this at Starbucks. It sold out immediately after launch, and I barely managed to get one." In fact, the KBO collaboration merchandise released by Starbucks Korea last month saw its main products sell out within the first hour, and as all items sold out, a resale phenomenon emerged in the secondhand market, with prices reaching twice the original retail price.

As professional baseball evolves beyond a spectator sport into a ‘consumption content’ phenomenon, the retail industry is rushing to enter the KBO merchandise market. With a strong fan base, especially among women in their 20s and 30s, establishing itself as a new consumer demographic, competition over baseball-related products is heating up.

According to the industry on April 10, CJ Onstyle began selling KBO collaboration merchandise through its mobile app the previous day, launching a full-scale market push. The newly released products include Odense tumblers, figure straws, Atsensial towel keyrings (bat-shaped and stadium bag-shaped), a set of three hand towels, uniform sachets, cod for victory wishes, large picnic mats, lightweight blackout folding umbrellas, and bandana scarves—a total of more than 10 items. The inclusion of highly practical everyday goods is a distinguishing feature of this lineup.

Consumer response was strong even before the official launch. After being pre-released on CJ Onstyle's broadcast, items such as the bandana scarf, lightweight folding umbrella, uniform sachet, stadium bag keyring, and large picnic mat ranked high in both views and ‘favorites’ before the launch. A CJ Onstyle representative explained, "The participatory mobile live broadcast 'KBO House In Progress,' produced in collaboration with entertainer Yoo Byungjae, recorded 10 times more notification requests and chat participation than regular live streams, proving its hit potential."

This movement in the retail industry is based on a proven 'merchandise success formula' seen multiple times already. A symbolic example is the 2024 collaboration between Doosan Bears and the character 'Manggeureojin Bear.' At that time, all uniforms sold out within 13 minutes of release, far surpassing the previous annual sales volume in an instant. Kia expanded its fan base through its collaboration with 'Tiniping,' and SPC Samlip’s 'KBO Bread' proved its scalability to the food sector by selling more than 1 million units within three days of launch.

At the center of this trend are female fans in their 20s and 30s. As an active consumption mindset is combined with a fandom-based participatory culture, baseball is transforming from a simple spectator event into a ‘lifestyle content to enjoy and consume.’ The popularity of everyday products such as uniforms, keyrings, and picnic items reflects this change.

The economic impact is also significant. Last year, the cumulative baseball audience surpassed 12 million, and these baseball fans are characterized by strong loyalty and expansive consumption behaviors, from purchasing merchandise to engaging in community activities. According to Hyundai Research Institute, the annual consumer spending effect of professional baseball amounts to approximately 1.1121 trillion won. This figure extends beyond simple ticket sales, encompassing merchandise, food and beverage, and content consumption across related industries.

KBO goods sold at Starbucks. Starbucks

Lotte Wellfood has also joined the competition by announcing plans to launch limited-edition KBO products with Tibu Stickers applied to Pepero, Kkokkalcorn, and Mon Cher. As the 'baseball IP business' extends beyond fashion and daily necessities into the food sector, it is expected to remain a central battleground in the retail industry for the foreseeable future.

An industry official said, "In the past, these sales were more event-driven, but now the market has shifted to regular consumption based on fandom. For the retail industry, this is seen as a new category that can secure stable demand."

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