"30% of SMEs on Online Shopping Malls Experience Unfair Trade Practices"

"Sanctions Needed Through Legislation"

It has been found that 30% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered on online shopping malls have experienced unfair trade practices. These companies argue that there is an urgent need to improve the system to crack down on unfair practices occurring on online platforms and to impose substantial sanctions.

On September 29, the Korea Federation of SMEs announced the results of the "2025 Online Platform Merchant Transaction Status Survey," which included these findings. The survey targeted 1,240 SMEs registered on online shopping malls, delivery apps, and accommodation apps.

Last year, the proportion of companies that experienced unfair trade practices or unjust actions was 30.0% for online shopping malls, 21.5% for accommodation apps, and 20.0% for delivery apps. This means that 2 to 3 out of every 10 surveyed companies experienced unfair trade practices on online platforms.

The most common type of unfair trade practice for online shopping malls was "unjustified returns of products" (15.4%). For delivery apps, the most frequent response was "unfair transfer of promotional costs or losses incurred during transactions" (8.9%). For accommodation apps, "forced subscription to unnecessary advertisements or additional services" (7.0%) was cited most often.

The vast majority of SMEs registered on these platforms responded that it is necessary to enact laws to regulate unfair trade practices and unjust actions by platforms. In particular, nearly 80% of companies registered on online shopping malls said such legislation is needed. Measures to ensure effectiveness when enacting such laws included "strong sanctions for violations" and "strengthening public oversight."

Most registered companies reported that they pay about 20% of their sales revenue to online platforms in the form of advertising expenses and intermediary fees. In particular, companies registered on the accommodation platform Yanolja stated that they pay about 50% of their sales for these purposes. Companies using delivery apps such as Baedal Minjok and Coupang Eats responded that they pay about 40%.

A representative from the Korea Federation of SMEs stated, "As the market dominance of online platforms expands and the enactment of relevant laws is delayed, there is growing concern as experiences of unfair trade practices and unjust actions are rapidly increasing."

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