– Achieved 1 million cumulative websites and KRW 7 trillion in company-owned online transactions over 10 years
"Creator Commerce" to be launched in the first half of the year, and "AI Agent" in the second half.
– Beyond a ‘platform for creating brands’ to a ‘platform for growing brands’
“If Aimweb was the best choice for brands just starting out over the past decade, I hope it will become the best choice for growing brands going forward.”
These are the words of Tae-oh Kim, CPO of I'm Web, who oversees product development. Launched in 2016 as a no-code website builder, I'm Web celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. With over 1 million cumulative websites, KRW 7 trillion in online transactions, and KRW 30 billion in annual sales, I'm Web has established itself as Korea's leading no-code commerce solution. It is now evolving beyond a simple website creation tool into a "brand builder" that supports brands throughout their entire journey from inception to growth.
"Our goal is to help brands focus on the essence of their products and services, rather than the burden of technology and operations. We want to make it possible for even the most technically inexperienced users to build great websites, for users with limited data expertise to easily gain data-driven insights, and for those without specialized marketing or CRM expertise to implement effective marketing campaigns."
Imweb offers four main services. First, design for website creation. Using a no-code, drag-and-drop approach, you can create stylish, responsive websites without any coding or design knowledge. Over 70 templates are available, and the company recently launched an AI shopping mall builder, which automatically creates a shopping mall in about three minutes with just a single line of text. Second, commerce operation infrastructure. This system systematically manages the entire process, from product listing to payment, order management, and delivery. Third, marketing and CRM. CRM campaign automation, based on customer behavior data, allows for automated messaging tailored to customer needs, such as shopping cart abandonment, birthday wishes, and restocking of out-of-stock items. KakaoTalk FriendTalk and NotificationTalk messages can also be tailored to the brand's tone and tone. Fourth, an expert platform. With over 4,000 Imweb experts on its platform, Imweb connects customers who find it difficult to work directly with experts.
We met with CPO Tae-oh Kim at the Imweb headquarters located on Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and talked about Imweb's achievements over the past 10 years and future strategies.
Brand identity , data sovereignty , and shared growth business
Imweb's achievements over the past decade are evident in the numbers. It has surpassed 1 million cumulative websites, KRW 7 trillion in cumulative transactions on its online malls, and KRW 30 billion in annual sales. Brands across diverse industries, including fashion, beauty, food, and digital services, are leveraging Imweb as a hub for their brand operations.
Brands that have achieved rapid growth on I'm Web span a wide range of industries. "Mont Cookie," the pioneer of the Dubai chewy cookie craze, surpassed KRW 1.3 billion in monthly sales just one year after launching its own online store on I'm Web. With 80% of its total sales generated through its online store, it demonstrates the power of a brand to attract customers without relying on a platform. Kitchenware brand "Stennis" leveraged its online store as a core sales channel, achieving annual sales of KRW 30 billion within just one to two years of launch. Interior brand "Like This" achieved over 800% sales growth over three years by directly incorporating customer reviews and behavioral data accumulated on its online store into its product planning and designing a meticulously crafted customer journey. Beauty brand "Daily Chips" built its online store on I'm Web from the outset, generating KRW 200 million in monthly sales for a single product. Sleep specialist brand "Sleepino" now generates KRW 7 billion in annual sales through its online store-exclusive sales strategy. In addition, brands that go beyond product sales to commercialize IP, space, and experiences, such as entertainment agency 'Antenna', F&B brand 'Noted', and photo studio 'Insaengnecut', are utilizing it as a digital base.
CPO Kim cited the low churn rate of existing customers and the changing perception of D2C (direct-to-consumer) as the reasons for this growth.
"Companies operating e-commerce businesses are increasingly interested in operating their own online stores. There's a growing recognition that starting a new e-commerce business with Aimweb is a good option, and our new e-commerce customer base continues to grow."
D2C private malls go beyond simply serving as product sales channels, playing a crucial role in conveying brand value and building customer relationships. Notably, they strengthen brand identity, allow for direct design of customer experiences, and, unlike open marketplaces, allow for direct acquisition and utilization of customer data, maximizing the effectiveness of customer relationship management (CRM). Due to these advantages, IMARC Group reports that the global D2C market will reach approximately $58.3 billion in 2024 and grow to $2.75 trillion by 2033. DataHorizzon Research also forecasts that the global D2C market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4% through 2032.
