After a fateful trip to India, Hyunkyu Kang became inspired to start selling tea in Korea through Coupang.

After a fateful trip to India, Hyunkyu Kang became inspired to start selling tea in Korea through Coupang. The brand owes its name to Kim’s strong belief in the godliness of tea, combining the words ‘tea’ and ‘divine’ to form ‘Tivine’. “Do you have a dream? Coupang Marketplace is the place where you can make it a reality,” notes Kim.

Conveniently, beverages are also a hugely popular category on Coupang Marketplace. While tea is a far cry from Kang’s previous background working for a semiconductor manufacturer, Tivine’s powdered milk teas and teabags have been a hit on Coupang. Through Tivine, Kang has been able to bring high quality tea to the comfort of customers’ homes.

What are some tips for other Coupang sellers?

• Customer reviews are important! As Korea does not have a strong tea-drinking culture, Kang knew the importance of reviews when selling tea on Coupang. He was able to garner more reviews by including samples of new flavours with his bestsellers thus encouraging customers to try new teas.
• Pay attention to trends. Kang identified Korean customers’ health and weight conscious behaviour and introduced more low-calorie options.
• Strategic discounts. Cheap pricing isn’t everything, says Kang. He notes that endless discounts are not the key to success and can have a negative impact on sales revenue. “You need a worthy product that customers actually want,” says Kang.

Kang recommends Coupang Marketplace to any new entrepreneur, pointing to Coupang’s massive and growing customer base as the biggest strength.

Read about how other sellers have been able to succeed on Korea’s favorite e-Commerce service!