Lee International

With the changes in lifestyle and consumption trend due to COVID-19, products traded in e-commerce are expected to be diversified and services with the latest information and communication technology will be expanded without distinction between online and offline.

The Korean International Trade Association and the Software Policy & Policy Institute announced that Omni-Channel (integrated distribution network), Live Commerce (real-time communication sales), Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR), Smart Logistics, and personalized & tailored services are technologies that will lead the future e-commerce market, and the number of the relevant patent applications has been continuously increased since 2017.

Specifically, after 642 applications were filed in 2017, the number of Omni-Channel related patent applications has been continuously increased, with 1,163 applications filed in 2020, which is a 15.9% increase from the previous year.  Omni-Channel allows users to freely order and receive products and to use an integrated point system by connecting many online and offline retail stores owned by distribution companies. 

Live Commerce has an advantage of SNS-based real time communications by influencers.  The filing of the relevant patent applications was stagnant from 2017 to 2019 (approximately 800 applications per year), but the number of the applications was drastically increased to 1,543 in 2020, which is an 85.7% increase from the previous year.

The VR/AR interface, which allows users to wear and purchase products in VR/AR without a personal visit, reflects the market demands along with the high-performance technology of smartphones and the expanded supply of user experience (UX) products.  In 2020, 881 relevant patent applications were filed, which is an increase of 13.4% compared to the previous year.  

The number of patent applications relating to Smart Logistics for minimizing a product delivery time using logistics hub and robots/drones is not significant.  However, the number of the relevant applications was increased by 30.1% (367 cases) in 2019 and by 18.5% (435 cases) in 2020 from the previous year.

The number of patent applications relating to personalized & tailored services, which recommend products that may suit consumers’ needs using big data and AI, has been steadily increasing each year.  For example, 989 relevant patent applications were filed in 2020, which is an increase of 39.3% compared to the previous year. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the e-commerce service industry has been rapidly growing as more consumers now would like to receive services freely without time and space restrictions in a contact-free manner.  In order to be a dominant player in the growing e-commerce industry, it would be imperative to develop and provide services, which users can accept without any hesitation, and to secure intellectual property rights quickly considering the rapid-changing characteristics of such industry.