Transforming Health: Unveiling Innovative eCommerce for Personalized Functional Foods

Since the start of 2025, I’ve been involved in a few marketing projects and decided to share more details about them.

One of them includes my recent experience working on the Ildong Pharmaceutical Group’s New Business Platform Planning Idea Contest, focusing on a personalized health functional food platform.

This project sits at the intersection of personalized healthcare and innovative marketing strategies, aiming to redefine how consumers engage with health functional foods.

Ildong Group, officially known as Ildong Holdings Co., Ltd., is a South Korean pharmaceutical company founded in 1941. Headquartered in Seoul with 1000+ employees, the group specializes in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of a wide range of pharmaceutical products, including finished drugs, raw materials, health foods, cosmetics, and medical devices.

My scope of work included the following parts:

✅ Market Research & Competitor Analysis of the global functional foods market and local country competing offerings;
✅ Analysis of existing health functional food e-commerce platforms, where I identified both strengths and weaknesses;
✅ Product Marketing Ideas with Innovative Features;
✅ 360-Degree Marketing Strategies for a New Product Launch and Promotion.
Key Highlights of the Project:

• USD 280.7 billion target market potential globally.
• Rising interest in functional foods targeting specific health needs, such as gut health and immune support. Food & beverage manufacturers focus on deploying fortification of nutritional additives that include fibers, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and others in their product offerings.
• The competitor analysis features offerings by Nestlé S.A., Abbott Laboratories, Herbalife Nutrition, Yakult Honsha Co. (Japan), Amorepacific (VITALBEAUTIE, South Korea), among others.
• The new product — a platform — aims to empower individuals in Korea by providing tailored dietary solutions that align with their unique health profiles. Our goal is to make personalized nutrition accessible, effective, and integral to everyday health management.
• Based on the research and data insights, the proposed Planning Strategies include 360-degree marketing activities & partnerships and a tech-driven subscription business model.
• Marketing Strategies for a New Product Launch and Promotion cover 360-degree marketing for the target audience.

If you’re looking to enhance your marketing strategy, launch a new product, or increase brand awareness, feel free to reach out!

Svetlana Stotskaya is a Global Marketing & Brand Strategist, Mentor and Judge.