NE and Cafe24 Form Business Alliance for Cross-Border EC - Connecting Global Infrastructure of 2 Million Stores with Next Engine's Back-Office

NE Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, CEO: Noriyoshi Higo, hereinafter "NE") and Cafe24 Corp. (Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea, Representative: Lee Jaesuk, hereinafter "Cafe24") have entered into a business alliance agreement effective June 30, 2026.

Cafe24 is a global EC platform company originating from South Korea. Its official website boasts over 6.2 million registered users, more than 2 million online stores, over 12 trillion Korean won in platform GMV as of 2024, more than 42,000 partners, and support for over 200 languages, assisting EC businesses both within and outside of South Korea with their online sales.

Through this alliance, both companies will develop and provide an application that links "Cafe24 PRO," a professional service offered by Cafe24, with "Next Engine," a SaaS-based EC back-office system provided by NE. NE will develop and provide the連携 app, while Cafe24 will offer necessary information and development cooperation.

Cafe24 PRO is a service that supports all EC operations required for entering overseas markets, including building multilingual shopping malls, product registration, sales channel integration, search engine optimization (SEO), and marketing support.

The連携 app is scheduled for a preliminary release to select customers at the end of July 2026, with a full release planned for August 2026.

This alliance is based on the basic agreement concerning the business alliance with Cafe24 announced on April 17, 2026, and marks a transition to the concrete execution phase. The two companies will combine Cafe24's strengths in global EC operation support with NE's strengths in EC back-office operations, order, inventory, and product integration, and domestic Japanese commerce operations to support Japanese EC businesses in their cross-border EC expansion.

Background: Creating an Environment for Easier and More Sustainable Cross-Border EC

With the advancement of generative AI and AI agents, consumer purchasing behavior and EC business sales channels are undergoing changes. In addition to traditional EC where people search for, compare, and purchase products through domestic malls, proprietary EC sites, search engines, and advertisements, it is anticipated that AI agents will increasingly be involved in comparing, selecting, and assisting with purchases.

Furthermore, direct purchasing mechanisms originating from video streaming platforms and social media are expanding, making it increasingly important for EC businesses to capture cross-border sales opportunities as part of their growth strategies.

In this market environment, NE positions supporting Japanese EC businesses aiming to expand their sales channels overseas as one of the important roles of Next Engine.

As a leading global EC platform company in South Korea, Cafe24 has provided various services necessary for EC businesses' online sales, including store construction, product registration, sales channel integration, marketing, logistics, payments, and global expansion support.

By combining the strengths of both companies, NE and Cafe24 believe they can create an environment that makes it easier for Japanese EC businesses to engage in cross-border EC, leading to the basic agreement on business alliance signed in April 2026. This business alliance agreement, based on that basic agreement, concretizes the alliance details and moves into the execution phase.

About the Integration of Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine

The core of this alliance is the development and provision of an application that integrates Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine.

Cafe24 PRO is a service that supports all EC operations required for entering overseas markets, including building multilingual shopping malls, product registration, sales channel integration, search engine optimization (SEO), and marketing support. EC businesses will find it easier to pursue sales opportunities while receiving operational support necessary for launching overseas shops and global sales.

Next Engine has supported the back-office operations of domestic EC businesses, including order processing, inventory management, product information, and shipping. By integrating Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine, we aim to connect overseas shop operations with the EC back-office operations cultivated domestically, thereby reducing the practical workload in cross-border EC.

What We Will Do Through This Alliance

1. Develop and Provide an Integration App for Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine

NE will develop and provide an application that integrates Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine.

This will create an environment where EC businesses operating overseas shops using Cafe24 PRO can easily connect with back-office operations such as order processing, inventory, and product information managed on Next Engine.

The integration app is scheduled for a preliminary release to select customers at the end of July 2026, with a full release planned for August 2026.

2. Introduce Cafe24 PRO to Next Engine Customers

NE will introduce Cafe24 PRO to Next Engine customers and potential customers interested in overseas expansion and cross-border EC.

By utilizing Cafe24 PRO, EC businesses will find it easier to consider overseas expansion while receiving operational support for store construction, product registration, marketplace integration, marketing, and global sales.

3. Collaboration on Listing Promotion and Operational Support

Cafe24 will provide sales materials, information, and data related to Cafe24 PRO, sales promotion support to merchants, inquiry handling, and customer support.

NE will be responsible for API creation/development, maintenance, setup, listing promotion support, and handling customer inquiries.

Both companies will regularly review customer introductions, merchant acquisition status, and operational status to maximize the alliance's effectiveness.

Benefits for EC Businesses

Through this alliance, Japanese EC businesses will find it easier to start and sustain overseas sales by combining the global EC operational support from Cafe24 PRO with the back-office operational support from Next Engine.

Easier to launch overseas shops

Easier to receive operational support for product registration, sales channel integration, marketing, etc.

Expected reduction in management workload for orders, inventory, and product information through Next Engine integration.

Cross-border EC involves numerous practical challenges, including language, sales channels, payments, logistics, sales promotion, and inventory management.

Through this alliance, NE and Cafe24 will connect the global EC operational support from Cafe24 PRO with the EC back-office operational support from Next Engine, assisting EC businesses from launch to daily operations when undertaking overseas sales.

