Mobile marketing platform for traditional markets

Ahn Byung-ik, President of SeeOn and an adjunct professor at Konkuk University

The Small and Medium Business Administration is promoting a project to provide information and communication technology support to traditional markets to help their businesses.

The customers will be able to enjoy a more convenient shopping experience through an electronic payment system and free usage of wireless Internet connection.

Although the project is well intended, its effect is doubtful considering the characteristics of traditional markets. Many vendors are not eager to sign up for the electronic payment system because credit card charges and mobile payments disclose their tax revenues. In traditional markets, many petty vendors are reluctant to have their businesses registered.

Mobile marketing platform could be an alternative. Merchants can advertise their products and services to the consumers directly through smartphone applications. For the merchants in traditional markets, PR and marketing are most challenging. They need a channel to show their products and inform the customers about detailed description and prices. It is more useful for the traditional markets that mostly deal with products with short shelf life, such as agricultural produce and fisheries products.

As the traditional markets usually don’t provide convenience of online orders and delivery services, they can use marketing applications that use the geographical location. For example, when they have overstock, vendors can lower the price and advertise the sale through a smartphone application to attract customers nearby to exhaust their inventories. Also, restaurant information can be shared, and market and customers can have a direct auction to negotiate prices.

Lately, venture companies are developing mobile marketing platform applications for small merchants. Supporting these projects can help not only traditional markets but also venture companies.

By Ahn Byung-ik, President of SeeOn and an adjunct professor at Konkuk University