Ministry of SMEs and Startups Supports Market Expansion for Small and Medium Enterprises

New Initiative to Collaborate with Private Experts for Building, Improving, and Marketing Support of Company-Owned Malls
Pilot Operation of 'Marketing Voucher' Selectable by SMEs Also Launched

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Minjae] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 28th that it will operate a 'Sales Channel (Marketing)' support project to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing sales channels.

The marketing support project is designed to support the entire process from the initial entry of excellent and promising products into the private market to customer management and after-sales service.

So far, the Ministry has promoted non-face-to-face and online sales through home shopping and online shopping mall special exhibitions, and operated joint A/S (after-sales service) consultations to support product usage, exchanges, and repairs for SMEs that have difficulty providing A/S services. Last year, three dedicated sales spaces for SME products were opened at the Incheon Airport passenger terminal, providing offline sales spaces and sales personnel.

This year, the Ministry plans to focus on strengthening online sales for SMEs by collaborating with private specialized companies, expanding support content, and providing sales channel information.

In collaboration with private specialized institutions, the Ministry will support the establishment, improvement, and marketing of direct-to-consumer (D2C) malls, and pilot a customized package program for SMEs that provides comprehensive support for education, consulting, and marketing expenses related to sales channel development. Additionally, marketing desired by SMEs, such as video production and search advertisements, will be supported in the form of vouchers, and the I'MSTARS platform will be revamped to enable companies to utilize sales channel-related information such as domestic and international industry trends and marketing trends.

SMEs wishing to participate in the marketing project can check detailed information such as announcements, application methods, and procedures on the I'MSTARS website.

Lee Hee-jung, head of the Sales Channel Policy Division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “There have been several turning points in sales channel support over the past two years due to the expansion of the non-face-to-face economy triggered by COVID-19. This year, we will strive to solidify the operation of related projects to provide direct support for expanding sales channels for SMEs.”