Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This interview with Park Eun-hye, Women’s Fashion Team 1 MD at Musinsa, explores how the platform’s brand-centric model nurtures emerging designers and drives shared success in online fashion.
2024-01-25 14:47:40 KST
Musinsa, the leading online platform, differentiates itself from other e-commerce sites by placing a strong emphasis on ‘brands.’ It acts as an incubator for emerging brands, nurturing them and sharing the resulting success. This business model has made Musinsa a must-join platform for talented new designers.
Musinsa has about 10,000 brands listed, more than double that of competitors like Zigzag or Ably. A large number of listed brands means a greater supply base for the platform, leading to better product assortment and price competitiveness, attracting both brands and consumers.
An MD handles overall brand sales management focused on products, including discovering and onboarding new brands, supporting collaborations with YouTubers and influencers, product planning, and marketing. The primary goal is to grow listed brands by considering everything from product sourcing for commerce to planning how to sell, deciding on promotional events, and marketing strategies. Therefore, it’s crucial for an online MD to plan and act from the perspective of the listed brand, as brand satisfaction is key to sustainable growth.
The most important thing for an online MD is to analyze trends, quickly grasp consumer needs and product selling points, and turn them into compelling content. Therefore, ’empathy’ between the brand and customers is crucial. The success of product planning depends on how well you resonate with target customers. Additionally, a passion for and understanding of the brand and its consumer category are essential.
It’s rewarding when a brand I manage grows in transaction volume and business scale after listing. I also remember seeing bags or clothes I planned on the street. For instance, I onboarded the accessory brand ‘Stand Oil’ in February last year, and it achieved 9 billion won in sales in its first year—a huge success. This year, I’ve listed major accessory brands like ‘Ffrank’ and ‘Emis.’ If you just routinely receive promotional images and run seasonal discounts, it becomes mundane. But when you read trends, understand what consumers want, and execute a successful campaign, the joy and sense of achievement are immense.
The most important thing is a strong sense of mission to grow the brand you manage to its fullest potential. Internally, you need good communication with related departments and the ability to prioritize tasks. Externally, communication and negotiation skills with brands are required.
I’ve been interested in fashion since school and often took on the role of recommending clothes to friends. During a university festival, I even won a sales award selling tteokbokki. These experiences greatly help me in my current role.
An online MD must always be prepared. You need to read trends first and have an eye for real-time market expansion. Interpreting and applying various data, and catching which items consumers react to, are all part of the job.
If you’re interested in fashion, I recommend challenging yourself to become an online MD who discovers and incubates rising brands like hidden gems. The platform is a channel connecting brands and customers, and satisfying both sides isn’t easy, but I believe it’s the best job for achieving a sense of accomplishment depending on how you operate.
It’s important to continuously build interest in your category and create connections. The answer is always in the field and with customers, so understanding the market from the customer’s perspective and grasping their needs is key. As the e-commerce market rapidly grows, pursuing your future vision in the MD field—the flower of online platforms—could be a great path.
Reporter: Kim Woo-hyun
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