Good news for Indonesia’s K-pop and Korean beauty fans: this ecommerce startup is for you

Korean-made beauty products are, to put it lightly, something of a big deal. Skin creams, moisturizers, makeup, and other products from the country are seen as some of the highest-quality consumer cosmetics in the world. But getting your hands on genuine products, especially in smaller markets, often means paying a steep premium.

That’s where KoreaBuys comes in. With a flashy website and sizable repertoire of brands, the one-year-old ecommerce company aims to bring Korean beauty and fashion products to consumers throughout Asia. And it’s beginning with Indonesia.

Sizing up the market

“It was a no-brainer for me to start from Indonesia,” says KoreaBuys founder and CEO Alex Won. “It has the biggest potential ecommerce market in Southeast Asia, with a great number of K-star [Korean celebrity and fashion] fans.”

Citing a study from earlier this year, Alex estimates there are upwards of 13 million fans of Korean pop culture and fashion in Southeast Asia, with 4.4 million in Indonesia alone.

“There are big online marketplaces for beauty and fashion, but nothing specializing in Korean products,” says Alex.

If KoreaBuys is anything, it’s specialized. The website is a one-stop-shop for all things Korean – beauty products may be the main attraction, but the site also boasts fashion, accessories, K-pop albums, and even Korean teas. But while its Korea-ness may be a defining feature now, Alex hopes that in the future, KoreaBuys “will be the place not only for Korean beauty lovers, but for all consumers who want beauty.”

KoreaBuys takes curation seriously. All of the sellers on the website are vetted to be sure they’re real Korean companies – and not, say, some factory in China churning out similarly labeled products. All items are slapped with a “100% Authenticity” sticker after being checked out by KoreaBuys staff.

“This authenticity check service is becoming more important for our consumers, as several news stories regarding counterfeit Korean products were heard in the region this year,” Alex says.

Screenshot of KoreaBuys.com

Today, Indonesia

Operating in the archipelago has been a learning experience for KoreaBuys. When the site initially launched, it followed a Taobao-like model: shipping directly from manufacturers (in Korea) to customers.

But international shipping for individual orders is unwieldy. If a customer wanted to return an item, the process was lengthy, cumbersome, and expensive.

“We lost some of our precious early consumers due to the limitations of international delivery,” says Alex.

Tomorrow, the rest of Asia