Story

IONPOLIS Co., Ltd. is a company that develops and manufactures eco-friendly water-related products. IONPOLIS Co., Ltd. was established in 2016 with the goal of creating a new market based on the know-how and development experience accumulated in the overseas sales department over the past 15 years.

They manufacture rust-removal showers, vitamin filter showers, hydrogen water generators, gargle filter oral irrigators, hydrogen mist sprays, portable hydrogen water generators, ion water generators, etc., and they are constantly striving to develop practical, economical, and durable products.

For the rapid growth of the company in the early stages, the company's website and its own store were set up in 2016 at the same time as its establishment. They chose the Alibaba.com platform, where global corporate buyers are actively engaging, as a stepping stone to developing into a global company.

Solution

While responding to Alibaba.com buyers' inquiries was not challenging at the time of the initial operation of the Alibaba.com platform thanks to their solid sales know-how, there were not that many valid buyers. However, by understanding the demand through the activity (visit) history of the buyers using Alibaba.com's analysis feature and making efforts in identifying areas to improve on by checking the frequency of exposure for each post, they could become a seller that maintains a 2-star rating for a long time. Once they became a 2-star supplier, the contact rate from the valid buyers increased in comparison to the number of inquiries received. As such, they could continuously trade with buyers from various countries and regions, such as the United States, Hong Kong, Russia, etc.

Success

Gyu Jin, Hwang believes that running a company's exclusive online store and improving the star rating score is the most effective way to expand the company's exposure. Moreover, he thinks researching and developing new products based on the buyers' demand and feedback is also essential to engage in online trading. Since e-commerce is contact-free, Gyu Jin, Hwang feel that it is crucial to communicate with buyers faithfully and to build trust by responding to their needs.

Sales have increased steadily by at least 55% annually since 2017, and sales in 2020 have increased by 102.5% in comparison to the previous year. Within five years of establishment, the company has grown into a company that is worth 5.255 billion won, and they are currently trading with buyers from around 17 countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Switzerland. etc.

They could capture both the domestic Korean market, as well as overseas markets, by tactfully setting up and operating online stores at the same time as founding their business.

While they are undergoing difficulties due to COVID-19, what helped them to make it through 2019, 2020, and this year, 2021, are the online platforms such as Alibaba.com.