As interest in K-beauty and K-food grows in the U.S. consumer market, KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) has partnered with Walmart, the world's largest retailer, to ramp up support for Korean consumer goods companies entering the U.S. market.
Through its "Global Online Distribution Network Power Seller Development Program," KOTRA will provide step-by-step support for Korean companies, from onboarding onto the Walmart Marketplace to logistics operations and local marketing, the agency said on the 3rd.
The U.S. e-commerce market is projected to reach $1.22 trillion in 2026 and grow at an average annual rate of 5.51% through 2030. Against this backdrop, K-beauty recorded a 24% share of the U.S. import market this past March, significantly expanding its local influence. With more than 4,600 stores across the United States and an online distribution network, Walmart links products with proven results on its online marketplace to entry into its offline stores, driving a sharp increase in demand among Korean small and mid-sized enterprises to enter the market.
In response, KOTRA decided to pursue a step-by-step support program with Walmart to lower the burden of account setup, logistics operations, and local marketing—which had served as barriers to entry during the onboarding process—and to help companies establish themselves in the local market.
Selected companies will receive practical training for early market entry, as well as support for initial marketing costs to build product exposure and a sales foundation within the platform. Starting with this program, KOTRA plans to expand follow-up support programs, including advanced advertising and marketing and live commerce tie-ins for outstanding participating companies.
"The U.S. market is a major market for K-consumer goods exports and a key market that leads global consumption trends," KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung said. "We will spare no effort in supporting promising domestic consumer goods companies to enter the U.S. market stably and generate tangible export results, using various large-scale online and offline platforms such as Walmart as a springboard."
