NAVER’s limited edition trading platform, KREAM, announced on the 26th that from January to July, the search volume for the keyword ‘running’ increased by over 270% compared to the same period last year. The transaction amount and the number of buyers for related products increased by 154% and 153%, respectively. The platform also noted that running is becoming a popular hobby among the younger generation, and in response to the ‘running core’ clothing trend, they are launching a new ‘running’ tab. This new tab will feature enhanced personalized recommendation functions.
Running’s popularity is soaring, especially among the younger demographics. In March, the ‘2025 Seoul Marathon and Dong-A Marathon’ saw a record participation of 40,000 people, and registration for October’s ‘2025 Chosun Ilbo Chuncheon Marathon’ was filled in just 5 and 3 minutes for the full course and 10km categories, respectively.
This trend extends to the emergence of a new market with ‘running core’ fashion. In particular, there has been a significant increase in the number of 20s and 30s women purchasing running-related items on KREAM. Among women in their 30s, the number of buyers for running products rose by 246% compared to the previous year, and transactions surged by 271%, showing the highest growth across all age groups. Women in their 20s also showed increases of 161% in buyers and 195% in transaction amounts.
In the brand transaction rankings, specialized running brands showed significant progress. Nike ranked first, while the Swiss brand ‘On Running’ saw a 454% increase in transaction amounts, making it second. Purchases jumped by 700% in the same period. ‘Asics’ showed a 665% increase in transaction amounts, securing third place.
The new running tab, which was introduced partly due to the growth in running core-related transactions, will offer recommendations for running shoes based on running distance and body type, along with newly released shoes and popular apparel and accessories.
A representative from KREAM stated, “As the ‘healthy pleasure’ trend of managing health enjoyably spreads among people in their 20s and 30s, running items with both functionality and design are becoming a firm favorite in the fashion domain. We are preparing to strengthen our customization curation features so that KREAM users can conveniently discover running items in the new ‘running’ tab.”