As the May Golden Holiday begins, the retail industry is actively vying to attract consumers. This holiday period, peaking around Children’s Day, is a time when family-oriented spending is concentrated. Large supermarkets, department stores, e-commerce, and delivery apps are all employing various strategies to draw in customers. Special discount events have been arranged, and unique exhibitions and pop-up stores have been added to enhance the offline experience.
According to industry sources on the 4th, Lotte Mart is running a special promotion called “5! Happy Deal” from May 3rd to the 5th, offering daily specials on Children’s Day weekend. They are offering up to a 40% discount on toys from Young Toys and Pororo, with additional benefits for L.Point members. For instance, the “Pororo Coding Computer” was available for 65,940 KRW on the 3rd, the “Young Toys Sanrio Characters Laptop” for 76,900 KRW on the 4th, and the “Tobot Tritan Black” for 43,740 KRW on the 5th. Other popular brands like Hello Carbot and Lego are available at up to 30% discounts until May 7th. Toy specialty store Toys”R”Us is offering a 5% discount on mobile gift certificates through Kakao gifting service.
E-Mart is hosting a “Character Festa,” focusing on popular character toys like My Melody, Catch Teenieping, Hello Carbot, and Tobot with up to a 30% discount until May 6th. Many exclusive items are included, appealing to character collectors. Customers who spend over 60,000 KRW using the special event card receive a 10,000 KRW gift certificate. Additionally, character picnic items like Teenieping parasol tables, Indian tents, and sunbeds are being promoted for outing needs.
Online shopping malls and e-commerce platforms are targeting the spring holiday demand. Coupang has set up product recommendation sections and brand discount corners to accommodate gift purchases for occasions like Parents’ Day and Children’s Day. Until May 7th, consumers can purchase from over 30,000 discounted items across 14 categories, including toys, snacks, health foods, fashion, beauty, baby products, stationery, electronics, home living, and sports.
G-Market is offering special prices on domestic sea travel products until May 24th, including day trips and 1-night, 2-day packages featuring maritime leisure and mudflat experiences designed for a leisurely schedule. 11st is running its pre-promotion for the Grand Eleven Festival until May 6th, featuring pre-order sales, e-coupon specials, and prize draw events.
Department stores and shopping malls have opted for a strategy centered around visual attractions. Lotte World Tower is hosting “Pokémon Town 2025” until May 18th, featuring large balloons of Pikachu and Lapras, 100 Metamon dolls, and photo zones, drawing 1.2 million visitors within the first five days. The combination of indoor and outdoor exhibitions and merchandise sales is winning over family visitors.
Shinsegae Department Store’s Gangnam branch is holding a Peanuts 75th-anniversary pop-up store featuring Snoopy-themed merchandise until May 6th, with the event continuing at the Centum City and Daegu branches. Hyundai Department Store and Hyundai Outlet, along with Disney, are running a “Share the Love” campaign across their nationwide locations, enhanced by experiential content like face painting, coloring, and Disney pop-up stores.
The delivery app Baedal Minjok is participating in the May Ministry of SMEs and Startups Collaborative Festival with its own promotion, offering a 4,000 KRW discount coupon to pickup service users and extending up to a 6,000 KRW discount in some areas. Additionally, the “Taste of Korea” section, featuring regional specialties, offers up to a 12,000 KRW discount.
Industry insiders state, “This year’s Children’s Day coinciding with a bridge holiday is the optimal time to revive consumer sentiment. A content-centered strategy that absorbs a range of lifestyle demands will act as a key competitive edge to prevent consumer attrition.”