KaKao

- Kakao and Kakao Impact signed an MOU with SEMAS for the project

- Education and promotion using Kakao services, including KakaoTalk’s channels, KakaoMap’s store management, and KakaoTalk Store

- Consistent reinforcement of “Dangol Market (Frequent Customers’ Market)” project, which supports traditional markets’ digital communication

 

[April 16, 2024] Kakao, in collaboration with the Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS), is taking the initiative to support local businesses’ digital transformation. 

 

On the 16th, Kakao (CEO Shina Chung) announced that the company has signed an MOU with Kakao Impact and SEMAS (CEO Park Seong-hyo) to assist small business owners in reinvigorating their local shopping districts through digital transformation. 

 

The new “Dangol Street (Frequent Customers’ Street)” project aims to revitalize local shopping areas and offers training and support for Kakao’s services to allow the owners to meet customers with enhanced convenience. The project, initiated in 2022, has been scaled up to support businesses in local shopping districts after gaining favorable responses from assisting digital communication of merchants in traditional markets.  

 

The project will come in full swing on April 22, starting in eight key local commercial areas across the country, including the Chungjang-ro area in Gwangju and the original downtown area of Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Kakao staff and expert tutors will personally visit these areas to provide personalized, one-on-one training on using various Kakao services, such as KakaoTalk Channels, KakaoTalk Reservations, KakaoMap Store management, and KakaoTalk Store. These sessions will help business owners increase online customer engagement and facilitate active communication.

 

In addition to the training, Kakao offers various benefits to small business owners who open their KakaoTalk channels to support their efforts in digital transformation, including KRW 300,000 worth of channel message-sending fees, promotion kits for offline shops, and offline promotional events targeting visitors. When they become new KakaoPay franchisees, they will also be able to receive three months of services without the Pay Money commissions.

 

Kakao will also strengthen the “Dangol Market (Frequent Customers’ Market)” program, which is run by the company since 2022 to support traditional markets’ digital communication. Kakao plans to expand educational opportunities by introducing a year-round application process and will launch a contest program to identify and support exemplary cases of digital transformation by focusing support on specific markets. Furthermore, the company will provide follow-up aid to ensure that traditional markets previously supported by the project may maintain their digital transformation efforts. The contest program is set to open in May, and interested business owners can use the Dangol Market website to check the information, including the program notice.

 

Kwon Dae-yul, the ESG Commissioner of Kakao’s CA Council, commented, “We have expanded the business to allow more small business owners to tap into our project. We will continue collaborating with SEMAS to help them boost their customers through digital transformation.” 

 

For reference, Kakao provided digital training to 111 merchant associations in traditional markets and 1,472 merchants for the past two years through the Dangol Market project and won the President’s Award after being acknowledged for its merits, including the acquisition of over 240,000 customers as friends after supporting the establishment of 1,583 KakaoTalk channels. [End]