The Secret to Growth in a Stagnant Market: 'My One and Only Unique Product'... Accessory Workshop 'TinkleU'

Surge in Orders as Manuals Included in Ingredient Sets
Online Store Built via 'Cafe24'... Videos Provided Matching Products
Custom Engraving Orders Also Popular

Kim Seong-man (34) and Park Yumi (33), co-CEOs and married couple.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Despite the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there is a place in Seoul's Hongdae area where foot traffic never ceases. It is the accessory workshop 'TinkleU.' Although the overall accessory industry has been sluggish due to the atmosphere of refraining from going out, TinkleU is mentioned as a hotspot on social networking services (SNS) thanks to word of mouth spreading both online and offline. The couple, co-CEOs Kim Seongman (34) and Park Yumi (33), are well-known figures among enthusiasts.

TinkleU started modestly in 2012. Without much capital, they quietly sold accessories they made themselves while observing the market. It was a time when the trend of buying materials and making accessories by oneself was strong. On the other hand, many consumers experienced failure due to the lack of proper production manuals. The couple focused on this aspect.

CEO Kim explained, "There were many people who bought accessory materials according to trends but did not know how to make them," and added, "We proposed a strategy to sell a kind of material set with a manual included." The response to this 'DIY (Do It Yourself)' concept was immediate. The volume of orders pouring in, mainly from young women, was so large that it was difficult to keep up with supply. The expansion of business scale and items was natural, and their own store in Hongdae is one of the results.

TinkleU then experienced a vertical growth, with custom orders that included design and engraving of phrases playing a big role. Couple bracelets and couple necklaces are steady sellers, and recently, products engraved with pet registration numbers have become a cash cow. The know-how accumulated in operating the online mall during this process has become a benchmark for the industry.

Product options available to customers mainly include size, color, font, and phrases, with gift boxes optionally added depending on the case. The couple suggests offering 3 to 5 options, reasoning that more than that could cause customer fatigue and reduce purchase rates. This is an appropriate balance between the psychology of wanting to buy accessories that are at least a little different from others and ease of sales.

The accessory production manuals provided to customers have also evolved from text instructions to videos. Even with easy-to-make manuals, inquiry calls flooded in. Therefore, starting two years ago, they turned the manuals into videos and uploaded them to their online mall, which was built on the global e-commerce platform 'Cafe24.' By uploading videos tailored to each product on the detailed pages of the mall, customer satisfaction greatly increased.

As a supplement to the videos, concept photos that virtually set accessory-wearing situations also stand out. For example, if the accessory is a birthday gift, the background is set as a party scene for the shoot. Text is kept concise with only important precautions, as the couple calculated that with videos available, there is no need to fill the page with dense text.

Recently, the couple started uploading daily life videos of the workshop. This is to expand communication with customers, and it has also had the effect of attracting those who previously only purchased online to visit the store in person. This is the ideal form of online-offline linkage the couple has envisioned. CEO Park said, "I prefer to implement high quality with a long-term perspective, but my husband values quick effects in the short term," adding, "Constant communication and refining strategies according to market conditions became the foundation for our success."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.