What: Hyundai has managed to be a sensation with a popup dedicated to a virtual idol.

Why it is important: Virtual celebrities have a bright future as they present many competitive advantage: fuly controllable, available 24/7, and monetizable.

Hyundai Department Store's pop-up stores featuring three virtual idol groups, Isegye Idol, StelLive, and Plave, attracted over 100,000 visitors and generated sales exceeding 7 billion won ($5.25 million) from February 15 to March 17. This is significantly higher than the typical monthly sales of a pop-up store in the fashion sector, which is around 1 billion won. The Hyundai Seoul, located in Yeouido, is a popular venue for pop-up events, with over 56% of its sales last year coming from customers in the metropolitan area who live more than 10 km away. Entertainment-related pop-up sales, including those from virtual idol promotions, accounted for 72.3% of the metropolitan area's total sales.

Hyundai department store virtual idol popup attracts 100,000