Manufacturers that changed their profit structure to focus on their own online stores, moving away from open-market fee models, will share hands-on experience. Cafe24 said on Sunday it will hold the 'K-Manufacturing Smart E-commerce Innovation Conference' at the Grand Ballroom of FKI Plaza in Seoul's Yeouido on June 11 to discuss D2C (Direct to Consumer) conversion strategies.

The event targets manufacturing-based businesses ranging from OEM and ODM manufacturers to online operators centered on open markets. It will present practical strategies for direct operations, from building an in-house online store to marketing, customer management and global sales. A 2025 report by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade said the share of businesses that failed to establish a digital transformation plan rose over a year to 37.9 percent from 20.4 percent.

Three manufacturers that succeeded in switching to D2C will take the stage at the conference. Jun-kyung Gil (길준경), CEO of baby food ingredient brand BerryNature, will share its growth process since opening its Cafe24-based online store in September 2023. BerryNature recorded a 27.6 percent share of sales from its own store in the first quarter of 2026 and succeeded in returning to quarterly operating profit. Its Cafe24-linked live broadcast posted a single-day peak of 42 million won in sales, and its app purchase conversion rate stood at 19.4 percent, 2.3 times the 8.3 percent rate of its own store.

Hee-yeon Park (박희연), CEO of heating-products manufacturer Deulkkotjam, will cover the process of switching to its own brand based on 25 years of manufacturing experience. Young-hee Hwang (황영희), a deputy head at grain-based snack company Gaemi Foods, will introduce a case of applying measures from operating its own store with a small staff to artificial intelligence (AI) marketing. Cafe24 experts will also run sessions on topics including data-driven D2C marketing and global expansion strategies.

Cafe24 CEO Jae-seok Lee (이재석) said the conference will offer a chance to check execution strategies that allow manufacturers to grow directly based on their own stores and customer data, moving away from a production-centered structure. He said he hopes manufacturing-based businesses can find a new growth direction through D2C conversion cases from manufacturers and Cafe24's industry-tailored support system.