Published : Dec. 11, 2013 - 20:01
Employees work at SimpleX Internet’s main office in Shindaebang-dong, Seoul. (SimpleX Internet)
SimpleX Internet, the nation’s leading Web hosting provider, has been helping Korean online shopping sites diversify their sales channels and tap into the global market.
The company opened its Cafe 24 Global Center in September to provide services for users who want to create online shopping sites in the Chinese, Japanese and English languages.
“We found that language was the biggest barrier that start-ups face when selling their products overseas. As product description is related to local culture and taste, simple translation won’t work,” the company said.
The center provides diverse consulting services including customer services, overseas marketing, market analysis and payment systems to help local start-ups who find it difficult to break into global markets.
SimpleX Internet said it signed a deal last month with Washington-based Amazon.com to allow Korean companies to add their businesses to Amazon.com through a simple procedure to target American customers.
“With the U.S. markets showing growing interest in local online brands, Amazon is increasingly taking aim at the local e-commerce market,” said Lee Jae-seok, CEO at SimpleX Internet. “Through the partnership, local shopping sites are expected to expand their sales channels by opening outlets on Amazon.com.”
CEO Lee Jae-seok. (SimpleX Internet)
SimpleX Internet started its business in 1999 with its flagship brand Cafe 24, designed to provide a one-stop service for online start-ups.
After providing 64-bit hosting services for the first time in Korea, the company secured a 140-gigabits-per-second backbone network to provide speed and security for its 650,000 members. Its Cafe 24 hosting center offers servers and other necessary functions to enable users to create websites.
In 2003, the company expanded into online shopping mall solutions, based on its hosting infrastructure. Now, it provides a service that lets its 750,000 members build and run online shopping outlets with no charge.
Lee said “With the growing interest in online and mobile shopping, an increasing number of start-ups is expected to enter the e-commerce market. We will continue to develop diverse technologies and support to help local online shopping sites better tap into the global market.”
By Shin Ji-hye and Lee Kwon-hyung
(shinjh@heraldcorp.com)
(kwonhl@heraldcorp.com)