KaKao

- Provides support for store’s Talk Channels and a main Talk Channel for 100 markets in Korea
- Provides training and support, such as creating Talk Channels and assisting digital marketing, to strengthen traditional market’s digital capabilities


[May 25, 2023] Kakao’s “Our Local Market” project is now expanding to 100 markets nationwide.

Kakao (CEO Hong Euntaek) announced that Kakao Impact would start the “2023 Our Local Market Project” in collaboration with the Small Enterprise and Market Service.

“Our Local Market” is part of the “Kakao Credit for Credo Project” which supports merchants in Korea who operate their business with strong conviction. The program assists traditional market merchants so that they can use KakaoTalk Channels to retain customers and communicate with their regulars. 


This year, Our Local Market will operate two programs in 100 markets nationwide: The “Support Stores’ Talk Channel” program and the “Support Market’s Main Talk Channel”.

The ”Support Stores’ Talk Channel” program provides training to traditional market merchants so that they can communicate with customers through KakaoTalk Channels. Professionally certified digital tutors will reside in the market and provide digital training that ranges from opening a Talk Channel to providing online customer service. This year, Kakao will support a total of 20 markets. Markets that wish to participate can apply through the Our Local Market website by June 9. Markets will be reviewed and selected markets will receive on-site training in August to September.  

The “Support Market’s Main Talk Channel” program helps markets create a main KakaoTalk Channel, with the goal of strengthening the market’s digital communications, and is open to a total of 80 markets in Korea. The programs target the market’s merchants’ association and not individual stores. The program helps the merchant association create a Talk Channel that can represent the market and provide training on how to use the Channel for digital marketing and online communications. Markets that wish to participate can apply in August. Markets will be reviewed and selected markets will receive on-site training after September.  

Kakao is currently conducting a trial run of the Support Market’s Main Talk Channel program in five markets around Korea, to ensure the success of the program, which will be carried out for the first time this year. The experience and know-how acquired through the trial run will be applied to the actual project to provide more efficient training for digital convergence.

The Our Local Market project that was held in 2022 supported 11 markets throughout South Korea. A total of 572 stores created their own KakaoTalk Channel and gained a total of 24,833 new KakaoTalk Channel friends, which enabled traditional markets to successfully transition into the digital environment. Merchants were extremely enthusiastic about transitioning into digital, with 84.9% (572 and 673 people) completing their training. Merchants who completed their training gave the program a 4.7 out of 5 in a satisfaction survey.

Yuk Simna, Director of ESG at Kakao, said that Kakao will “makes efforts to create an environment where all traditional markets in Korea can digitize and use various online marketing tools, including the Talk Channel, to easily communicate with their customers.”

In addition to supporting the digitization of traditional markets through the Credit for Credo Project, Kakao is also implementing the “Kakao Credit for Credo Support Benefits“ that provide Channel messaging fees to small businesses owners so that they can conduct marketing activities through the KakaoTalk Channel. So far, Kakao has provided 45,000 small business owners with approximately 13.7 billion KRW in Talk Channel messaging fees. Kakao plans to provide 30 billion KRW in subsidies to 80,000 small businesses owners within the year. (The End)


[Reference – Our Local Market website]

https://dangolmarket.campaign.kakao.com

[Reference – List of markets participating in the Market Main Talk Channel trial]

Gil-dong Bokjori Market (Seoul), Hwa-seo Market (Suwon), Hayang Dreamstone Market (Gyeongsangbuk-do), Mangmi Jungang Traditional Market (Busan), Goheung Traditional Market (Jeollanam-do)