Platform Overview
Founded in 1999, NAVER is Korea’s leading search engine — around 60% of the Korean search market by domestic industry measurement — with blogs, Cafes and news deeply woven into how Koreans find information. In commerce, NAVER grew from price-comparison search into one of Korea’s largest open marketplaces, passing KRW 50 trillion in GMV in 2024 alongside Coupang at the top of the market.
For Chinese sellers the key is Smart Store, launched in 2016: Korea’s largest open storefront platform, where sellers design their own shops, set prices freely and tap the full NAVER traffic chain — search, shopping comparison and content. Since 2024 NAVER has upgraded commerce into the standalone “Plus Store” open market; its independent app launched on March 12, 2025, passed 5 million MAU within eight months and won Google Play Korea’s App of the Year 2025 — today Korea’s fastest-growing shopping platform.
Milestones
1999
NAVER search launches and becomes Korea’s top portal and content ecosystem
2016
Smart Store launches, growing into one of Korea’s largest storefront platforms
2024
Commerce rebranded in March with the Plus Store open market; full-year commerce GMV passes KRW 50 trillion
2025
Plus Store standalone app launches Mar 12 with an AI shopping assistant and new commission system; wins Google Play Korea App of the Year
2026
Plus Store MAU keeps climbing; the “Agent N” AI recommendation rollout reaches shopping
Core Strengths
Search traffic with clear intent
Koreans “search NAVER first” when they want to buy; search + comparison traffic converts well and suits long-tail brand and standard-SKU strategies.
Open ecosystem, full freedom
Smart Store allows custom storefront design, free pricing and campaign operations — no forced fulfillment — so brands can accumulate their own store assets and customers.
Content-to-commerce loop
Naver blog and Cafe reviews link directly to product pages — a unique Korean “content + search” seeding-and-conversion loop.
Plus Store early bonus
The standalone app is in rapid user growth; AI-recommendation traffic and platform subsidies are open to sellers — early entrants enjoy a traffic bonus.
Korean Market Presence
NAVER Shopping and Coupang form Korea’s e-commerce duopoly: Coupang wins on owned logistics and instant retail, NAVER on openness, content and search mindshare. In 2025 NAVER’s commerce GMV returned to ~10% YoY growth, and the Plus Store app multiplied its users — the most important incremental channel beyond Coupang.
Opportunities for Food & Agri Sellers
A natural home for brand stores
Korean consumers rely heavily on search and reviews when buying imported food; Smart Store + blog seeding builds brand recognition and pricing power.
Chinese food is trending
Malatang, luosifen, hotpot bases and Chinese snacks keep winning young Korean consumers, with rising search volumes year over year.
Compliance and localization
Imported food still needs MFDS registration and Korean labels; the quality of Korean product-page localization (ingredients, usage) directly drives conversion.
Entry Guide for Chinese Sellers
- 1
Cross-border store (Chinese company)
Apply for Smart Store with a business license copy, legal representative’s passport and corporate account certificate; NAVER runs an official recruitment channel for Chinese sellers, and prior Korea e-commerce experience helps.
- 2
Local store (Korean company)
Registering with a Korean business license unlocks full features and higher consumer trust for long-term operations; individual sellers aged 19+ can also register.
- 3
Operations essentials
Commissions are category-based (Plus Store introduced a new fee system); Power Link search ads are the main traffic lever, and content marketing (blog reviews) drives long-term conversion.
General summary only — always confirm the latest requirements and fees with official platform policies.
Enter NAVER with TENJOY
Register for the Korea Online Channels Event (Food & Agriculture Edition) to get entry-policy briefings for all five platforms, food-category selection advice and live Q&A in one session.
