[Pangyo Interview] Bottle Inc. Leads Digital Innovation in Golf with 'Tee Mart,' Setting a New Standard in the Golfing Market

    SEONGNAM, KOREA, November 28, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bottle Inc. (Golf People), a startup spearheading the digital transformation of the golf industry, is redefining the traditionally analog golf market with innovative IT solutions and aiming for a new leap forward.

Once considered an exclusive sport for the affluent, golf has become increasingly popular, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Seungsoo Han noted, "The golf market is bound to grow alongside rising national incomes. Now is the time to transform golf courses into more efficient and reasonable environments digitally."

Bottle's flagship service, Tee Mart, is an automated platform that streamlines the golfing process, from booking and payment to check-in and F&B purchases. Its time-deal commerce model allows customers to access services at lower prices while golf courses reduce vacancy rates and maximize revenue. The model is similar to prepayment systems used in the lodging industry by companies like Yanolja and Yeogi Eottae, contributing to the sport's accessibility by offering reasonable pricing.

Targeting price-sensitive Millennials and Gen Z (ages 20–39), Bottle aims to make golf more affordable. Han explained, "Our goal is to allow college students and young professionals entering the golf market to enjoy the sport at a reasonable cost. Lower prices lead to a rapid increase in potential customers, which fuels the growth of our service."

In August 2023, Bottle fully launched its time-deal commerce model. Currently, the service operates in approximately 30 golf courses, representing about 10% of all courses in South Korea. Its repurchase rate is 25%.

Leveraging AI technology, Bottle dynamically determines optimal real-time pricing, boosting golf course revenues and customer satisfaction. This technology is adaptable for regions like Japan and Southeast Asia, where digital transformation in golf remains slow, paving the way for Bottle's global expansion.

"Japan and Southeast Asia are markets that still lack digital transformation, offering significant potential to expand our successful model overseas," Han stated, expressing his commitment to global growth.

Based in Pangyo, a hub for IT talent and government-backed startup initiatives, Bottle thrives. Han remarked, "Pangyo provides the ideal environment for startups to grow," Bottle has utilized these advantages to build efficient services.

By replacing the inefficient post-payment system in golf courses with a prepayment model, Bottle is revolutionizing the market. Like the lodging and airline industries, Han believes that introducing data-driven IT solutions will make golf a widely accessible sport for everyone.

While Bottle's journey toward "digital innovation in golf" has just begun, its steps are already reshaping the golf industry's future.

Pangyo Techno Valley is a global integrated Research & Development hub focused on IT, BT, CT, and NT, integrating Research (R), People (P), Information (I), and Trade (T). As Gyeonggi-do's representative innovation cluster, Pangyo Techno Valley was established to secure national new growth drivers such as technological innovation, human resource development, job creation, and enhancing international business competitiveness. As of 2023, 1,666 companies employ 78,751 people, and it has positioned itself as the most innovative hub in South Korea, with sales amounting to 167.7 trillion KRW (125.5 billion USD).

Furthermore, the Techno Valley Innovation Division of the Gyeonggi-do Business and Science Accelerator (GBSA) holds monthly events such as the Pangyo Evening Meet-Up, Pan-Pan Day, and the Pangyo Startup Investment Exchange "In-Best Pangyo" to maximize the value of Pangyo Techno Valley. They also support the Pangyo Overseas Promotion Program to publicize information about Pangyo's companies, products, and services to domestic and foreign investors and the media, thereby facilitating foreign investment.

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