Growing D2C shopping malls face a dilemma. They succeed in drawing traffic through short-form ads and social media marketing, but it does not translate into purchases.

Ultimately, the battleground is inside the shopping mall. Brands need to show their identity and persuade customers through “on-site content” such as design, layout and product-detail pages. Without these basics, the marketing impact of heavy spending is reduced, the industry agrees.

0.05-second ‘first-impression game’

A research team at Canada’s Carleton University said it takes website visitors only 0.05 seconds, or 50 milliseconds, to form a first impression. A study at Britain’s Northumbria University also found that 94 percent of factors behind distrust of websites are design-related. If a shopping mall’s structure and design are crude, customers leave before even looking at products.

The problem is that most early-stage founders lack design staff, expertise and time. It is not easy to build the infrastructure needed to survive the 0.05-second contest.

Cafe24’s recently unveiled “pro trial space” is an example of addressing the problem through a system. If users enter a URL for a live site or a reference, the system analyses it and automatically classifies it into a suitable business type among 30 categories.

It then generates customised mock-ups of key screens needed for operations, from the first page to top and side menus, product-detail pages, the shopping cart and the order form screen. The product-detail page also implements elements such as reviews, inquiries and shipping and returns information. If users like the mock-up, they can apply it immediately to start the business, and PG settings are handled at the same time. Mock-ups can be generated in 43 languages besides Korean.

Product-detail pages still matter: “They influence 87 percent of purchase decisions”

Shopping mall startup communities show opinions that product-detail pages are less important than before. They argue that more consumers prefer to buy intuitively after looking at the main image.

Industry veterans disagree. They say purchases happen only when customers’ questions and doubts about online buying are addressed through product-detail pages. They explain that product-detail pages play the role of a skilled salesperson in an offline store, describing product value and resolving hesitation about buying.

According to Salsify’s “2025 Consumer Research Report”, 87 percent of consumers answered, “Rich product content within product-detail pages is very important to purchase decisions.” It implies that sales growth is also hard to expect if product descriptions are poor.

The challenge is production time and cost

The problem is that product-detail pages are mostly produced as long vertical images. Business owners without design knowledge either pay expensive outsourcing fees or, even if they make them themselves, spend so much time that they cannot focus on running the brand.

Cafe24’s pro solution can help in that case. It completes a product-detail page within 2 to 3 minutes if users enter only basic information such as product images and names. A “guide text recommendation” function analyses images and product names to suggest key content, and an “selling copy” upgrade function polishes simple descriptions into more persuasive copy.

It also automatically applies layouts suited by business type. For product groups where design is important, such as kitchen goods and interior accessories, it recommends a “deco” theme. It arranges line elements and highlighted phrases in a balanced way to raise visual completeness.

An official at jewelry brand Micope said, “In the past, we spent a lot of time registering products, but now we make more than 10 product-detail pages in 3 hours a day.” The person added, “Since the system sets the layout on its own, the quality is also excellent, and if we decide to, it is possible to register 30 in a day.”