Cafe24 to host Cheongju conference on digital transformation for manufacturers

Conference set for Oct. 21 in Cheongju

Event to share strategies on expanding online sales channels and building brand storefronts

Cafe24 announced Monday it will hold a conference titled "Make Your Brand! From Manufacturing to Brand, From Startup to Growth" at the OSCO Grand Ballroom Hall in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Oct. 21, sharing practical strategies for manufacturers looking to expand their online sales channels.

The event is part of Cafe24's "K-Manufacturing Smart E-commerce Innovation Project," aimed at helping manufacturers shift to direct-to-consumer sales and grow their brands through proprietary online storefronts.

The conference will cover practical approaches manufacturers need at each stage of growth, including digital transformation on the factory floor, building and operating brand storefronts, logistics, and customer acquisition and management.

Sessions will also address branding, data-driven marketing, global sales and customer service — equipping manufacturers with the operational strategies needed to strengthen their online business capabilities.

Presentations from affiliated organizations will examine shifts in the manufacturing landscape and business environment. The South Chungcheong Economic Promotion Agency is set to outline changes in the manufacturing sector and the key challenges facing regional manufacturers. The Smart Manufacturing Innovation Association and Korea Post will also introduce various aspects of the digital transformation environment.

Case studies from manufacturers that have built storefront-centered sales structures will be shared as well. Premium cheese brand Antour Soleil said that after partnering with Cafe24, a fifth-anniversary campaign drove a 90 percent increase in visitors, a 92 percent rise in orders and an 83 percent jump in first-time customers.

Consultation booths will also be on hand to guide participants through available support programs.

Cafe24 and the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Association will offer the first 50 participating manufacturers access to a smart factory capability assessment program on a first-come, first-served basis.

Korea Post will inform participating companies that operate their own storefronts about special discounts on domestic and international delivery, as well as benefits related to logistics, financial services and customer service operations. The Innobiz Association will introduce youth hiring support programs. The South Chungcheong Economic Promotion Agency and the North Chungcheong Business Promotion Agency will each share region-based support policies covering market development, employment and startup support, and business stabilization.

"We will help manufacturers grow their brands by building up their online sales and customer management capabilities, even as they stay focused on production," Cafe24 CEO Lee Jae-seok said.

Meanwhile, Cafe24 is strengthening its direct-to-consumer platform services ahead of the AI era. A notable example is the company's integration of generative engine optimization, or GEO, technology, which helps generative AI accurately understand and recommend storefront and product information. An analysis of traffic data from D2C storefronts on its platform found that visits via major generative AI tools reached approximately 850,000 in the second quarter of 2026, up 72 percent from the same period a year earlier.

sjpark@heraldcorp.com