"Find Markets in China" Korean Companies Participating in Shenzhen Trade Expo

Operating 5 Booths... Exploring Sales Channels in China
"We Must Find Even One More Buyer"

Korean companies participated in the "3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Supply Chain Expo" held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, to promote their products and explore sales channels in the Chinese market. They unanimously stated that they were able to observe the purchasing power of the rapidly growing Chinese market and the response to Korean products.

From the 20th to the 22nd, the "3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Transaction Supply Chain Expo" was held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Korean companies also participated.
/Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

The expo, held from the 20th to the 22nd, featured a total of five Korean booths. Representatives from Korean companies participating in the expo encouraged visitors to use or sample their products, such as cosmetics and food items. Chinese visitors showed interest in the products and asked about prices, ingredients, and distribution channels. Some more interested Chinese visitors entered the booths for consultations. Participants were surprised when a Chinese visitor mentioned generating sales worth several hundred billion won through retail.

The main purpose of the companies participating in this event was to find sales channels in the Chinese market. Kim Seho, chairman of the Korea Product Manufacturing and Trade Association, which prepared cosmetics, said, "Many small and medium-sized enterprises want to enter the global market, but they do not have much experience visiting the field," adding, "I thought you need to come to the site to feel the atmosphere, so I decided to participate in the expo." Ryu Hyunmi, chairman of the Food Culture World Exchange Association, who introduced a fermentation facility, also explained, "Korean cuisine is becoming popular worldwide," and "I participated to introduce Korean food and see the reaction of the Chinese market through this opportunity."

Ryu Hyun-mi, President of the Food Culture World Exchange Association, is introducing products at the "3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Transaction Supply Chain Expo" held on the 20th in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. / Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

The companies made extensive preparations to promote their products. Hwang Jaeho, CEO of Marine Techno, a seafood-based cosmetics manufacturer, entrusted the booth design to a partner in Beijing, China. He believed that decorating the booth with a design that local Chinese people would like would help with promotion. CEO Hwang said, "We currently export products to the United States, Japan, Vietnam, and other countries, but we need to discover even one more buyer who will purchase our products," adding, "We also emphasized the uniqueness of our raw materials, such as byproducts from fish processing."

The companies agreed that they felt the importance of personal networks within China through this event. Hwang Jongyul, director of the Korea Abalone Research Institute, which sells abalone-related products, said, "I experienced that Chinese people trust products introduced through acquaintances much more," and added, "There is no country as skilled in business as China. I was able to learn how to build relationships by making buyers approach me."

The companies expressed satisfaction with the event because it provided opportunities to meet and explain their products to overseas buyers. Chairman Kim said, "No matter how well you make a product, if the other party does not know about it, you cannot be chosen," adding, "Through this expo, I was able to meet many people overseas, communicate, and explain the strengths of our products." Park Geumcheol, CEO of Shenzhen New Future Exhibition (MRE FAIR), which hosted the expo, explained, "We wanted to introduce sales channels within China where business-to-business (B2B) transactions can be made to Korean companies," and "We plan to hold similar events in Korea in the future."