Naver announced on the 11th that it plans to launch the “Naver Plus Store” application in the first half of next year, combining shopping search with artificial intelligence (AI) and personalized recommendation technology. The AI Shopping Recommendation feature, which acts as a shopping navigator to enhance the seamless process from product search to purchase, will also be introduced as a beta service next year.
At the “DAN 24” conference held at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, Lee Yoon-sook, head of Naver Shopping, stated, “Naver is introducing a hyper-personalized AI shopping app that provides a new dimension of personalized shopping experience, allowing all 50 million citizens to have different shopping experiences.”
Naver unveiled future plans for its AI shopping app, the Naver Plus Store service, and the direction for its membership and delivery services. The Naver Plus Store, which opened as a beta web version last month, integrates AI specialized in product exploration and personalized recommendation technology to suggest products, benefits, and promotions optimized to user interests.
In the AI shopping app set to be released next year, the AI Shopping Recommendation feature will be gradually introduced, assisting users throughout their entire shopping search journey. This feature uses generative AI to help reduce the time and effort spent on product exploration by analyzing users’ hidden search intents, contexts, and shopping histories, supporting users in discovering desired products even without detailed product information.
Additionally, the Naver Plus Store connects the shopping ecosystem with content and community ecosystems, recommending various user-generated content (UGC) that can be referenced for shopping. Naver noted that this technology is distinctly different from existing commerce services that recommend products or reviews.
Previously, AI recommended only several types of camping chairs to a user searching for them. However, the AI shopping app will now also offer suggestions on how to choose camping chairs, emotional camping chairs, and those with adjustable angles.
Lee added, “We will leverage technology to harmonize the UGC ecosystem, where millions of creators engage with short-form videos, reviews, blogs, and communities, with Naver’s shopping ecosystem,” and emphasized, “This is a service model that only Naver can offer globally.”
Moreover, the direction for membership and logistics business was revealed. Starting next year, Naver plans to introduce “Naver Delivery,” offering users various time-unit delivery services. These include same-day delivery, next-day delivery, “Now Delivery” offering delivery within one hour post-order, and “Hope Day Delivery,” where delivery dates can be specified for categories like furniture and home appliances to be delivered the following morning.
The benefits of the Naver Plus Membership will also expand. Starting the 26th, members will be able to enjoy Netflix content, with new partnerships like Socar planned for next year.
Furthermore, “lifecycle benefits” tailored to members’ needs will be added, offering personalized services that can be used at appropriate times for events like weddings, childbirth, moving, and pet care, based on age and lifestyle.
Lee concluded, “We aim to expand our membership and logistics significantly through a collaborative model alliance structure and achieve innovation in personalized shopping experiences through the most powerful AI technology for sellers and users via the AI shopping app.”