Retail / news
Staged Marriage of Sticker Characters Drives Record Sales at Nanjing Mall
Chinese sticker IP Siam Lip and Japanese character My Friend Rabbit staged a mock wedding at Jingfeng Center in Nanjing, leading to a pop-up store that sold out many of its 200 limited-edition products within days.
In early July, Nanjing’s Jingfeng Center hosted an unusual retail event to celebrate its tenth anniversary: a full outdoor wedding ceremony between two fictional characters. The groom was Rabbit Xiuzhen, a character from Chinese sticker brand Siam Lip (LiPU), and the bride was My Friend Rabbit, a popular Japanese character. The ceremony featured floral arches, a red carpet, and guests in attendance.
Alongside the wedding, the brands opened a national debut exhibition and a pop-up store stocking around 200 limited-edition products. Many items sold out immediately, with fans taking to social media to frame their purchases as wedding gifts for the animated couple. Others sought the sold-out merchandise on resale platforms.
The collaboration stands out in China’s often formulaic co-branding market, where many partnerships simply combine logos. By creating a genuinely bizarre narrative and investing in a live event, the IPs generated significant consumer engagement and converted it into strong retail performance.
The event underscores the effectiveness of experiential marketing in China’s competitive consumer landscape, where novel storytelling can drive both foot traffic and online buzz. Jingfeng Center’s decision to anchor its anniversary celebrations around the collaboration paid off with immediate sellouts and sustained social media attention.