AHC Skincare: Korean leader, Southeast Asia ecommerce force.
Expanding AHC — Korea's fastest-selling skincare brand — into four new Southeast Asian markets, with an ecommerce-led commercial strategy that took online sales share from 4% to 22%.
My scope: senior strategic lead and client principal for AHC's Southeast Asia expansion. Held the relationship with the AHC brand owners across four markets, approved the commercial strategy and campaign direction, and was the escalation point throughout. Day-to-day account and creative execution was managed by my account director and team.
From Korean leader to four new markets.
AHC was dominant at home in Korea, but Southeast Asia was a different game. The brief was to expand sales and branding across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand — and translate AHC's brand authority into ecommerce traction.
The insight
Southeast Asia in this category runs on ecommerce ecosystems — Lazada and Shopee mattered more than physical shelves — and on KOL trust rather than glossy advertising. The expansion had to be online-led and influence-led from day one.
Ecommerce-first, KOL-led, regionally consistent.
Lazada and Shopee at the centre
The AHC regional ecommerce stores were designed and curated to give prominence to the focus products driving the SEA expansion.
Each one over target
Six new products launched into the region across three years, each one supported with its own social and KOL activation.
Regional voices, regional trust
Regional KOLs and influencers were brought into the marketing mix to build trust with audiences that buy on recommendation, not just on advertising.
Spa experiences, digitised
Traditional brand experiences were translated into digital — a virtual spa, prize-led games — all driving traffic to the ecommerce stores.
A consistent ecommerce-and-KOL approach scaled across four Southeast Asian markets.
Three years, four markets, one commercial outcome.
From 4% to 22%
Far beyond target. AHC's share of online sales grew more than 5x over the three-year engagement.
6 over target
Every new product launched into the region exceeded its ecommerce sales goal.
4 SEA markets
A consistent brand-and-commerce approach scaled across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.