Jang Young-chul, executive director of Coupang's social contribution office; Kim In-sook, head of the merchant association at Cheongju Yukgeori Market; Lee Myung-hoon, head of the North Chungcheong Province Merchants Association; and Jung Woo-yoon, head of external policy at Coupang Eats Service, pose for a photo Wednesday at Cheongju Yukgeori Market to mark the launch of the program.
Jang Young-chul, executive director of Coupang's social contribution office; Kim In-sook, head of the merchant association at Cheongju Yukgeori Market; Lee Myung-hoon, head of the North Chungcheong Province Merchants Association; and Jung Woo-yoon, head of external policy at Coupang Eats Service, pose for a photo Wednesday at Cheongju Yukgeori Market to mark the launch of the program.

Coupang Inc and Coupang Eats announced Thursday that they will launch the "Traditional Market Digital Jump-up Together Program," a support initiative designed to strengthen the online delivery competitiveness of traditional markets.

The program consists of online sales strategy consulting, industry-academia cooperation, and meal-kit product development, with packaging support and online promotional events to follow.

The online sales strategy consulting component is intended to help merchants unfamiliar with online sales adapt to the digital environment. The industry-academia cooperation initiative supports the expansion of online sales, while the meal-kit development program aims to identify and commercialize dishes unique to each traditional market.

The program will first be rolled out at Cheongju Yukgeori Market, a leading traditional market in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and one of the country's five major traditional markets. Coupang plans to expand the initiative to traditional markets in other regions, including Geoje, by the first half of next year.

Earlier this year, Coupang provided similar support to merchants at Cheongnyangni Market, including online sales strategy consulting, industry-academia cooperation with Kyung Hee University's College of Hotel and Tourism Management, meal-kit product development, and free packaging materials. As a result, Coupang Eats sales for Cheongnyangni Market merchants rose about 40 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year.

"Taking into account the unique characteristics of each local market, we will continue supporting traditional market merchants so they can establish a stable presence in online sales channels and sustain long-term growth," said Jang Young-chul, executive director of Coupang's social contribution office.


korean@heraldcorp.com