Gmarket Sees Rising Number Of New Sellers... "Expectations For Shinsegae-Alibaba Joint Venture"

More New Sellers Joining Since October Last Year
Boost from Investment Expectations After Transition to JV Structure
Impact Also Seen from Support for Discount Coupon Costs and Shorter Settlement Cycles

The number of sellers on Gmarket, the e-commerce platform affiliated with Shinsegae Group, has been steadily increasing recently. Analysts say that new sellers have been joining in greater numbers as expectations for business expansion have grown following the launch last year of a joint venture (JV) established by Shinsegae Group and Alibaba International.

Gmarket offers free open-market sales strategy consultations for small and medium-sized sellers. Provided by Gmarket.

According to the related industry on February 20, when the number of newly onboarded Gmarket sellers in October last year is indexed to 100, the figure rose to 108 in November, 117 in December, and 129 in January this year, continuing an upward trend. The number of new sellers that joined in December last year increased by 17% compared to October and by 8% compared to November. In January this year, the figure was up 10% month-on-month and 10% year-on-year, maintaining double-digit growth.

Market watchers believe that, after the transition to the JV structure between Shinsegae Group and Alibaba, expectations among sellers have grown as the potential to leverage the global network and expand investment has come to the fore. They also analyze that, on top of this, the large-scale personal data leak incident at Coupang has prompted sellers to diversify their sales channels, leading more of them to open stores on Gmarket.

The sales performance of new Gmarket sellers is also improving. As of December last year, the number of new sellers that generated sales increased by 14% year-on-year, and in January this year it was up 5% compared to the same period a year earlier.

Seller participation has also expanded in major promotions. In the "2026 Lunar New Year Big Sale," held from late January to mid-February this year, more than 40% more brands took part compared to the same period a year earlier, and the cumulative number of items sold during the event exceeded 18 million.

Gmarket believes that its seller-friendly policies, which it has strengthened since last year, have contributed to the increase in new sellers. Notably, since November last year, the company has fully borne the cost of discount coupons for large-scale events and abolished the separate fees that were previously charged on those coupons. As a result, it is estimated that the annual financial burden on sellers has been reduced by about 50 billion won.

The company also interprets that the shortened settlement cycle has had an impact. It pays out sales proceeds on the day after purchase confirmation, and even when purchase confirmation is not completed, it finalizes settlement within one business day after the last possible return date. For products covered by its guaranteed-delivery service "Star Delivery," Gmarket applies a "fast settlement" program under which it pays 90% of the sales proceeds on the day after shipment.

Gmarket plans to invest more than 20 billion won this year to support new and small to medium-sized sellers. A company official said, "We expect the expansion of the seller base on our platform to continue, as growth expectations following the launch of the joint venture and our seller support policies work together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.