[Content Commerce] Uploading 'Hidden Luxury of Dongdaemun' on YouTube... 'Sold Out in 5 Minutes'

Kim Mina, CEO of Minari.com
Operated YouTube Channel During COVID-19 Pandemic
'Luxury Stores in Dongdaemun' Concept Shopping Mall

"If you visit the Dongdaemun purchasing market, you will see many people coming from neighboring countries like Southeast Asia, China, and Taiwan to buy a lot of clothes. Even though Korean products might feel relatively more expensive, their popularity shows that they have strong competitiveness."

Kim Mina, CEO of Minari.com, a YouTube channel operator, is a veteran with over 20 years of experience in the Dongdaemun fashion industry. Starting at age 26 while preparing for reemployment, she worked part-time selling clothes in Dongdaemun, then directly operated retail stores, online shopping malls, and Dongdaemun wholesale stores. She currently runs Minari.com, a Direct to Consumer (D2C) shopping mall with the same name as her YouTube channel.

Kim Min-a, CEO of Minari.com.
[Photo by Minari.com]

Kim opened her YouTube channel during the crisis caused by COVID-19. She had opened a store in Guangzhou to expand her business to China, but shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She faced difficulties operating the local store, resulting in a one-year hiatus.

At that time, YouTube caught Kim’s attention. She said, "As the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged, I unintentionally had time off and wanted to do something meaningful. Together with a friend, we picked up a camera and decided to vividly show the Dongdaemun fashion market, which we know best. We incorporated stories from on-site store owners and excellent products into the content, and the response was great." Thus, the Minari.com channel was born, with 'Minari' meaning 'Mina’s village (里)'.

Minari.com secured subscribers mainly women in their late 20s to 50s through content featuring Dongdaemun shopping enjoyed from home. Especially well-received were contents introducing hidden 'luxury-grade' products in Dongdaemun. There are stores in the Dongdaemun purchasing market that exclusively handle high-end clothing. Wholesale prices reach tens of thousands of won, and they mainly deal with limited production items from Italy. The industry likens these stores to luxury brands, and inspired by this, the channel introduced them to viewers under the keyword 'Luxury stores inside Dongdaemun,' surpassing 600,000 views.

Kim also opened the D2C shopping mall in response to requests from subscribers who watched her YouTube content. She explained, "Products that would cost tens of thousands of won at department stores can be purchased at one-tenth the price. Overseas merchants know this very well, but Korean consumers are unaware, which was unfortunate. Since wholesale stores require a business registration certificate to purchase and single-item purchases are difficult, when I introduced this, I received many requests to sell directly, leading to the opening of the D2C shopping mall."

Because Minari.com handles premium products, prices are relatively high, but based on long-term business experience, it has gained consumer trust, and products often sell out. Kim said, "Last year, I sold a 700,000-won coat, and all the prepared stock sold out within five minutes. Even though it was a high-priced product, thinking of viewers who trusted me and decided to purchase online made me determined to introduce even better products."

Minari.com uses Cafe24’s YouTube shopping integration service. By linking the YouTube channel and the D2C shopping mall, it connects products introduced in the content with the shopping mall, helping customers easily make purchases. The live streaming held every Monday at 8 p.m. also uses the YouTube integration service. When Minari.com previews products through the YouTube shopping feature, customers can check items of interest in advance and join the live broadcast.

Kim emphasized, "Because I show myself coordinating clothes directly and communicate with viewers, we achieve good results. Displaying products within videos and live content, especially allowing viewers to enjoy content continuously without leaving, naturally leads to purchases and positively affects the conversion rate."

Kim’s ambition is to introduce Dongdaemun, which leads K-fashion trends, to more people. To this end, Minari.com plans to expand its private brand (PB) product lineup. Kim said, "In Dongdaemun, if a product becomes trendy, it can be produced and commercialized within a week, and with thousands of stores, anyone can find the clothes they want. If possible, I want to introduce K-fashion not only in Korea but also to the global market and establish a brand that many people trust and buy good products from."