The Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) is supporting TV home shopping entry for small businesses and micro-enterprises struggling to secure distribution channels.
KBIZ announced Tuesday that it is recruiting participating companies for its "TV Home Shopping Entry Support Program" until May 22, aimed at expanding distribution channels for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Applicants must be small businesses or micro-enterprises that produce consumer goods domestically and are enrolled in the "Noran Umbrella Mutual Aid" program. Selected companies will be confirmed in June after document screening and consultations with home shopping merchandisers.
KBIZ plans to finalize the participating companies next month through document review and consultations with home shopping merchandisers (MDs). Selected firms will be offered one 50-minute live broadcast slot through the Home & Shopping channel in the second half of the year.
Notably, starting with this round, KBIZ is also providing rebroadcast opportunities following the live broadcast to help reduce the burden of unsold inventory.
Companies interested in participating can submit applications online through the KBIZ website by May 22.
As recent consumption contraction and changes in the distribution environment have heightened the importance of market development for SMEs, the need for distribution channel support through public-private cooperation is growing.
Small businesses using TV home shopping channels have reported high transaction satisfaction. However, they have struggled to secure margins due to average commission rates of around 30 percent.
According to the "2025 Survey on Difficulties of Small Businesses Trading with TV Home Shopping and T-Commerce," conducted by KBIZ on 856 small businesses trading with TV home shopping and T-commerce from November 10 last year to January 28 this year, more than 70 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with their transactions. Transaction satisfaction stood at 72.5 percent for TV home shopping and 75.9 percent for T-commerce. However, a considerable number of respondents reported increased transaction cost burdens. Those who said "transaction cost burdens have increased compared to the previous year" accounted for 42.5 percent for TV home shopping and 42.3 percent for T-commerce.
"TV home shopping broadcasts are a great opportunity for SMEs struggling with market development to widely promote their products," said Yang Chan-hoe, head of KBIZ's Innovation and Growth Division. "Since we are additionally providing promotional and sales opportunities through rebroadcasts, we hope SMEs with excellent products will show strong interest and participate."
