The process of preparing overseas-sourced products for e-commerce sales will be integrated into a single Cafe24 admin page. Cafe24 said on Wednesday it has launched an 'Alibaba.com Sourcing' service linked to global B2B e-commerce platform Alibaba.com. Tasks that had to be handled separately, including product search, store registration, image processing and detail page production, will be combined into one flow.

Cafe24 store operators can search for Alibaba.com products on the admin page and register selected items directly to their own stores. Alibaba.com operates services in more than 200 countries and regions worldwide, and more than 50 million buyers use the platform. Cafe24 said the integration creates an environment that allows operators to discover and sell overseas-sourced products more easily.

AI-based automation is also applied to sales preparation after product registration. The service automatically detects and removes Chinese text in product images, retouches the images, and automatically generates product descriptions and detail pages. Previously, organizing product information and creating detail pages suited to the domestic consumer environment required separate design programs or outsourced work.

Sellers can choose between direct sourcing and dropshipping. Direct sourcing involves receiving products directly and then inspecting, repackaging and branding them. Dropshipping places orders with suppliers after customers order, so inventory does not need to be secured in advance. The company said it is an effective approach for sellers testing new product categories or early-stage entrepreneurs.

Cafe24 CEO Jae-seok Lee (이재석) said, "The Alibaba.com Sourcing service was designed to solve the problem of shopping mall operators finding good products but wasting time and costs in the sales preparation process." He added, "We plan to continuously advance the service so that, beyond finding products, it supports the process of making them truly sellable, reducing operators' burden and expanding new sales opportunities."