Naver is doubling down on its fast-growing e-commerce business this year by rolling out artificial intelligence (AI)-powered shopping tools, after the segment emerged as one of the top contributors to the company’s record-breaking earnings. The company posted its biggest annual earnings last year, with revenue climbing 12.1 percent year-on-year to about 12.04 trillion won ($8.42 billion) and operating profit rising 11.6 percent to 2.21 trillion won. The e-commerce division was a standout, accounting for more than 30 percent of total sales for the first time. Sales in the segment jumped 26.2 percent year-on-year to 3.69 trillion won, fueled by a combination of advanced recommendation technology on the Naver Plus Store platform and users switching from rival Coupang following a massive data breach. Positioning the business as a core growth engine and strategic test bed for AI-driven services, Naver is preparing to infuse generative AI into its e-commerce stack this year — from smarter search and recommendation engines to automated ad-targeting and seller support tools — as it seeks to lock in user engagement. The company is set to release a shopping AI agent this month, which will act as a personalized assistant throughout users’ shopping experiences, from product recommendations to checking reviews “Shopping AI Agent has already nearly completed its closed beta stage. After testing within the company, it will be introduced to users at the end of February,” CEO Choi Soo-yeon said during last week’s earnings conference call. “We will double the scope of AI Briefing features by the end of the year, and through the Shopping Agent and AI Tab, we aim to create new opportunities to generate further revenue.” Naver is also strengthening its logistics offerings. Its Naver Plus Store platform quickly gained traction after launching last March, with the app reaching 7.09 million monthly active users in January and surpassing 12.9 million cumulative downloads. The company plans to increase coverage of its one-day delivery service, N Delivery, from about 25 percent currently to 35 percent next year, while expanding membership benefits to enhance user retention and lock-in effects. The service’s order volume rose 65 percent year-on-year, underscoring its potential as a key competitive advantage. “Within three years, we will expand N Delivery coverage to over 50 percent,” Choi said. The company is also strengthening its same-day delivery service through collaboration with fresh food delivery platform operator Kurly.       (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: The Korea Times