P&G concentrates on e-commerce in Korea

As P&G Korea looks to e-commerce to increase its online sales, the brand is also opting for the latest digital technology in oral care.

According to regional CEO Lee Sue-kyung, online sales for P&G in Korea are the second-largest after China in Asia, thus further investment in this area is the right move forward.

"​We see constant growth in Korea as P&G has posted an average of 20 per cent sales growth in the past three years,​" Sue-kyung said during a press meeting at the Park Hyatt Hotel.

"We are always trying to see the future. But it's hard to give specific information about trends that will affect our business. What I can say at the moment is that we are paying attention to information technology and digitalization​," she adds.

Lee Sue-kyung is the first Korean woman to lead a local branch for the consumer goods giant. She started with Procter and Gamble as an assistant brand manager in 1994 and has served in various positions since.

The power of e-commerce in Asia​

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly important trend throughout the world, but nowhere more than in the Asia-Pacific region with its fast-growing base of internet users and enormous population.

Studies reveal that online shopping in Asia will soon be a bigger business than in the Western world, with Forrester Research predicting that combined internet sales from the region will reach $768bn by 2017, making them bigger than those in Europe and North America combined.

The boom is increasingly being driven by China and allows trade to easily cross international boundaries.

In fact, Chinese online consumers are increasingly eager to purchase Korean cosmetics, with tie-ins with K-pop bands such as Girl’s Generation and Exo being used as marketing tools by brands such as Nature Republic.

The South Korean Seoul Business Agency recently found that of 239 respondents from China, 26% preferred to shop for South Korean cosmetics online.