"In the Contactless Era, Sales Channels Were Blocked... Home Shopping Reached Out, and Diffusers Became a Big Hit"

Baeyounggeun MK International CEO
Collaboration with CJENM O Shopping Division and 'Tailorscents'
Planning, manufacturing, and production process
3,000 sets sold out in 17 minutes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), many companies with excellent products and technology are facing management difficulties because of changes in the market environment. This has made win-win cooperation between large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) even more important. As the saying goes, "crisis is opportunity," companies are opening sales channels and introducing great products unknown to consumers, creating heartwarming stories of mutual growth.

On the 18th, we met Bae Young-geun, CEO of MK International, who has dedicated 20 years to the fragrance product field. Recently, CEO Bae collaborated with CJ ENM O Shopping Division to launch 'Taylor Scents Lydia.' On the 8th, 3,000 sets prepared for the home shopping program 'Donggage' sold out in just 17 minutes. This collaboration began when the O Shopping Division reached out first. The O Shopping Division launched the exclusive fragrance brand 'Taylor Scents' and has been selling it since October last year. While searching for a manufacturer to jointly plan and produce the first diffuser product of the Taylor Scents private brand (PB), they met CEO Bae. According to the O Shopping Division, the technology and products accumulated over a long time were excellent. At that time, CEO Bae was experiencing management difficulties as sales had been halved due to the COVID-19 impact.

CEO Bae said, "Since we mainly produced diffusers and scented candles for large cosmetic brands and big mart chains, sales were cut in half after the COVID-19 outbreak," adding, "Through collaboration with the O Shopping Division, we were able to pioneer non-face-to-face (untact) distribution channels, and the company's management situation improved."

While supplying low-cost OEM products, CEO Bae consistently planned high-quality product ideas at the level of famous overseas brands, waiting for an opportunity to come. This led to the birth of Taylor Scents.

The result was a "big hit." They jointly planned and launched three premium diffusers with differentiated concepts. The O Shopping Division closely consulted with CEO Bae throughout the entire process, from product planning to manufacturing, production, and quality improvement. In addition to product manufacturing, they provided various networks to strengthen product competitiveness. In May, despite being the first product, the 'Taylor Scents Naturalism Diffuser' was launched on the main TV home shopping program Donggage in a groundbreaking move. Afterwards, influencer marketing was used to promote it to younger consumers.

CEO Bae said, "We confirmed the product's marketability and value through sales results," and added, "The collaboration with the O Shopping Division gave the company a chance to leap forward, and we expect to expand sales significantly next year."

CEO Bae set next year's sales target at 10 billion KRW, about 20% higher than last year. As the prolonged COVID-19 situation has increased the time people spend at home, scent interior products for changing the home atmosphere are gaining attention. Therefore, they plan to expand categories such as candles and car diffusers. Next year, they plan to launch more than five new Taylor Scents diffuser products.

CEO Bae stated, "Through the planning capabilities accumulated while developing Taylor Scents diffusers, we also plan to develop our own cosmetic product line applying fragrance technology and cleansing products using natural extracts," adding, "We will grow into a company that manufactures high-quality cosmetics as well as fragrance products."

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