Cross-border EC Operation Consultation Page: https://next-engine.net/lp/cafe24/

Comments from Both Companies

Comment from Noriyoshi Higo, Representative Director, President & CEO of NE Co., Ltd.

As a leading global EC platform company in South Korea, Cafe24 has supported the online sales of many EC businesses.

Through this business alliance agreement, we are moving from the basic agreement announced in April 2026 to the concrete execution phase and commencing the development and provision of an application that links Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine.

Through our collaboration with Cafe24, NE will create an environment that makes it easier for Japanese EC businesses to engage in overseas sales, and we will evolve into a commerce infrastructure that supports domestic and international commerce flows, moving towards the realization of our Vision "Commerce OS for the Agent Era."

Comment from Lee Jaesuk, CEO of Cafe24 Corp.

Cafe24 has supported the online sales and overseas expansion of EC businesses in the global EC market, particularly in South Korea.

We are very pleased to be able to advance the integration with Next Engine, which is used by many EC businesses in Japan, through this business alliance agreement with NE.

Through the integration of Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine, we aim to create an environment where Japanese EC businesses can more smoothly open overseas shops, register products, integrate sales channels, and manage marketing and back-office operations.

Through our collaboration with NE, we will contribute to the development of cross-border EC connecting Japan, South Korea, and the Asian market.

Future Developments

NE and Cafe24 will sequentially proceed with the development of the integration app for Cafe24 PRO and Next Engine, the introduction of Cafe24 PRO to Next Engine customers, support for opening overseas shops, listing promotion support, and customer support.

The integration app is scheduled for a preliminary release to select customers at the end of July 2026, with a full release planned for August 2026.

Initially, we will create an environment where EC businesses using Next Engine can easily utilize Cafe24 PRO, and promote cross-border EC support with an eye on the South Korean and Asian markets.

This alliance is also an initiative that concretizes the "Global" strategy outlined in NE's Medium-Term Management Plan 2029. Based on its strength in EC back-office operations cultivated in Japan, NE will promote cross-border EC and expansion into the Asian market through its collaboration with Cafe24.

Furthermore, in the medium to long term, in conjunction with NE's ongoing initiatives such as API manual renewal, NE STUDIO, NE Links, and MCP server technical verification, we will build a commerce infrastructure that connects EC businesses' operational data, sales channels, external services, and AI agents.

About Cafe24

Cafe24 is a global EC platform company originating from South Korea.

The company provides various services necessary for EC businesses' online sales, including store construction, product registration, sales channel integration, marketing, logistics, payments, and global expansion support.

Cafe24's official website lists over 6.2 million registered users, more than 2 million online stores, over 12 trillion Korean won in platform GMV as of 2024, more than 42,000 partners, and support for over 200 languages.

Additionally, Cafe24's official website features brands from diverse genres such as AMOREPACIFIC, LG H&H, CONVERSE, T1, NONGSHIM, SMTOWN &STORE, YG SELECT, KUNDAL, 66Girls, TIRTIR, NONFICTION, and mardi mercredi.

Cafe24 PRO is a service that supports all EC operations required for entering overseas markets, including building multilingual shopping malls, product registration, sales channel integration, search engine optimization (SEO), and marketing support.

Item

Details

Company Name

Cafe24 Corp.

Location

15 Boramae-ro 5gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Representative

CEO Lee Jaesuk

Business Activities

E-commerce solutions, global marketing, global logistics

Established

May 17, 1999

About Next Engine

Next Engine is a cloud-based (SaaS) EC platform for EC businesses. It centralizes operations necessary for online shop management, including order processing, order placement, purchasing, inventory management, and product information management, supporting efficient operations.

Key features include:

Consolidation of functions necessary for online shops, from centralized management of orders, inventory, and product information to analysis.

Support for over 50 malls, the largest in the industry.

Flexible function expansion through Next Engine apps.

Provides a platform for developing and selling Next Engine apps.

Number of contracts: Over 6,700 companies.

Next Engine continuously supports the growth of EC businesses and strives for further evolution as an EC back-end infrastructure for the AI agent era.

URL: https://next-engine.net

About NE Co., Ltd.

Under the corporate culture of "Commerce ni Kyouun wo. Love Commerce.", the company develops SaaS and support services that aid the growth of EC businesses. It promotes business in three areas: EC support/SaaS business, consulting business, and commerce tech business, aiming to establish its position as commerce infrastructure for the AI agent era.

Company Name: NE Co., Ltd.

Representative Director, President & CEO: Noriyoshi Higo

Head Office Location: 16F, EPIC TOWER SHIN YOKOHAMA, 3-2-3 Shin-Yokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

Established: May 2, 2022

Listed Market: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Securities Code: 441A)

Capital: 275,956 thousand yen (as of April 30, 2026)

Business Activities: EC support/SaaS business, consulting business, commerce tech business

Corporate Website: https://ne-inc.jp

Vision / Mission Page: https://ne-inc.jp/vision-mission/

Inquiries Regarding This Matter

NE Co., Ltd. Public Relations Department

Email: pr@ne-inc.jp

Phone: 03-4540-6512