"It's Only $1": Why Gen Z and Younger Koreans Are Rushing to Daiso

South Korean discount chain Daiso is making a serious push into the anime and character goods market. The retailer is stocking merchandise tied to proven IPs — from Disney and Pixar's Toy Story to the Japanese anime hits Haikyu!! and Crayon Shin-chan — priced mostly between 1,000 and 5,000 won. The strategy is pulling in teens and 20-somethings at a time when pop-up stores and official merch keep getting pricier.

According to retail industry sources on the 5th, Daiso's operator Asung Daiso has rolled out a steady stream of anime and character goods this year. Its latest launch is a Disney and Pixar Toy Story collaboration, with household items, travel goods, and stationery featuring Woody, Buzz, and the aliens.

Products aimed at Japanese anime fandoms are also expanding. Daiso began selling Haikyu!! merchandise as the franchise's theatrical release grew its Korean fan base. The lineup covers the categories anime fans usually chase: acrylic figures, acrylic magnets, keyrings, and can badges. Crayon Shin-chan character goods are also available on the Daiso Mall online store and in physical shops. Character merchandise is starting to look less like a one-off event and more like a permanent shelf category at Daiso.

Price is the pitch. Character goods sold at pop-up stores or on official online shops routinely climb into the tens of thousands of won for keyrings, acrylic stands, and plush toys. Daiso's versions mostly sit between 1,000 and 5,000 won. That is a range where students and 20-something shoppers can grab several items without thinking twice.

The strategy also fits a wider spending pattern in South Korea, where high inflation has pushed shoppers to cut back on big purchases while still spending freely on small pleasures. For anime fans, it means skipping the long pop-up lines and expensive official merch and picking up character goods at a Daiso down the street. With stores easy to reach and prices low, small-scale merch buying has become an everyday habit.

For Daiso, character goods are a tool to bring shoppers in more often. Household basics tend to be need-based purchases. Character merchandise is different: new drops and restock news can pull the same fan back into a store repeatedly. When buyers post their hauls or share stock updates on social media, the free online exposure adds up too.

Retail insiders see Daiso carving out a role as the low-price distribution channel for the character goods business. It mirrors how convenience stores use tie-in ready meals with popular IPs to court fandoms, and how department stores lean on pop-up stores to drive foot traffic. Daiso is using rock-bottom prices and a wide store network to fold character goods into ordinary shopping trips.

"Character products are effective at drawing price-sensitive teen and 20-something shoppers into stores," an industry source said. "IP competition is going to get even more intense in the low-price retail channel."