Seoul City Supports Small Business Online Market Expansion... 'Seoul Super Week' Sales Up 70% Compared to Last Year

Operating a Dedicated Small Business Hall and Discount Events to Help Small Business Owners Struggling Due to COVID-19 Develop Online Sales Channels
Super Seoul Week Achieves 12.8 Billion KRW in Sales Over 3 Weeks

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 14th that the special discount event for small business owners (Super Seoul Week) and the exclusive small business section (SsolSsol Market) held on major online shopping malls generated a total sales of 16.5 billion KRW in about three months (May to July).

Seoul City is providing various support measures such as operating exclusive shopping sections and holding discount events in collaboration with large online malls to help small business owners with limited resources develop online sales channels.

First, from June 21 to July 11, Seoul City issued discount coupons worth approximately 490 million KRW during the three-week ‘Super Seoul Week’ held on five online shopping malls (Lotte ON, Gmarket, Auction, Coupang, TMON), resulting in total sales of 12.8 billion KRW (26.3 times the coupon value).

During this event, about 5,000 types of small business products were sold, allowing consumers to purchase items at up to 20% discounted prices. According to the participating malls, thanks to the ‘Super Seoul Week,’ the sales of small business owners on their platforms increased by about 70% compared to the same period last year.

Looking at the sales trends by sector compared to the same period last year, during the Super Week, the ‘Beauty’ sector saw a 45% increase in sales, while Home Interior (35%) and Pet Supplies (30%) also showed significant growth.

Additionally, the food sector, which is exclusively distributed by small business owners, and small home appliances for summer showed sales increases of 60% and 50%, respectively. This is interpreted as a synergy effect from the trend shift towards preferring ready-to-eat meals due to social distancing and the increased demand for small home appliances during the hot summer season.

Building on the results of this event, Seoul City plans to continue the ‘Super Seoul Week’ event in December, aiming to recruit and support the entry and sales of at least 1,000 new small business owners seeking to enter the online market.

The exclusive small business section ‘Seoul SsolSsol Market,’ operated on Lotte ON, Gmarket, Auction, Coupang, and TMON, is also noteworthy. The market, which has been operating permanently since May, recorded total sales of 3.7 billion KRW over May and June.

Currently, about 2,000 types of small business products are listed, and it is popular because it offers lower sales commissions than general companies and provides support such as issuing discount coupons and promotions. The SsolSsol Market will operate until December this year, and the shopping mall WEMAKEPRICE is expected to join in the second half of the year.

The increase in online sales through SsolSsol Market and Super Seoul Week is also attributed to Seoul City’s tailored education and consulting programs aimed at enhancing the practical skills of small business owners.

Currently, Seoul City supports various programs ranging from basic education for small business owners’ online entry, online mall MD consultation meetings, on-site consulting, shopping mall detail page production, to product packaging improvement.

Seo Seong-man, Director of Labor and Livelihood Policy at Seoul City, said, “We will provide a ladder for stable market entry by operating exclusive sections and holding events for small business owners struggling to enter the online market. Additionally, we will offer various support to help small business owners continuously increase stable sales, enhance their capabilities, and improve competitiveness.”

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