The Real Battlefield for Convenience Stores is YouTube... "Focusing on Interactive Content"

Targeting the Main Customer Base, the MZ Generation
CU Offers Gift Certificates for Winning Mini Games

In CU's web variety show 'Ssuperman Season 3,' singer Defconn is requesting customers to participate in a mini-game.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "Do you play games? Usually, when I say that, everyone loses to me. CU Play the Game?"

Convenience stores are fiercely competing on YouTube to target the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), their main customer base. While indoor entertainment and performance content dominated after COVID-19, recently, in line with the full lifting of social distancing, they are focusing on citizen participation content.

On the 4th, CU has been showcasing the web entertainment show "Ssueopman Season 3" through the 'CUtube' channel since mid-March. Singer Defconn visits stores to play mini-games such as ChamChamCham, Alkkagi, and Tower Stacking with customers using CU products. If the customer wins, they receive a CU purchase voucher worth 10,000, 30,000, 50,000, or 100,000 KRW. Customers can fill their basket with products for 30 seconds, but if the total exceeds the drawn amount, it is invalidated.

GS25 is conducting citizen participation content through the web entertainment show "Godsaeng Planning" on the 'Iri Onora' channel. Comedians Choi Woo-sun and Lee Myung-hoon have received great responses by interviewing citizens in areas like Hongdae during a new product development project. They plan to continue expanding communication with customers and consistently present interactive digital entertainment content.

Emart24 is holding a YouTube content event called the "Street Mukppang (Eating Broadcast + Bread) Contest" in the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail area of Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, this afternoon. Broadcaster Kwon Hyuk-soo will recruit challengers for 2 hours and 4 minutes to compete using the new product "Cream Cheese Garlic Bread." Customers who win the Mukppang contest will receive 200,000 KRW in cash on-site, while those who lose will be gifted a box of the new product.

According to the current number of YouTube subscribers of major convenience stores, GS25's 'Iri Onora' leads with 863,000 subscribers, 162,000 ahead of CU's 'CUtube' with 701,000 subscribers. Since opening their YouTube channels in 2012, the two companies have been competing closely in subscriber numbers. Seven Eleven's 'Boksepyunse' ranks third with 244,000 subscribers.

An industry insider said, "Recently, the focus has been on enabling two-way communication with customers through participatory content," adding, "We plan to continue producing differentiated content to resonate with the MZ generation."

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