Naver Band Surpasses 150 Million Cumulative App Downloads 10 Years After Launch

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Naver announced on the 8th that its community platform BAND has surpassed 150 million cumulative application (app) downloads, 10 years after its service launch.

According to Naver's recent aggregation of BAND's key metrics, the cumulative app downloads have exceeded 156 million. The cumulative number of bands and posts reached 53 million and 6.1 billion, respectively. The accumulated chat messages have surpassed 50 billion, and comments have exceeded 20 billion.

BAND has continuously evolved its service and expanded community usability as the way people gather has changed. Starting as a platform for gatherings among acquaintances, it expanded its scope to interest-based groups through open bands in 2015, and further segmented group types by introducing 'Mission Bands' aimed at achieving specific goals and 'Small Group Bands' that share interests based on neighborhoods. After the COVID-19 outbreak, with increased demand for non-face-to-face meetings, BAND strengthened its remote features by launching 'Video Call' functionality.

Naver explained, "Trend-sensitive users in their teens and twenties (1020) have been steadily joining." Currently, 1020 users account for about 26% of all BAND users. Among users participating in Mission Bands, one in three belongs to the 1020 generation, and posts by 1020 users make up 31% of the approximately 20 million cumulative mission certification posts.

Naver plans to further diversify communities within BAND, focusing on 'Mission Bands' and 'Small Group Bands.' Accordingly, the BAND service was revamped this month. Mission and Small Group tabs were added to the BAND home to help users easily find Mission Bands and Small Group Bands.

Marketing campaigns are also underway. An interactive site created to commemorate the 10th anniversary showcases BAND’s 10-year history, data, various user stories, and accounts from BAND service managers. Features such as the ‘My Group DNA’ test, which allows users to share their group types with friends, and the ‘My BAND Report,’ which provides an overview of their BAND activities, have also been prepared.

Kim Joo-kwan, CEO of Naver Group & CIC, stated, "We will develop BAND into a platform that encompasses 'all gatherings in the world.'"