Gwangju Dong-gu Collaborates with Kakao to Digitally Transform Chungjang-ro Commercial District

Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 22nd that it will officially embark on the digital transformation of the Chungjang-ro commercial district starting this month through collaboration with Kakao, a major domestic internet service company.

This project was prepared to restore the former glory of Chungjang-ro, once known as the number one commercial district in Honam, following Dong-gu's selection in Kakao's 'Regular Customer Street Digital Transformation Support Contest.'

The 'Regular Customer Street Digital Transformation Support Project' is a win-win initiative where Kakao directly visits small business owners in struggling alleyway commercial districts to provide digital education and support their entry into business platforms such as KakaoTalk Channels and Talk Store, thereby enhancing commercial district competitiveness.

In cooperation with Kakao, Dong-gu plans to undertake digital transformation that creates and communicates with regular customers in alleyway commercial districts through ▲ customized education utilizing Talk Channels ▲ discovering online sales and marketing opportunities via digital business tools ▲ providing promotional tools and event support to revitalize the commercial district and channels.

Chungjang-ro is an old downtown commercial district, and especially in the 4th and 5th blocks of Chungjang-ro, many stores are operated by elderly masters and artisans who rely mostly on offline face-to-face sales. Dong-gu expects that the digital transformation of the Chungjang commercial district, triggered by this contest selection, will contribute to revitalizing the local commercial district and increasing sales by improving customer convenience through online sales methods.

Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, "Through the Regular Customer Street Digital Transformation Project, we will preserve the unique characteristics of the Chungjang commercial district while expanding the sales routes of the district, which were mainly offline, to online channels, injecting new vitality into the commercial district. We will continue to pursue diverse and innovative challenges for the revival of Chungjang-ro."