Korean group tours are all the rage – how can travel agencies and beverage companies cut costs?

Group visas are picking up, but profits are stuck on "buying equipment"?

Korean group tours are definitely trending right now, but the travel agencies and local tour operators involved are probably feeling a mix of excitement and worry.Traffic's back, but the unit price in group buying is so transparent that the front-end barely makes any money. the real profits are all hidden in the backend supply chainSpeaking of which, many colleagues are still using old methods to purchase: one-time toiletry bags, personalized souvenirs, team vests and other necessities. either they are distributed through three or four hands and the price is increased layer by layer, or the replenishment cycle is delayed, and they cannot keep up with the current group signing. the rhythm of travel is "short, flat and fast"

In fact, if you are still relying on scattered retail channels to replenish goods, the cost per order may have increased by 20%-30% invisiblyIn today's competitive hospitality and travel industry, it's no longer just about acquiring customers. it's about having a shorter back-end supply chain and a faster response time.In 1688 finding goods on this type of source platform and finding goods from resellers in wechat groups are completely two business modelsWhoever can cut costs on equipment procurement will be able to squeeze out a few more profit points in the competitive market of group tours

Cut out the middleman and rebuild the cost structure of materials

For the specific scenario of korean group visa, [1688](https://www.1688.comThe value isn't in having "everything," but in connecting directly to factories in industrial clusters, cutting out the middlemen and squeezing out those markupsTake disposable toiletry sets, which are huge in consumption during travel. internal research on the platform shows that the direct purchase unit price is usually more than 15% lower than traditional wholesale channelsDon't underestimate those few cents. when you're talking about volumes in the hundreds or even thousands, those savings add up to real bottom-line profit

Beyond the standard travel essentials, there are a few "non-standard" needs to consider when traveling to korea, such as korean standard plug adapters, korean language signage, and matching team uniforms.These subcategories are available on 1688.https://www.1688.com...making it easier to find the exact source factory you're looking for.My personal recommendation is to prioritize suppliers with "verified supplier" or "super factory" badges when searching. these types of suppliers have often worked in cross-border e-commerce or in bulk purchasing for the hospitality and travel industries. their understanding of product compliance and delivery reliability is far more sophisticated than that of typical sellers.

It’s not enough to buy cheaply, you also have to “control it”

Placing an order is just the beginning. for wine and travel companies, whether supplies arrive on time and accurately in the warehouse directly determines whether the tour will "fall apart" on the day of departure.[1688](https://www.1688.comThe digital tools that have been developed in the service market are essentially designed to solve the age-old problem of "being able to buy" but "not being able to manage."

For example, many travel and hospitality companies operate multiple stores and connect to multiple warehouses. manually switching accounts can easily lead to missed orders.At this point, using a crm tool to bind and centrally manage multiple stores allows you to consolidate scattered orders into a single backend. [data source: crm multi-store binding guide document]https://peixun.1688.com/space/l2AmoY1414wvQzdb/detail/r1R7q3QmWe7MZ2vvH7jMg0m4JxkXOEP2)】。There are also pitfalls in the logistics process: the weight and size information of the goods must be filled in accurately. this is not only the basis for freight calculation, but also the key to avoiding disputes or additional costs due to weight deviation after arrival. [data source [1688 logistics settings new product weight and size filling] (https://peixun.1688.com/space/l2AmoY1414wvQzdb/detail/YMyQA2dXW793mzjjuv6ZgPMvJzlwrZgb)】。

There is another detail that is easily overlooked: the return rate of non-standard products is often not low. if you are still manually checking returns and manually refunding, it is not only inefficient, but also prone to errors.After enabling the "erp automatic return upon receipt" feature, returned goods will be automatically validated and entered into the erp system. this will trigger the platform's refund strategy, streamlining the fragmented process and significantly reducing the time funds are tied up. [data source: 1688 automatic refund tool operation instructions]https://peixun.1688.com/space/l2AmoY1414wvQzdb/detail/QG53mjyd80RjkKPPSd7D29qBV6zbX04v)】。Taken together, these tools essentially upgrade procurement from "guessing based on experience" to "running processes based on systems". only then can the supply chain be resilient when the peak season comes.

Three things you can do next

Instead of talking vaguely about "optimizing the supply chain", it is better to start with these specific actions:

• review the basic needs list: pull out the standard korean group visa tour supplies, convert plugs, toiletry bags, team vests... which are in stock standard products and which need to be lightly personalized, and then find the goods.
• use label screening factory: in [1688](https://www.1688.comWhen searching, directly select "verified supplier" and "ships in 48 hours." prioritize suppliers with cross-border or alcohol & travel industry supply case studies – it's a more efficient approach than blindly comparing prices. proactively equip yourself with fulfillment tools: based on the scale of your business, select an erp or crm system that's right for your service market. set up multi-store integration and automated after-sales strategies in advance.Don’t wait for the peak season orders to come in and then realize that the system is not ready.