[Field Report] KOEFA 2026: A Void in 'Selection' Amid the Spread of Mass Sourcing and AI Automation

From the 17th to the 19th, 'KOEFA 2026', a specialized industry exhibition for the domestic distribution industry and online sellers, was held at SETEC in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hosted by the Seoul Online Business Association, this event was organized to enhance the competitiveness of domestic sellers and small and medium-sized distribution companies and to seek sustainable sales models amidst market changes such as the slowdown in e-commerce market growth and the direct connection of global supply chains.

The exhibition featured platform tech companies, cross-border payment service companies, B2B wholesale platforms, and overseas manufacturing clusters. Participating companies showcased various solutions and products for operational efficiency and expanding overseas sales channels, while individual sellers and aspiring entrepreneurs visited the exhibition to find ways to reduce costs and differentiate themselves amidst intensifying price competition.

In the 'Platform·Solution Hall' of Exhibition Hall 1, services applying artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies to the e-commerce operation process were intensively introduced. G&G Commerce's 'Domeggook·Domeme' highlighted AI-based data analysis and smart integration functions, while Daou Tech's shopping mall integrated management solution 'Sabangnet' demonstrated functions to manage order collection and invoice processing from multiple sales channels within a single system.

The global financial platform Airwallex introduced multi-currency payments and automated overseas remittance systems for cross-border businesses. Specialized agencies such as 'Beside Me' exhibited AI visual directing and detailed page generation technologies. The lineup allowed one to observe the trend of connecting e-commerce tasks—ranging from product discovery and data entry to image production, multi-channel sales registration, payment, and customer service (CS)—into a single system.

The solutions introduced at the exhibition were focused on reducing the time required for product registration and sales operations. In past online shopping mall operations, the process where a Merchandiser (MD) selected products and explained their features and usage played a crucial role. In contrast, recently, there is a growing trend of systems that collect product information based on large product databases (DB) and register them all at once across multiple sales channels.

While these changes can increase the operational efficiency of sellers, in an environment where many similar products are distributed, the burden on consumers to directly compare and judge quality, purpose, and price appropriateness may also increase. The fact that sourcing and automation solutions were concentrated throughout the exhibition showed that operational efficiency for sellers and reliable product information for consumers are emerging as major challenges in the e-commerce market.

Large independent exhibition halls based on Chinese manufacturing cities were set up in Exhibition Halls 2 and 3. In the 'Yiwu Product Company Pavilion' and the 'Yiwu Excellent Product Company Pavilion', various finished products such as household goods, kitchenware, and general merchandise were displayed on shelves and in booths.

This exhibition configuration demonstrated the industrial reality where a significant portion of e-commerce distribution items in the domestic market are procured from local factories in China. However, considering that this is an e-commerce specialized exhibition held in Korea, it was regrettable that manufacturer booths focused simply on displaying products occupied a considerable proportion.

If information and services that domestic sellers could utilize to plan Private Brand (PB) products or establish quality control standards had been presented beyond merely showing products, the practicality of the exhibition could have been increased.

An official from a global payment and fintech solution company who set up a booth at the site said, "Due to the saturation of the domestic market, demand from sellers attempting to pioneer cross-border sales channels, such as overseas purchasing agents or reverse direct purchase, has surged." They added, "In the past, the overseas market was entered primarily by certain companies due to complex settlement procedures and language barriers, but with the support of automation platforms, it is becoming a basic option even for small-scale business owners."

KOEFA 2026 was a venue that showed the rapid spread of connecting overseas manufacturers with domestic sellers and AI-based e-commerce operation automation. The Platform & Solution Hall in Exhibition Hall 1 reflected the demand for sales task automation, while the Chinese Manufacturing City Hall in Exhibition Halls 2 and 3 respectively reflected the demand for mass sourcing.

The exhibition showed a flow where a significant portion of e-commerce tasks—from product procurement to registration, order processing, payment, and customer service—are connected through digital tools. However, as the number of products increases and sales registration becomes easier, functions that verify product quality and information reliability and help consumer choices are also becoming important. In the future e-commerce market, beyond simply securing many products or automating sales procedures, the ability to provide information that sellers and consumers can trust and to reduce the burden of searching is expected to become a competitive factor.

From this perspective, early-stage entrepreneurs and technology startups newly entering the e-commerce market need to consider strategies that focus on specific areas where user problems and demands are clear, rather than services that encompass all functions, in response to the changing distribution landscape. This is because it is not easy for new companies to compete in all fields when large platforms and businesses with capital power have secured integrated solutions and price competitiveness. As an alternative, methods such as proving service utility in areas where user needs are clear—such as lowering the return rate of specific categories or precisely linking the inventory of initial solo sellers—are being mentioned.

As the distribution of mass-consignment products from China expands, the demand to review the accuracy and reliability of product information is also likely to increase. Review and verification services that confirm product characteristics based on actual usage data and filter out false or exaggerated information could become a niche area where early-stage startups can solve the problem of e-commerce product information reliability.