Social Enterprise Producing and Selling Handmade Crafts
Sales Soar with Small Knot Rings
Popular as Park Bo-gum and IU Also Wear Them
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "Made from wax-coated South American thread, it is stiff and durable. You can also purchase it with the pride of gifting grandmothers a job through small knot rings."
Shin Bong-guk, CEO of Marco Roho, said in an interview with Asia Economy Newspaper on the 2nd, "As I became interested in elderly issues, I realized that economic poverty and social isolation faced by elderly women are serious problems," adding, "To gift grandmothers a happy daily life, we launched the Marco Roho brand together with them."
Marco Roho is a lifestyle goods brand that captures the sensibility of grandmothers and a social enterprise brand addressing economic poverty and social isolation among elderly women. It creates jobs for grandmothers by selling handcrafted products made directly by them. Additionally, it contributes to society by allowing buyers to choose where a portion of the proceeds will be donated.
CEO Shin stated, "In addition to price and quality, it is important for brands dealing with value consumption products?where consumers purchase based on personal ethical beliefs or tastes?to capture both authenticity and quality." In fact, Marco Roho initially selected bracelets made by grandmothers as its main item. However, some grandmothers found the bracelet-making process difficult, so they launched ring products, which are relatively easier to make. Subsequently, ring sales outperformed bracelet sales, and the ‘Leaf Ring’ became the best-selling product at Marco Roho.
Currently, Marco Roho’s main customers are the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), accounting for over 85% of buyers. Marco Roho employs a strategy to attract consumers by utilizing the ‘Instagram Shops’ integration feature of the global e-commerce platform Cafe24. CEO Shin said, "Young consumers resonate with Marco Roho’s mission," adding, "Through social networking service (SNS) channels, they recommend and share products, enabling steady growth even during socially challenging times."
CEO Shin also said, "As word of mouth spreads among young consumers, actors Park Bo-gum and Jung Hae-in, as well as singer IU, have worn Marco Roho’s products," adding, "When good values combine with celebrity influence, they seem to reach a wider audience."
Marco Roho plans to expand the range of handcrafted products that grandmothers can make in the future. CEO Shin said, "We are preparing to launch various new products such as sewn items," adding, "We will continue to work hard so that there are more happy grandmothers today than yesterday."
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