Seoul, South Korea - Naver, South Korea's dominant online platform, will roll out a new version of its app next month that aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to provide ultra-personalized recommendations across a broader range of content verticals.
Why it matters:
The redesign relies heavily on artificial intelligence to provide users with more personalized and relevant content on shopping, entertainment, and health.
The Big Picture
- For Naver, the app overhaul is central to its AI strategy to improve the customer experience and boost loyalty amid fierce competition.
- Rivals such as e-commerce giant Coupang are chipping away at Naver's dominance. Keeping users engaged through robust recommendations could be vital in maintaining its lead.
- The success of the redesigned app will depend on whether the underlying AI recommendation technology delivers an uncluttered, personalized user experience.
The Details
- The updated app features four tabs - Shopping, Home, Content, and Clips - designed to simplify navigation to key interests.
- A new Home feed uses AI to recommend content based on individual user data, such as browsing history and subscriptions.
- Gaming and Health are new content sections. Gaming offers streaming eSports, news, and reviews. Health offers information from medical institutions.
- The Shopping tab uses AI to suggest relevant products tailored to the user.
- Clip, a short-form video feature, aims to serve up bite-sized content personalized to the user's tastes.
What they're saying:
"With the new Naver app, we will provide users with content and products optimized for their interests, and we look forward to growing with creators and competitive SMEs who produce quality content. We will continue to develop our personalized recommendation technology and services to provide more accurate and richer recommendations on the Naver app,"
said Jaehoo Lee, Head of App Services at Naver.
What's next:
- A gradual rollout of the redesigned app tabs will occur from November 2-13.
- The separate Home Feed feature will be introduced from November 2 to 16.
- Naver plans to expand opportunities for creators on the platform starting next year.
