Naver Shopping Live Gains Traction Amid Pandemic, Boosting eCommerce Growth

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Naver Shopping Live, the live-streaming commerce platform from South Korean tech giant Naver, has made significant progress since its launch four months ago.

According to a recent press release, the platform has received 45 million views and attracted 400,000 consumers.

In the era of zero-contact transactions, Naver Shopping Live has seen a surge in its user base.

The number of sellers on the platform had increased by 20% compared to October, while the total transaction amount had increased by 75% since October and 340% since August, when the service was launched.

Naver has enabled sellers to join the live-streaming commerce ecosystem by allowing participation through smartphone devices.

As a result, the platform has seen an 80% increase in weekly performing sellers compared to October, leveraging its Smart Store pools to expand its live-streaming commerce reach.

Success stories from the platform have begun to emerge, with a small and medium-sized electronics manufacturer reporting sales of KRW 1 billion (USD 0.9 million) in one hour.

A seafood live-streaming provider also attracted 180,000 subscribers.

Content creators use the platform for various purposes, including fashion shows and exhibitions, pushing the boundaries of live-streaming commerce.

Jaehoon Song, Head of Shopping Live at Naver, said, "We will continue our experiment by adopting new technologies and connecting with sellers and consumers. We will make our live-streaming commerce the most crucial channel for their business growth.

As Naver Shopping Live gains momentum, it poses a challenge to rival Coupang, which began hiring live-streaming commerce experts in September.

The growth of Naver's platform demonstrates the potential for live-streaming commerce to thrive in the current market and beyond.