550 Million Views SNS Review That Saved SMEs... Discontinued Dimple Band on the Brink of Extinction 'Reverse Run'

'SNS Sales Surge' from SME Product Recommendations
Preventing Discontinuation and Developing New Products
Highlighting Marketing Challenges Faced by Small and Medium Enterprises

A single post on social networking service (SNS) saved a struggling small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). The product mentioned in this post, which recorded 5.5 million views, saw its sales "reverse course." A product that was on the verge of being discontinued flew off the shelves, enabling this SME to even start developing new products. This is the story of ‘Medical Research,’ a company that sells medical-related products such as acne patches and diabetes consumables.

On the 20th, Han Seung-gyu, CEO of Medical Research, said, "The product that recently became a hot topic online used to receive fewer than 100 orders per day on average, but now it is receiving thousands of orders," adding, "We are also being contacted by major distribution companies."

The sudden surge in orders for Medical Research came about as follows. In April last year, a user named ‘BinggeuraeADD’ on X (formerly Twitter) posted a recommendation saying, "If you extract acne and use hydrocolloid patches, you must try ‘Dimple Band’," referring to Medical Research’s product. This post spread by word of mouth online, and reviews from customers who purchased the product began to be shared steadily. As positive evaluations continued, the product recommendation post surpassed 5.5 million views. Consequently, Medical Research’s product has become so popular that it ranks high in Naver’s acne patch category.

CEO Han said, "The company was in a difficult situation, but thanks to the SNS post, the order volume surged, preventing the product from being discontinued and allowing us to continue without laying off employees," adding, "Encouraged by the support, we were able to newly launch a ‘band-type product’ requested by customers."

Han Seung-gyu, CEO of Medical Research, expressed gratitude to the author who posted a recommended article on SNS last January. (Image source=Capture from X, formerly Twitter)

The author of the recommendation post, who is like a ‘savior’ for Medical Research, and CEO Han reportedly have never met. He explained, "Some people think it was an advertisement, but we only contacted each other through SNS messages because I didn’t even have their phone number." The author also said, "I recommended it with the hope that it would never be discontinued because I used this product frequently when I worked as a nurse in the past."

Dimple Band (Image source = Medical Research)

The reason Medical Research’s case is drawing attention is that it highlights the reality of small and micro enterprises that cannot promote themselves even if they have competitive products. SMEs struggle because, despite having excellent products, their marketing is ineffective. According to a survey conducted by the Small and Medium Business Distribution Center in December last year, 74.3% of all SMEs do not engage in marketing activities. The response rate for not having dedicated marketing personnel was 91.6%. Only three out of ten companies conduct marketing activities, and among them, only one has dedicated marketing staff.

Established in July 2011, Medical Research was also on the verge of having its products forgotten due to lack of marketing. CEO Han said, "Large distribution companies say the product is good, but bring it to us when you succeed in marketing and consumers start looking for it," adding, "I was confident in the product and tried marketing several times, but the costs were not trivial and the effects were minimal."

Experts advise that SMEs create product description materials for SNS posts rather than advertising drafts and utilize influencers, which can be more effective. Professor Park Jung-eun of Ewha Womans University’s Department of Business Administration said, "Generally, the marketing known to SMEs involves advertising and promotion using TV and other media, but the costs are high, making it difficult to access," adding, "For small and micro enterprises, marketing through SNS is more effective."