Support for Sales Channels of 10,000 SMEs and 20,000 Seoul Award Products... Seoul City Launches 'ON Seoul Market' Season 2

Live Commerce Sales of 1,000 SMEs on 6 Platforms Including Korea, US, and Vietnam
20,000 Seoul Award Products Sold with 6 Domestic and Overseas Platforms... 25 Monthly Promotions Planned Until June

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 19th that it will run the second season of the online sales support market ‘ON Seoul Market’ year-round starting in February to expand the ‘online-centered’ sales channels for excellent small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) products and promote consumption. The plan is to expand sales channels for 10,000 SMEs and 20,000 Seoul Award products to support the early recovery of the local economy.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, although sales at major retail stores decreased last year due to COVID-19, online market sales increased by 18.4% compared to the previous year. It is analyzed that online purchasing, where most daily necessities such as home appliances, culture, food, and household goods are bought contactlessly due to social distancing, has become routine.

The city will hold 25 monthly special exhibitions in collaboration with five domestic online shopping malls and support companies entering Naver Smart Store, as well as projects to advance into major overseas online platforms. Additionally, to capture the rapidly emerging new retail trends of ‘live commerce’ and ‘T-commerce,’ the city plans to continuously showcase products that are less known but highly rated for their practical quality by leveraging the expertise of platforms and influencers.

At the S-Live Studio, a live commerce specialized broadcasting facility established last year, the city will actively engage in live commerce sales of ‘1,000 types of Seoul SME products’ in connection with six domestic and international platforms including Naver, Hyundai General Mall, Instagram, Amazon, Alibaba, and Tmall. A sales event gathering live commerce sellers in one place is also being prepared.

To raise awareness of excellent SME products and promote sales, the city plans to hold the ‘1st Seoul Live Commerce (S-Live Commerce) Sales Event’ with participation from live sellers in June. Detailed plans such as the schedule, participants, and products will be announced later through the ON Seoul Market and Seoul Business Agency International Distribution Center websites.

Sales using T-commerce (Television Commerce), which allows consumers to check product information and make purchases at once using a dedicated remote control without using the phone while watching TV, will also be expanded. By securing prime sales time on Data Home Shopping, from February, the city will sell Seoul Award products from 19 SMEs in collaboration with K Shopping.

In cooperation with six major domestic online shopping malls?Naver, Gmarket, Auction, Tmon, Wemakeprice, and Interpark?the city will support sales channels for 10,000 SMEs (cumulative) and 20,000 Seoul Award products. Support for companies entering Naver Smart Store will include discounts on sales linkage fees, and 25 special exhibitions will be held monthly across five shopping malls including Gmarket during the first half of the year. Additionally, a 20% discount coupon (up to 5,000 KRW) will be issued for purchases over 10,000 KRW to stimulate consumption.

The variety of Seoul Award products will also be diversified. Currently, 3,129 companies and 21,853 products are registered under the Seoul Award. This year, 2,000 additional products will be recruited over eight rounds to continuously expand participating companies and products in the ‘ON Seoul Market.’ Companies wishing to participate can apply through the Seoul Business Agency International Distribution Center website.

Kim Ui-seung, Director of Seoul City’s Economic Policy Office, said, “We will make ON Seoul Market the representative brand for supporting online sales channels of Seoul’s SMEs where good products can be found in one place.” He added, “Through Seoul City’s support, companies will have expanded opportunities to meet consumers non-face-to-face, and consumers will be able to trust and purchase good products recognized by Seoul City.”

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