“The app said there was no stock, but I found some at the convenience store,” said Kim, a 30-year-old office worker from Guro, Seoul. What he is searching for these days is not limited-edition sneakers or popular character merchandise, but GS25's bakery items named after Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice.' The bakery products feature titles from literary works, and the packaging resembles book covers, containing bookmarks inspired by classic literature.
The unusual pairing of literature and convenience store bakery items has led to a sales boom, with 100,000 units sold within just five days of their launch. This trend reflects the growing 'Text Hip' culture, where consumers engage with literature in their everyday food choices.
According to the retail industry on August 27, GS25, in collaboration with publisher Minumsa and the intellectual property brand Today's Cuteness, launched two bakery items on August 21: 'About Love' and 'I Wanted to Howl Freshly Like a Wolf.' By August 25, 100,000 units had been sold.
The two products quickly became the top-selling bakery items at GS25. The bookmarks included with the products have also gained immense popularity, with sales rates nearing 100% compared to the stock available, according to GS25.
'About Love,' inspired by Anton Chekhov's work, features a mocha bun with custard flavor, while 'I Wanted to Howl Freshly Like a Wolf,' named after a poetry collection by Moon Jeong-hee, is a salty milk rice cake. On August 26, GS25 introduced two additional items: 'Pride and Prejudice' (mocha bun with milk cream) and 'A Bad Boy is Standing' (custard rice cake).
A key factor driving the success of these products is the 'random bookmark' included. Each product contains one of 20 different bookmarks, randomly selected from 15 based on Minumsa's world literature series and five from poetry collections. Consumers do not know which bookmark they will receive until they open the product.
Searching for Stock at Convenience Stores: Exchanges and Resale
If consumers do not receive the desired bookmark, they purchase another product and exchange duplicate bookmarks with other customers. On the secondhand trading platform Danggeun Market, posts have appeared offering to buy products or bookmarks at a premium. Similar to the 'Dibuseal' from Pokémon bread in the past, this approach adds a collectible element to food, now combined with literary content.
The bookmarks themselves are already familiar to consumers as popular merchandise. The designs used in this product were also well-received at the Seoul International Book Fair earlier this year. By combining character designs with the covers of Minumsa's long-established world literature series and poetry collections, the products offer familiarity to readers and a new collectible experience for general consumers.
Amid this success, consumers are sharing their own 'buying tips.' A common suggestion is to visit convenience stores early in the morning, either on the way to work or school, and to target larger stores rather than those in busy areas.
Similar trends are also emerging online. Social media and online communities are filled with posts sharing stock availability at different stores using the GS25 app 'Our Neighborhood GS' or showcasing photos of purchased bakery items along with the bookmarks they received.
GS25's initiative to create these products is rooted in the 'Text Hip' trend that has gained traction among younger generations. This trend reflects a consumer behavior that goes beyond reading books and texts, expressing personal tastes and identities through related products. This includes not only buying books from bookstores but also attending book fairs, purchasing book covers and clips, and sharing favorite quotes on social media.
In fact, the demand for book-related products is on the rise. According to 29CM, the transaction volume in the book accessories category increased by 23% year-on-year from May 24 to June 23. W Concept also reported an approximately 80% increase in transaction volume for book-related products, including books, book covers, and clips, during the same period.
Offline, foot traffic is also increasing. The Seoul International Book Fair held in June at COEX attracted around 160,000 visitors, about 10,000 more than the previous year. The act of quietly reading books has evolved into a leisure activity that includes attending book fairs, purchasing merchandise, and sharing experiences on social media.
A GS25 representative stated, “We planned this product in collaboration with Minumsa to align with the Text Hip trend, capturing the excitement of discovering which literary bookmark one might receive while purchasing the bakery items and the joy of collecting and owning them.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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