Office Workers Share Know-How... 2 Billion KRW Annual Sales 'Big Hit' [Content Commerce]

Jung Tae-young, CEO of Autobrite Direct Korea
Sales of UK Car Wash Brand Products
Annual Sales Reach 2 Billion KRW, Expanding YouTube Shopping

Jung Tae-young, CEO of Autobrite Direct Korea, was an ordinary office worker until 2012. In 2010, he purchased his dream car, Kia's sports utility vehicle (SUV) 'Mohave,' and became deeply passionate about car washing. While using various car wash products, he tried Autobrite Direct's 'Magic Foam' through overseas direct purchase (direct import) and was impressed by its quality.

Autobrite Direct is a brand founded in 2005 in Stoke-on-Trent, a small city in Staffordshire, UK. Known as the home of the English professional football club 'Stoke City FC,' this brand started in a small garage and now develops and distributes its own products, selling them in over 10,000 car wash-related businesses worldwide.

Jung Tae-young, CEO of Autobrite Korea, washing a car. Provided by Cafe24

When foam-based snow foam car wash products were still unfamiliar, CEO Jung contacted Autobrite Direct's UK headquarters to request sales in Korea. Afterwards, he signed a distribution contract and imported their car wash products to Korea, establishing an online mall.

Jung became well-known among car wash enthusiasts through his activities as a YouTube creator. He launched the Autobrite Direct Korea YouTube channel and appeared personally to share car wash-related information. Covering everything from product introductions to car part maintenance, car wash procedures, and precautions during washing in a broad and entertaining manner, he succeeded in gathering over 126,000 subscribers.

The main differentiator of his content is professionalism. CEO Jung has conducted over 80 training sessions ranging from beginner education for general consumers to specialized detailing, polishing, marketing, and store management training for businesses. All of this was possible thanks to the expertise gained from his own experiences as a car wash enthusiast since his early days. He even calls himself a 'car wash patient' due to his deep immersion in car washing. This professionalism in his content easily met the high standards of car wash enthusiasts.

Jung said, "I think the positive response came from consistently providing informative content about car washing rather than just product promotion. The fact that I appeared personally to provide trust also had an effect. When I first imported the products, I thought the market was small, but by posting informative content on YouTube and blogs, I believe we were able to effectively pioneer the market."

Autobrite Direct Korea is steadily establishing itself in the market. As of last year, the brand's annual sales reached 2 billion KRW. Recently, it has also been attracting customers through YouTube by utilizing the 'YouTube Shopping' feature provided by Cafe24. This method naturally exposes car wash products in the channel's 'Store' tab and content.

Jung said, "I am satisfied that viewers who become interested in products while watching videos can be easily guided to purchase those products. Our YouTube videos are frequently mentioned, increasing product exposure, which in turn drives sales effectively."

Looking ahead, Jung aims to increase collaborations using the YouTube Shopping feature. He emphasized, "If products are hardware, content is software. Only by paying attention to both can we differentiate ourselves from other brands and expand the market. We will partner with various car wash creators to reach more customers."

Jung Tae-young, CEO of Autobrite Korea. Provided by Cafe24