Naver Updates AI Shopping Agent to Initiate Conversations

Seoul, South Korea - Naver Corp announced an update to its AI Shopping Agent, transitioning the feature from a navigation tool into a conversational assistant three months after its initial release.

The feature, which launched in beta on the Naver Plus Store application in February, will now proactively initiate conversations with users. 

The company said the system analyzes user shopping histories — including clicks, likes, and shopping cart entries — alongside broader consumer trends to suggest specific shopping directions.

Upon updating the application, users will receive conversational prompts from the assistant on the home screen. 

The system generates inquiries based on behavior, such as asking users who frequently search for meal kits whether they need single-serving options, or suggesting complementary skincare products to users with a moisturizer in their cart.

The updated assistant also presents structured conversational choices based on detailed criteria — such as "single-serving meal kits ready in 10 minutes" or "3-pack bundles priced in the 10,000 won range" — to bypass manual keyword filtering.

"The AI Shopping Agent is evolving into an actionable agent that understands the user's shopping context and suggests subsequent steps, moving beyond a standard search tool," said Jung Tae Lee, Naver's Shopping Search & AI Leader. 

Lee added that the company plans to continuously update the underlying technology using its accumulated shopping data.