BTS, K-Pop Fans Spend Up To P68,000 Each For Their Idols

Fifteen-year-old Irish Mae Atanacio is a typical fan of Korean pop groups and the BTS. She would go to concerts and fan events, follow them on their social media accounts, join fan clubs or online communities, and buy their merchandise.

Recently, she became ecstatic when she received a birthday gift from her mother –  specially made standees of her idols. “Ang saya-saya ko po,” Irish said.

According to Irish, the most she has spent so far for a K-pop group was P9,000 – for tickets to the concerts of Seventeen and GOT7 in Manila. At the concert venues, she would buy bobbleheads, posters or photocards. If she is earning a living, she would have wanted to buy albums, too, “but only just to look at the pictures,” she quipped, saying the images brighten her day.

“Maganda po kasi display mga photocards and posters nila. Gumaganda araw ko,” she said.

Meanwhile, a 44-year-old mother from Camarines Sur confessed she is a member of the “Army” – the legions of fans of the South Korean boy band called BTS that has achieved global fame for hit songs like “Butterfly,” “Life Goes On” and “Dynamite.”

The mother said she watched the concerts of BTS in Manila twice – in 2016 and 2017. The tickets cost P12,500 each time, and she watched the concerts for two nights in a row.

“I would have wanted to watch the BTS concert in Taiwan in 2018 if only my internet connection was fast. The plane tickets alone to get to Taiwan also sold out moments after I logged in to book it,” she recalled.

Like other BTS fans, she also splurges on BTS merchandise. The most that she spent was for a jacket worth P4,000, which was shipped directly from South Korea.

Like Irish and the Bicolana mom, thousands if not millions of BTS and K-pop devotees in Southeast Asia are willing to spend on items as a show of support for their idols or to simply keep themselves entertained or inspired.

A study by iPrice Group, an e-commerce aggregator, showed that a BTS Army “superfan” in Southeast Asia spends $1,422 (or P68,536.73 based on current exchange rates) on average. A superfan refers to someone who has collected at least 15 studio albums/mini albums or EPs, attended five concerts and bought BTS merchandise.

Filipino fans of all-female South Korean groups Blackpink (“Let’s Kill This Love”) and TWICE (“Cheer Up” and “I Wanna Be a Star”) are also big spenders. “Blinks” – fans of Blackpink – spend around $665 (32,070.56). TWICE superfans, who are called “onces,” spend up to $824 (39,738.56) after purchasing a slew of merchandise, 14 albums and attending four concerts.

Merchandise available for BTS and K-pop fans include home and decor items, phone cases, clothing, health and beauty products, shoes, watches, lomo cards/postcards and even face masks.

“If a superfan is devoted enough to purchase one item per shopping category (buys one light stick, a shirt and a lomo card, for example), that person can spend up to $545 if he is part of the BTS army. A blink would spend about $349 on (merchandise), while an ‘once’ would spend $173,” iPrice said.

“Surprisingly, purchasing albums is the least costly. This is good news for fans who solely appreciate these groups for their music (which, realistically, may only be a small percentage of the fans). Purchasing all albums may cost $336 for BTS fans, $161 for Blackpink fans, and $205 for TWICE fans,” iPrice added.

If a superfan is able to buy one concert ticket a year to see his or her idols, iPrice noted it would cost the fan an average of $541 for BTS, $155 for Blackpink and $446 for TWICE.

The data came from actual Southeast Asian purchases from the bands’ websites, so iPrice did not give a breakdown on the Filipino BTS and K-pop spending for BTS, Blackpink and TWICE concerts and other merchandise.

Most of the Filipino K-Pop fans who bought merchandise from their idols are from Quezon City, Makati, Cebu City and Manila.

By age range, the top groups for Filipino online shoppers in their platforms are 25 to 34 years old and 18 to 24 years old.

There has been an increase of shoppers in the 18 to 24 age range during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

“Interestingly, we observed more male shoppers as compared to females,” iPrice said.

The survey did not disclose how Filipino fans are also spending, or if ever, trying to scrimp, such as in shipping fees and customs handling fees, if they purchase directly from South Korea.

The mother from Camarines Sur said there are BTS communities that assign a point person to purchase merchandise on behalf of the group so they can just divide the freight cost and customs duties.

As for Irish, she goes to fan meet-ups and spends about P400 just for freebies such as photos or posters to add to her collection. During fan meet-ups, she also gets to know other fans.

For some non-BTS or K-pop fans, it seems ridiculous to buy such items. But for Irish and the Bicolana mom, it is money well-spent.

“It’s a way of giving back. We in the Army feel that it’s our way to show support for BTS who has been helping us mentally, psychologically or emotionally during those times when we need them, like when we are depressed. The BTS is our diversion, distraction,” the Bicolana mom explained.