Marinated-crab shop featured on YouTube sees sales jump sixfold ... CJ Logistics supports market access for small food businesses

[Financial News] CJ Logistics is expanding its support for small businesses beyond reducing logistics costs to promoting products and broadening market access. Rather than stopping at supporting parcel deliveries, it links online content with sales events to help businesses achieve tangible sales growth. The company’s efforts to support small businesses are seen as evolving from simple cost assistance to helping them grow.
 According to the logistics industry on the 2nd, CJ Logistics recently wrapped up its “Together We Thrive, Value Comes” campaign to support small food businesses. The initiative aimed to ease the burden of delivery costs while promoting small businesses’ products to consumers through YouTube content and sales events.
 Applications opened on April 27 and were accepted for about a month, drawing 226 food businesses from across the country. CJ Logistics assessed product competitiveness and suitability for delivery, selected 27 businesses, and provided support for delivery costs. Of these, 10 were selected through a separate review for support with producing promotional YouTube content and running sales events.
 The campaign’s distinguishing feature was its combination of marketing with logistics support. It targeted small businesses that, despite having competitive products, struggle to expand online sales because of promotional costs and the burden of shipping. For these businesses, it offered a chance to introduce their products to consumers without spending large sums on advertising.
 Promotional content was released through the “O Gwajang-ne Taekbae Hanki” series on CJ Logistics’ YouTube channel “Igeone.” The series features a working person having a meal after work with food delivered by parcel, showcasing participating businesses’ products, including kimchi stew, braised short ribs, and marinated crab. The content drew a cumulative 4.28 million views. Two of the businesses were also featured on a separate channel run by the creator “Heukbaek Review.” Sales events were held in connection with the video releases.
 There were also cases of actual sales growth. Ondam Food, a participating business specializing in marinated crab, said its sales rose by about 600% compared with its previous average immediately after the campaign. However, this was the result for one business and does not represent the average sales growth of all participating businesses.
 Kim In-su, CEO of Ondam Food, said, “I was so busy I didn’t even feel tired, even when I got off work at 4 a.m.” He added, “Safe, fresh delivery is important when selling marinated crab online, and I’m also satisfied with the delivery quality and communication with the branch handling our shipments.”
 Last year, CJ Logistics also ran “10,000 Won Review,” YouTube content showcasing small and midsize food brands. This year, it expanded participation through an open call and strengthened its support for small businesses by combining delivery-cost assistance with content production and sales events.
 For logistics companies, higher sales at small businesses can also lead to a larger customer base over the long term. As small businesses increase their online sales, demand for deliveries may grow as well. That is why the campaign is drawing attention as one model of cooperation between logistics companies and small businesses.
 A CJ Logistics spokesperson said, “We ran the campaign to provide sales opportunities to small businesses struggling to grow because of promotional and logistics burdens,” adding, “We plan to continue our efforts to support mutual growth by leveraging our logistics network and content.”

[email protected] Lee Ju-mi Reporter