The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said it will recruit small business owners from the 26th to Apr. 2 to take part in the "2026 online brand small business support project (TOPS program)" to identify and foster small business owners with high growth potential in the online market.
As the online distribution environment has recently shifted to platform-centered, competition in small businesses' online sales has intensified. Accordingly, there is a growing need for systematic support beyond simple marketplace onboarding to expand sales and strengthen brand competitiveness.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) has been supporting the expansion of small businesses' online sales channels and growth through the TOPS program in collaboration with private platforms since 2025 to meet this demand.
The 2026 TOPS program will focus on four key sectors—food, home living, fashion, and beauty—taking into account consumer trends and market growth potential, and will provide step-by-step, tailored support to a total of 3,500 small businesses.
The TOPS program is operated based on collaboration with private platform companies. In 2026, building on this collaborative structure, it will offer one-on-one, sales data–based consulting to systematically support small businesses in product planning and marketing strategy development. In addition, the number of participating platforms has been expanded from 10 to 13 to diversify sector-specific programs and allow small businesses to choose from a wider range of sales channels and support programs.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to strengthen the support system by expanding linkages with the co-prosperity growth support fund and sales channel support programs of related agencies so that corporations with outstanding results can secure follow-up growth opportunities.
Park Sang-yong, small business management stabilization officer at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "The TOPS project is a representative public-private cooperation initiative that supports small businesses in establishing a foundation for self-sustaining growth in the online market through collaboration with private platforms," adding, "In 2026, we will actively back the sustained growth of online brand small businesses through more strategic support focused on sectors with high growth potential."