Shinsegae-Lotte, Off-Market 'Marketing Home Run' Showdown

Vice Chairman Jeong Yong-jin: "We connect baseball with our core business... Lotte should catch up" Provocation
At SSG Landers baseball team inauguration, Shinsegae expresses ambition for postseason
Advertisements and stores throughout the stadium... Large-scale discount event for opening game
Lotte counters with marketing via home shopping... April anniversary event planned

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] "(Lotte, which owns a baseball team,) I thought they fail to connect valuable things like their main business. We will connect it with our main business (distribution). They (Lotte) will have to follow us reluctantly."

Jung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, has announced a showdown with Lotte not only in baseball but also in distribution through the professional baseball team SSG Landers. At the SSG Landers founding ceremony on the afternoon of the 30th, he also expressed his ambition to advance to the fall baseball season this year. Accordingly, the competition between distribution rivals Shinsegae and Lotte is expected to intensify, starting with the opening game between SSG Landers and Lotte Giants at Incheon Munhak Stadium on the 3rd of next month.

Distribution Rivals Meet at the Baseball Stadium

Since announcing the acquisition of the professional baseball team, Vice Chairman Jung has presented a blueprint to combine distribution and baseball and expand business areas. The plan is to provide new experiences and services to customers visiting the baseball stadium, evolving from 'watching baseball' to 'enjoying baseball,' while also focusing efforts so that fans can become 'Shinsegae fans' even outside the stadium.

Accordingly, the home stadium, Incheon Munhak Stadium, was renamed 'Incheon SSG Landers Field,' and the first official exhibition game was held on the 25th. Advertising boards for E-Mart, Electromart, No Brand, and others were displayed throughout the stadium, along with the catchphrase "The Beginning of a Pro Baseball Never Seen Before! SSG Landers." In line with the opening game, Starbucks and No Brand Burger stores inside the stadium are also scheduled to open.

Earlier, E-Mart sent Starbucks coffee and SSG delivery packages to the baseball team players to gain promotional effects. An event is also underway on the SSG website, offering SSG Money to those who leave comments wishing for SSG Landers' first victory. Various baseball-related marketing campaigns will also be conducted through E-Mart 24, Starbucks, and others in the future.

Lotte Responds Through Home Shopping

The professional baseball team Lotte Giants, operated by Lotte Group, has launched marketing through Lotte Home Shopping. Last month, the Lotte Giants' own intra-squad scrimmage, broadcast live on mobile by Lotte Home Shopping, recorded 20,000 simultaneous viewers and 120,000 cumulative viewers, receiving great response. According to Lotte, customer reactions were enthusiastic, such as "I was disappointed not to watch pro baseball games in person last year, but it was interesting to watch the team's scrimmage live on mobile," and "Watching the team's scrimmage through the home shopping mobile app is new."

On the 23rd of this month, Lotte Giants sold the newly released '2021 FLEX Ticket' at up to 25% discount on mobile TV. This is the first time regular season baseball tickets have been sold through home shopping. Purchasing this package, consisting of 8 or 16 games, allows customers to reserve desired games and enter quickly through a dedicated gate. During the 60-minute broadcast, there were 10,000 simultaneous viewers and 1,000 consultations. Lotte Home Shopping plans to exclusively sell specially planned team products such as sneakers and clothing in the future.

Off-Field Competition Extends to Marts

To coincide with SSG Landers' first game, E-Mart will hold a 'Landers Day' discount event for four days from April 1 to 4. They plan to offer large quantities of premium grade Hanwoo beef and Russian live snow crabs at super special prices. More than 500 items, including about 80 1+1 sale items such as groceries and daily necessities, will be discounted. SSG.com and E-Mart 24 will also participate in the Landers Day event with exclusive promotions.

Choi Hoon-hak, marketing manager at E-Mart, said, "In line with the meaning of 'Landers,' which aims to introduce a new baseball culture presented by Shinsegae, we plan to deliver the greatest discount benefits to customers through Landers Day."

In response, Lotte Mart will pour out a record-scale discount volume of about 2,000 items worth 100 billion won in conjunction with its 23rd anniversary event throughout April. To commemorate the opening game of the professional baseball season, they will offer 'Giant' abalone and jujube cherry tomatoes, which are twice the size and volume, as well as various fresh and processed foods at up to 50% discounted prices.

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