E-commerce solution providers are strengthening functions that integrate and manage multiple external channels around their own online stores. Expanding sales channels increases sales opportunities, but product listing methods and operating policies differ by channel, adding to the management burden.
As of Feb. 19, the industry says expanding external market channels through a system based on a seller’s own online store is emerging as a survival strategy in the e-commerce market. The approach is to firmly manage a D2C shopping mall as the main base, then with a few clicks turn dozens of external markets into forward bases.
Escaping ‘copy-and-paste hell’… Expanding sales channels to 17 markets through a D2C shopping mall
Cafe24 provides functions through its ‘Cafe24 Pro (PRO)’ service that link product information managed in a seller’s own online store with multiple marketplaces, reducing operational work.
Building a D2C store, improving content and search engine optimization are seen as basic competitive strengths for a brand. But securing initial traffic is not easy for a seller’s own store compared with platforms, so it takes time to build a certain level of sales.
In particular, product listing is often cited as a burdensome task when online sellers expand sales channels. Adding channels requires meeting each market’s requirements separately. Image specifications, category systems, product information input fields and order, delivery and settlement processes differ by channel, creating repetitive work.
Admin systems for operations also exist separately for each channel. As a result, listing 1 product on 5 markets requires repeating similar registration work 5 times. In the field, such repetitive listing work is sometimes called a form of copying and pasting, or so-called ‘copy-and-paste hell’. For solo founders or small businesses with limited manpower and system capacity, multi-channel operations can sometimes become an obstacle to growth.
With Cafe24 Pro, when a seller registers or edits product information in its own online store, the same information is reflected in linked external channels. The company explained it focused on reducing repetitive input and editing work that arises in the process of expanding to multiple channels.
Cafe24 said it designed Cafe24 Pro to focus on reducing repetitive tasks. If an online seller registers a product only once on a D2C store through Cafe24 Pro, the data is automatically linked to marketplaces the seller wants to connect.
When editing product information, the seller needs to edit the information only once in the D2C store, and it is reflected across linked channels. Product registration and changes are handled centered on the seller’s own store, while the same information is linked to external channels, it said.
Cafe24 Pro currently supports connections to 17 major markets: Smartstore, Coupang, Gmarket, Auction, 11st, Lotte ON, SSG, Musinsa, ABLY, Queenit, KakaoTalk Store, KakaoTalk Gifts, AliExpress, Amazon US, Amazon Japan, eBay Japan (Qoo10 Japan) and Rakuten.
Establishing channel-by-channel strategies… ‘Details make sales’
Sellers can also set tailored operating strategies by channel. Online sellers can set different selling prices by channel and apply discount and surcharge policies separately by channel. It aims to allow pricing strategies that fit the characteristics of each channel. A Cafe24 official said, “Delivery settings can also be applied in a customized way for each channel.”
It also includes functions related to promotion operations. Online sellers can check promotion information conducted by each market, such as 11st’s ‘9,900 won shop’ and Lotte ON’s ‘On Sale’, in a calendar format. They can also apply to participate in promotions. Cafe24 said special promotions such as curated exhibitions, deals and banners are also provided for markets with partnership ties.
According to Cafe24, as of last month, the number of stores linking markets through Cafe24 Pro was more than 4,500, and the number of linked products exceeded 1.26 million.
Cafe24 projected that targeting various sales channels at the same time can shorten the period needed after starting a business to pass the break-even point. The industry estimates the average time to pass the break-even point at 28.6 months.
A Cafe24 official said, “Since it is not created only by increasing the founder’s workload, we enabled even one-person companies to operate dozens of channels organically in the Cafe24 Pro environment.”
