Jang Yoon-seok, CEO of TMON, "Competitors Will Grow Their Brands on Instagram and Offline"

Timon Commerce Center Opens 'Orange Studio Pohang'

Timon Commerce Center Orange Studio Pohang

In Sangwon-dong, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, an area corresponding to the old downtown of Pohang, there is a recently renovated building that stands out with its bright orange color even from afar. This building, with one basement floor and four above-ground floors, is named exactly after its exterior color: ‘Orange Studio Pohang.’ It is the first regional commerce center established by the e-commerce company TMON. This space allows local small and medium-sized merchants to conduct live broadcasts and sell products online. TMON expects this commerce center to support small business owners while increasing foot traffic in the old downtown area, thereby contributing to the revitalization of the local economy. On the 25th, when the opening ceremony and the first live broadcast took place, we toured Orange Studio Pohang with Jang Yoon-seok, CEO of TMON.

CEO Jang said, "TMON aims for ‘brand fulfillment’ that helps brands grow," adding, "This is a process of building brand loyalty, and the key here is the offline experience." Supporting partners’ brand growth and differentiation has been TMON’s strategy since Jang took office. The core idea is to share TMON’s platform competitiveness for a ‘win-win’ outcome. Jang explained that this is divided into spaces that provide infrastructure in online, offline, and virtual environments. Among these, offline space support is taking its first step in Pohang at the regional level.

◆Supporting Local Small Businesses’ Online Expansion=The first floor of Orange Studio Pohang is designed as a showroom gathering Pohang’s specialty products in one place. The second floor houses a live broadcast studio where visitors can watch live broadcasts. The third floor serves as an education center, offering basic courses for local small business owners to enter e-commerce, as well as practical training on product planning and composition for online sales. With professional studio-level broadcasting technology and production, small business owners can participate in live commerce broadcasts. Plans are also underway to discover and nurture local creators. TMON explained that this place will serve as a key hub for expanding sales channels and activating online sales for small business owners.

CEO Jang said, "We will discover and support distinctive brand content through live broadcasts," adding, "I want this to serve as an offline community for the local commercial district and help revitalize this street." A representative example from the first live broadcast was the sale of Pohang’s famous products, sweet potato and potato bread.

On the 25th, Jang Yoon-seok, CEO of TMON, is taking a commemorative photo to mark the opening of the 'TMON Commerce Center Orange Studio Pohang.'

◆"TMON’s Competitor is Instagram"=CEO Jang believes that this kind of offline experience and competitiveness will contribute to nurturing brands that have ‘fandom communities.’ This is why he considers Instagram, rather than other domestic e-commerce companies, as TMON’s competitor. Jang said, "Instagram has influencers with fandoms, and it leads to commerce," adding, "What matters is not how many followers you have, but how loyal they are."

Starting with Pohang, TMON plans to continuously expand cooperation with local governments for regional win-win initiatives. They are preparing related projects with Busan, Incheon, Jeollanam-do, Changwon in Gyeongnam, and Ulleung-gun in Gyeongbuk. CEO Jang introduced, "Local governments’ needs are clear. They have unique stories, products, and spaces," adding, "Our strategy is to connect these with brands."

TMON’s planned headquarters relocation to Garosu-gil, Seoul, in mid-July also aligns with the strategy of nurturing brands through offline spaces. CEO Jang emphasized, "The idea is to develop ideas where brands come alive," adding, "We will hold festivals and connect merchants online, growing the street itself."