[Sponsored Report] SK Telecom gives traditional merchants an edge

SK Telecom and Junggok Jeil Market signed an MOU to attract more customers to the market through ICT. Ha Sung-min, left, president and CEO of SK Telecom, stands with Park Tae-shin, director of Junggok Jeil Market Merchant Association.

SK Telecom has decided to assist traditional markets that have been struggling recently due to competition from large companies. SK Telecom and Junggok Jeil Market signed an agreement of support in September at the traditional market. The company offers ICT solutions and management and marketing support. It provides its outstanding ICT expertise to the traditional market in order to support innovation. It aims to discover new solutions that will open a “renaissance era” for traditional marketplaces.

As part of the joint project, SK Telecom established a small and medium merchant management support service called MyShop so that Junggok Jeil Market merchants can operate their shops using upgraded ICT technology.

SK Telecom’s MyShop is based on an Android tablet PC and offers one-stop shop support services to assist merchants. Through the technology, shop owners can manage marketing, track performance and reduce the burdensome cost of point-of-sale transaction equipment. Since it is easy to use, it fits perfectly with the day-to-day operations of a street market.

It addition to processing point-of-sale transactions for merchants, it also includes functions called “Selling Helper” and “Promoting Helper.” These services provide targeted marketing to consumers by issuing coupons to smartphone users. The “Management Helper” helps set management goals, track performance and analyze the market.

In addition to MyShop, SK Telecom is helping to upgrade marketing in other ways.

For instance, it has introduced the Aricheongjeong sesame oil - a brand of the Junggok Jeil Market - to its online market. Sales of the product grew 60 times in just one month and secured a nationwide sales network. SK Telecom is also selling Junggok Market gift vouchers at discounted prices in its Smart Wallet.

And by equipping the market as a T Wifi Zone, the company helped improve accessibility and convenience for young customers.

SK Telecom has provided all the necessary infrastructure so that the market can take full advantage of ICT.

Furthermore, Junggok Jeil Market merchants have all agreed on the need for a program in which all merchants can participate, and since the MOU, they have started “Together Friday Market.” As part of this event, shops sell one item at a discount each Friday. Currently, 120 out of 143 shops are participating.

SK Telecom has also provided shopping baskets, lottery events and SK Wyverns baseball souvenirs for the event.

Due to the combined participation of more than 100 shops, the number of customers increases by more than 50 percent during the event, leading to a 30 percent increase in sales compared to normal.