From Gukjin Bread to Minumsa Bread: Bread Evolving into Fandom Merchandise

From Stickers to Photo Cards and Bookmarks

Affordable Goods Driving Store Visits and App Engagement

The number of consumers checking stock via mobile applications and visiting multiple convenience stores to obtain character stickers or photo cards along with a loaf of bread is on the rise. Bread, which was previously seen as a simple snack, has now evolved into a type of 'fandom merchandise,' allowing people to own and experience their favorite content at a relatively low cost.

GS25 collaborated with the publisher "Minumsa" and character intellectual property (IP) "Today's Cutie" to launch "Kkaechalbbang Salty Milk" and "Mocha Bun Milk Cream". GS25

This change has created new opportunities for the convenience store industry. Collaborative products that utilize popular intellectual property (IP) not only drive sales but also play the role of 'traffic driver' items, increasing in-store visits and securing app users. The starting point of the character bread craze in Korea is considered to be 'Gukjin Bread,' which debuted in 1999. This 500-won bread included a sticker featuring the popular comedian Kim Gookjin. Its immense popularity—selling 600,000 to 700,000 units a day—led to the introduction of products like Finkl Bread, Digimon Bread, and Keroro Bread, all featuring stickers.

After a period of stagnation, interest in the character bread market was reignited with the resurgence of Pokémon Bread. Recently, the scope of collaborations has rapidly expanded beyond characters to now include professional baseball teams, publishers, and idols. In particular, convenience stores are leveraging bread and desserts as key product lines to draw fandoms to their locations.

The character bread market, which had been sluggish for a while, has regained attention thanks to the resurgence of Pokemon Bread. Samlip

CU's dessert sales from January to August this year increased by 65.6% compared to the same period last year, continuing the sharp growth of 25.1% in 2024 and 62.3% last year. Its representative product, the Yonsei Milk Fresh Cream Bread series, surpassed 100 million units in cumulative sales as of April this year since its 2022 launch. GS25’s 'Minumsa Bread,' which combines the publisher Minumsa and the character IP "Today’s Cuteness," is a case in point for fandom collaboration. From its launch on August 21 to September 9—a span of about 20 days—770,000 units were sold, making up the top four bread products in GS25’s overall sales after release.

After Pokémon: The IP Wars in Convenience Store Bread—Publishers, Pro Baseball, and Idols Step In

The bread competition among convenience store chains is evolving into a strategy where ‘fandom attracts the customer and taste brings them back.’ As the boundaries blur between content industries—such as character IP, sports, publishing, and idols—and retail, a single loaf of bread is becoming a strategic product that drives not only sales but also new customer inflow and increased app traffic.

Product popularity is also reflected in online traffic. Since launch, searches for 'Minumsa' within the Our Neighborhood GS app reached approximately 6 million. Last month, the app’s newly installed user count hit about 400,000—a monthly record for this year—while monthly active users (MAU) hit an all-time high of around 4.7 million.

Bread has thus become a 'customer acquisition device' that brings consumers into a convenience store app, beyond just driving product sales. Products targeted at professional baseball fandoms are seeing similar results. This year, Seven-Eleven worked with professional baseball teams such as the Lotte Giants and KIA Tigers to create collaborative products, which have together sold a cumulative 3 million units. Notably, after the launch of the Lotte Giants collaboration, sales at Seven-Eleven stores near Sajik Baseball Stadium rose by 67% from May 2 to December 31 last year compared to the same period the previous year, showing that the collection demand from baseball fans translated into both increased physical store visits and higher sales.

Emart24 also saw a 65% increase in dessert category sales compared to the previous year from August 7 to September 9, after releasing dessert products in collaboration with the popular animation "Bread Barbershop." Idol fandoms are also entering the convenience store bread scene. CU plans to launch five types of bread this month in collaboration with the girl group RESCENE.

CU plans to launch five types of bread this month in collaboration with the girl group RESCENE. CU

The strategy is to reflect the preferred flavors of the group members in the products, while including photo cards to link the fandom’s collecting desires to purchases. The industry’s active pursuit of IP collaboration is also related to the nature of bread. Unlike high-priced merchandise, bread is relatively inexpensive—costing only a few thousand won—making the barrier to entry low for fandoms. At the same time, bread can be consumed as a meal replacement or dessert, offering a clear rationale for purchase beyond fandom. For convenience stores, they can expect additional purchases from customers visiting for collaboration products, and the stock-checking process guides customers to use their own apps. This means offline inflow and app activation effects can be targeted simultaneously, beyond simply selling products.

However, simply attaching a popular IP does not guarantee commercial success. Although fandom can drive initial purchases, repeat purchases can only be secured with good taste and quality. That is why CU, with its own bakery brand Bake405, collaborates with famous confectionery brands and master bakers to strengthen product competitiveness. As of August this year, Bake405’s cumulative sales exceeded 35 million units, and products co-developed with master baker Lee Seokwon have sold a total of 1.7 million units.

From 500-won Character Bread to 8,500-won Bagels: The Changing Landscape of Bread Consumption in Korea

Meanwhile, the culture of bread consumption itself is also changing. In the 2010s, the German-style confectionery schneeballen gained popularity thanks to the fun of breaking it apart, while in 2016, extra-large castella cakes priced at 6,000–7,000 won became a nationwide trend as value-for-money desserts. In the 2020s, bagels are leading the market. London Bagel Museum, which opened in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul in 2021, gained popularity among young consumers, making bagel shops hot spots for open-to-close rushes. Basic bagels sell for around the high 3,000-won range, but depending on toppings and varieties, products priced over 8,000 won have also appeared.

From character bread priced at 500 won in 1999, to collaborative convenience store breads costing a few thousand won, and bagels selling for over 8,000 won, consumers are paying more for bread, but the standards for making purchasing decisions have become more diverse. Bread is no longer just food to fill the stomach; it has transformed into a 'good' that offers a brand experience, content enjoyment, spatial experience, and the fun of collecting—consumed all at once.

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