Aimweb prioritized building brand identity, which is the strength of its own mall.
Open markets operate within the rules established by the platform. The key is to compete within established site structures, algorithms, and policies. In contrast, Aimweb allows you to freely design the site's tone and manner, customer journey, and even worldview, depending on the brand identity you're building.
CPO Kim explains that even when purchasing the same product, the way customers remember it on open marketplaces and their own online stores differs significantly. Aimweb is lowering the barrier to entry by leveraging no-code and AI technologies to enable even those without technical expertise to freely implement the brand they envision.
Additionally, Aimweb supports brands to directly access and utilize customer data.
"One of the greatest values of our online store is our access to data and customers. While open marketplaces only offer limited, processed data provided by the platform, Aimweb allows us to directly own and verify the entire data set, including who our customers are, why they purchase our products, how they move around the site, and how they respond to our ads."
Aimweb's core strength lies in its ability to directly contact customers and implement various marketing strategies through CRM, leveraging these data-driven insights.
Another reason for Imweb's growth lies in its revenue structure, which grows alongside its customers. Imweb's core revenue comes from transaction-based fees. As its clients' sales increase, so does Imweb's revenue. This has enabled the company to position itself as a partner in brand growth, not just a tool provider. While some may question the recent surge in AI and no-code solutions, Imweb sees this as an opportunity.
"If Aimweb were simply a company that built websites, we would have felt a sense of crisis. In this day and age, creating something has become incredibly easy. However, we're a company that provides services that support the overall operation of a brand, providing tools that can actually help brands grow."
E-commerce operations are complex. Even order management alone encompasses a wide range of scenarios, including customer order timing, refund requests, and partial delivery. Furthermore, considering the need for a stable response system during traffic surges and the need to respond to marketing and promotions as growth evolves, it's difficult to replace all of this with AI or no-code solutions alone. Aimweb supports the entire commerce operation process, leveraging 10 years of operational data and experience.
"In the future, commerce operation tools will no longer simply be functionalities for customers. I believe they will evolve into agents who combine their field experience and expertise with functionality to perform actual tasks. With the experience and data accumulated over the years while assisting countless brands, I'mweb possesses the expertise to effectively navigate the AI era."
Launching an AI agent that supports data interpretation , strategy formulation , and execution.
Aimweb has two major plans for this year. First, we will build an intelligent solution that combines data and AI agents to assist online mall operators in making decisions and executing actions. Second, we will pioneer a new business area called creator commerce.
“All web builders and platforms provide limited data to their customers,” said CPO Kim. “I’mweb collects as much data as possible from our clients and provides it in an easily usable format.”
A prime example is the recently launched "Custom Data Exploration" feature. Selecting various indicators and classification criteria automatically generates tables and charts, and AI even provides customized data for natural language requests like, "I want to know the age and gender of customers who purchased product A." In the second half of the year, we plan to take this a step further and launch an AI agent that supports everything from data interpretation to strategy development and actual execution.
"Until now, even with data, we had to interpret it, develop strategies, and execute everything ourselves. This year, our goal is to have AI agents, combined with Aimweb's various features, assist us in making decisions and executing them."
Launching " Creator Commerce, " Different from Existing Influencer Commerce
The second strategy is a new business called "Creator Commerce." This new approach, different from existing influencer commerce, is currently in preparation for launch next month.
While the creator market is rapidly growing, the percentage of creators actively engaging in commerce remains very low. This is because while many have a desire for monetization, they are resistant to overt commercial activity.
"People who follow creators are also curious about the products they use and enjoy. What we're trying to create is a space where creators can naturally express their tastes through the products they like or use on a regular basis. Followers can then purchase the products they like within that space."
Sales of digital products, including lectures, are already actively taking place on the Aimweb platform, so synergy with creator commerce is expected.
If Aimweb can achieve tangible results in these two areas—AI agents and creator commerce—it will be able to further solidify its position as a "platform that grows brands" rather than simply a "platform that creates brands."
Aimweb has steadily grown under the mission of "lowering technological barriers and creating a world where anyone can take on challenges." Aimweb is now evolving beyond a simple website builder into an integrated solution encompassing all aspects of brand management. Building on its proven track record of 20-30% annual growth, Aimweb is equipped with new weapons like AI and data, making the next decade highly anticipated.
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