Kakao Pay's Seongsu-dong 'small-business department store' draws 400,000 visitors in 1,000 days

"Hearing the story behind each product makes it feel like visiting an exhibition, not just shopping."

Yeonmujang-gil in Seongsu-dong, Seoul — a street that has drawn young crowds for years and more recently foreign tourists — is now home to Kakao Pay's small-business co-prosperity campaign, "Orae Orae Hamkke Gage" (Long-lasting Together Store). Running from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31, the two-month pop-up brings together 100 small-business brands under one roof.

Step inside and it is the stories, not the products, that catch the eye first. Uyu Gotgan, run by a young dairy farmer carrying on a 34-year-old family operation at Hoengseong Daegwang Ranch, showcases local dairy goods, while the fragrances of Raizel — a perfume brand created by a small-business perfumer — fill the exhibition space. The 100 brands, all making sustainable products regardless of sales volume, are grouped into five themes: brands with long-standing traditions, brands that express sensibility and personal taste, everyday lifestyle brands, eco-friendly brands committed to the planet, and local brands from across the country.

The layout itself resembles an exhibition. Visitors begin in a space that traces the journey Kakao Pay and small businesses have taken together, then move through six zones — an "atelier" featuring displays inspired by each brand's raw materials, a sales area, a tasting space and a rest area. A stamp tour guides visitors through each brand's story before they choose what to buy.

"Orae Orae Hamkke Gage" is Kakao Pay's flagship co-prosperity campaign, designed to discover small-business brands with growth potential and help them open new sales channels while strengthening their business capabilities. It was officially launched in June 2023, following the establishment of a co-prosperity fund with Kakao Together in November 2022, and has been operated in partnership with the Work Together Foundation. In the more than 1,000 days since its launch, the campaign has connected 264 brands with more than 400,000 customers.

The Seongsu-dong store marks the first time the pop-up format — previously run for about two weeks at a time — has been extended to two months. The event goes beyond selling goods, adding an exhibition component designed to move customers through brand storytelling. "Most co-prosperity programs offer one-off, single-day support," an organizer said. "As Kakao Pay accumulated experience, we came to understand that what small businesses truly need is not simply a boost in sales but the ability to build their brand — and as a result, we were able to expand into this kind of space."

Participating brands join both the offline pop-up and Kakao Pay's online store with no commission fees and receive sales support from professional merchandise directors. They also receive financial education focused on accounting and taxation, branding education led by outside experts, and a six-week marketing education course. A satisfaction survey of 60 participating brands in 2025 found that 98.2 percent rated the education support positively, 96.7 percent were satisfied with expanded sales channels, and 94.2 percent were satisfied with expanded promotional exposure.

"Under our ESG vision of 'beneficial flow, flexible finance,' we are carrying out co-prosperity activities so that anyone — regardless of the digital divide — can enjoy digital financial services and achieve sustainable growth together," a Kakao Pay official said.