"Naver Blog Enters Second Heyday with 240 Million KRW Sales in 3 Days"

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Fashion blogger Yumer recently generated sales of 240 million KRW over three days by selling clothing items such as shirts and sweatshirts through a ‘Blog Market’ event. Blog Market, introduced by Naver in December last year, is a concept that integrates online shopping services into blogs. As Blog Markets gain popularity among the 20-30 age group, Naver Blog is experiencing a second heyday.

The 20-30s Gathering on Blogs

According to Naver on the 4th, 80% of Blog Market buyers are in their 20s and 30s. Among all Naver bloggers, those in their 20s and 30s exceed 60%, with 20s accounting for 34.6% and 30s for 28.5%. Contrary to the perception that blogs are outdated, despite being an 18-year-old service, the main users remain the 20-30 age group. A Naver official said, "Because blogs retain young users, it is possible to grow by attaching new services."

Naver is recently conducting new experiments through Blog Market. Blog Market is a concept that has developed the culture of bloggers trading through comments into ‘commerce.’ Currently, Naver is providing functions such as payment systems, delivery tracking, and purchase history management on a trial basis to some blogs. After beta service, the company plans to officially launch the service within this year.

For bloggers, Blog Market’s advantage is that they can sell small quantities of products at their desired timing without burden. It is establishing itself as a new business model for bloggers who share their daily lives and sell products containing their own stories. For users, it allows safe and convenient transactions. According to Naver, 55% of Blog Market sales occur through existing neighbors, and the repurchase rate reached 32%. Currently, more than 5,000 products such as self-produced clothing and accessories are sold on Blog Market. Naver plans to expand categories to include baby products this month and food items in April.

‘Text’ Has Returned

Naver Blog’s second heyday is closely related to the increased demand for text due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As outings and gatherings decreased, text-centered blog activities gained popularity instead of social networking services (SNS) dominated by photos and videos that capture on-site experiences. With more people staying home, the number of blog posts increased. Last year, Naver Blog accumulated a record-high 298.13 million posts.

As blogs grow, the number of creators earning income has also increased. The number of users subscribed to Naver Blog’s advertising revenue service AdPost increased by 41.6% in one year. Bloggers earning more than 5 million KRW per month increased by 450%, and creators earning over 10 million KRW monthly have also appeared.

Naver plans to further enhance its blog service, which is experiencing a second heyday centered on Blog Market. Kim Boyeon, Naver Blog leader, said, "Naver Blog, which recorded the highest post production last year, has established itself as a representative platform where users share their daily lives and stories," adding, "We will continue to support connecting bloggers and users through Blog Market so that competitive bloggers can sell products more safely and conveniently."