Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Center (GSBC / CEO: Hong Ki-Hwa) held the ‘2010 Online Trade Consultation Meeting’ in the international conference room on the first floor of GSBC to help those small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the province that are having export difficulties due to language, human resource or logistic issues.

This consultation meeting was geared for the overseas online market expansion of Gyeonggi SMEs via online sales routes, and 50 ebay power sellers as well as 150 SMEs participated in 236 one-to-one consultation sessions.

The leading organizers and participants had signed an agreement to support SME exports last September, and power seller participation as well as one-to-one purchase consultation activities were pursued concurrently with an ebay seminar for online export support This event is the second of it kind to be held.

Local SMEs were supported through the ebay seminar with a concentration on training and sales consultations by professional sellers for local SMEs following the signing of the 2009 agreement. Thirty-nine corporations acheived KRW 2.6 billion in actual sales as a result of ebay power seller participation and the one-to-one consultations.

In addition, SME representatives participated in an international market expansion strategy seminar to acquire overseas online methodologies and knowhow from experts, and shared information so that ebay power sellers could more effectively acquire product information.

Il-yang Plastic Co. (CEO: Cho Jin-Gyu), which produces plastic space boxes in Goyang City of Gyeonggi Province, realized sales of KRW 300 million  in early 2010 through consultations with KT Commerce.

Zaigle Co. (CEO: Lee Jin-Hee), a producer of infrared fire grills, is proceeding with the sale of 5000 grills to Lotte Home Shopping. GreenChild (CEO: Lee Bong Jae), which is recognized for enhancing children’s creativity through dyanmic learning tools, also confirmed sales of approximately KRW 430 million.

Gyeonggi Province invited ebay power seller, Jeon Dae-Byung, renowened as a B2C master, to participate in this meeting. Power Seller Jeon has realized KRW 1 billion in individual sales, and oversees 50 thousand ebay members around the world including those in the U.S., England, China, Australia and Singapore.

Additionally, Asia Bridge Co. (CEO: Kim Yong Tae), which is concurrently undertaking B2B and B2C operations, was invited. This company supports operations such as large-scale market delivery (E-mart and Home Plus) as well as electronic commerce (B2B, B2C) for companies manufacturing and wholesaling household goods such as products for kitchens, bathrooms and interiors.

Gyeonggi Province and GSBC have been engaged in progressive activities like intensive education in online overseas marketing since last April, including a related seminar on May 18 and consultation meetings with the power sellers of overseas shopping malls such as ebay, to support local SMEs. They plan to support of introduction of 100 SMEs through overseas online shopping malls this year.

GSBC CEO Hong Ki-Hwa said, “If we prepare for advancement into online markets as a starting point for large-scale trade expansion, it can also be helpful in building foundations for offline markets. I am confident this event offers an ideal opportunity to those SMEs currently lacking relevant resources for overseas online expansion.”

For more information, please contact GSBC at 031-259-6053.