Woowa Brothers, operator of Baedal Minjok (Baemin), said on Sunday that average daily pickup orders for a limited-edition drink sold at small cafes rose about 11-fold through a tie-up with 'BTS The City Arirang Seoul'. The company said it analysed the move as having a positive impact on boosting sales and customer traffic at small local cafes.

The company said that from April 6 to 19, the average daily number of Baemin pickup orders at 100 small cafes in Seoul’s Jongno and Jung districts selling the limited-edition drink 'The City Arirang Red Ade' rose about 1,000 percent from the immediately preceding comparable period, from March 23 to April 5. Over the same period, average daily Baemin pickup sales at those stores rose 430 percent.

Ahead of the limited-edition drink’s launch, Baemin previously provided 100 small cafes around Seoul’s Jongno and Jung districts with ingredients such as omija syrup and a recipe to sell a total of 20,000 cups of the drink. It also provided a total of 20,000 ice cups, lids, cup holders, straw picks, posters and menu POP materials, and supported marketing including banner exposure in the Baemin app and pickup discount coupons.

Over the same period, Baemin pickup orders at about 450 stores that received discount coupons for in-app pickup orders rose 220 percent, while sales increased 105 percent.

Kim Joong-hyun (김중현), head of Woowa Brothers’ sustainability management office, said, "We were able to confirm that tourism demand drawn in by a large-scale global event actually led to sales and customer inflows at small local cafes." He added, "We will continue to work to expand various models of mutual growth and consistently create opportunities for small business owners to grow."