Naver’s AI Shopping App Emerges as Fastest-Growing E-Commerce Platform in Korea

Naver’s AI-powered shopping service, Naver Plus Store, is seeing an increase in loyal users and improved user retention, the company said. Naver believes that AI-driven personalized recommendations are leading to repeat purchases and subscription conversions, with more consumers making use of tailored AI shopping services. (Image courtesy of Naver)

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) —  Naver’s standalone AI-driven shopping app, Naver Plus Store, has emerged as the fastest-growing e-commerce platform in South Korea this year, according to a global app market analysis released Monday by Sensor Tower.

From January through October, Naver Plus Store ranked No. 1 in both total downloads and download growth among Korean e-commerce apps, the report found. While Coupang continued to dominate in monthly active users and user growth, Naver Plus Store placed second in monthly user growth, signaling strong momentum in a market long led by Coupang.

Launched in March, Naver Plus Store quickly topped both Google Play and Apple’s App Store in downloads and was the most downloaded app from March to May, even outpacing ChatGPT in the Korean market. By October, cumulative downloads had reached nearly 8 million.

Sensor Tower noted that women accounted for 58 percent of users, and people aged 35 to 44 represented 41 percent, indicating that the platform has strong appeal among middle-aged female consumers focused on household and lifestyle shopping.

Globally, Temu led the world in both downloads and monthly active user growth this year, while Blinkit topped global rankings for download growth. Worldwide e-commerce app downloads reached 6.35 billion in 2024, up more than 45 percent from 4.36 billion in 2019, with annual average growth of about 6.5 percent.

The report said mobile e-commerce has entered a long-term growth phase as digital consumption expanded rapidly in the wake of the pandemic. As user numbers near saturation in many markets, platform competition is shifting from new user acquisition to retention and service quality.

Growth is now concentrated in emerging regions, with Latin America, Africa and the Middle East becoming the strongest engines of app download expansion.

In digital advertising, the shopping sector has become a major spender. In the United States alone, e-commerce companies invested roughly $19 billion in digital ads between January and October, Sensor Tower estimated.

Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)