SK Planet leads in Turkey's e-commerce market
SK Planet’s e-commerce site n11.com in Turkey. / Courtesy of SK Planet
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea’s leading e-commerce platform and digital content provider SK Planet has topped Turkey’s e-commerce market since its launch three years ago.
According to an SK Planet official, Monday, n11.com, an online marketplace joint venture with Turkish online commerce provider Dogus Planet, recorded 565.3 billion won ($485 million) in trading last year, giving it the No. 1 spot in Turkey’s e-commerce market.
Differentiating its marketing strategy by establishing a win-win platform for consumers and sellers, n11.com topped global e-commerce giant eBay’s local brand GittiGidiyor and homegrown online marketplace operator Hepsiburada.
Hepsiburada had topped the e-commerce market industry for the last 15 years but lost its position to n11.com last year.
“The knowhow and e-commerce platform technology we have gained from the 11st, a leading online market in Korea, helped establish an optimized online market platform for Turkish users,” said an official.
As part of its long-term business strategy, n11.com has operated the Seller Zone n11.com Studio, under which sellers can get e-commerce consulting and are offered free photo shoots for their products.
n11.com also opened regional offices in major cities including Ankara and the western port city of Izmir to maintain close proximity to its users
To lower the shipping price for small-business sellers, n11.com signed a partnership deal with six major logistic companies to guarantee the lowest shipping costs among online market sites.
The company also runs a 24-hour customer service center, and promotes coupon and mileage events to attract more users.
Turkey has one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the Middle East, and its growing population of younger people is considered to have huge potential for e-commerce.
SK Planet has launched other online marketplaces in Southeast Asia ― “Elevenia” in Indonesia on March 2014 and “11street” in Malaysia last April.