Naver on Nov. 26 added a free Netflix subscription benefit to its Naver Plus paid membership, allowing users to access Netflix’s ad-supported standard plan (worth 5,500 won per month) at no extra cost. This makes the Naver Plus Membership a more affordable option than subscribing to Netflix separately. Naver’s move to include an over-the-top (OTT) service in its membership is a strategy to attract both existing Netflix subscribers and new users, thereby increasing its membership base. Industry experts view this as a direct challenge aimed at Coupang, South Korea’s largest subscription-based service provider. While exact subscriber numbers have not been disclosed, Naver’s membership is estimated to have around 10 million users, compared to Coupang’s paid Wow membership, which has approximately 14 million members. An industry source said, “As Naver’s commerce growth slows, the company appears to be stepping up its competition with Coupang to acquire users.”
Naver is now directly competing with Coupang. Coupang has leveraged significant investments to outpace major retailers like Lotte and Shinsegae, dominating the market. As South Korea’s e-commerce leader, Naver faces increasing pressure to counter Coupang’s expansion. To compete, Naver has been rolling out various services to rival Coupang’s offerings in shopping, delivery, food delivery, and OTT.
Naver is enhancing its membership to match the various benefits provided by Coupang’s Wow Membership. At 7,890 won per month, Wow Membership offers free delivery, access to the OTT platform Coupang Play, and free food delivery from Coupang Eats. Users who subscribe to receive these benefits are naturally encouraged to use Coupang regularly. In response, Naver has also been offering free delivery and Netflix subscriptions to its membership subscribers, along with free food delivery through a partnership with domestic food delivery platform Yogiyo since June.
The competition between the two companies extends to logistics, a key component of e-commerce. Naver is emphasizing same-day delivery with its “guaranteed delivery” service. Starting early next year, Naver plans to expand its delivery options by introducing overnight, same-day, and holiday delivery, along with a new “Delivery Now” service that promises delivery within an hour. These services aim to compete with Coupang’s Rocket Delivery, which guarantees next-day delivery, and Coupang Eats Mart, which offers instant delivery of groceries and daily essentials. To support this, Naver has formed a logistics alliance with 12 companies, including CJ Logistics and Hanjin.
Naver also plans to launch a separate app for its Naver Plus Store in the first half of next year to strengthen its own shopping capabilities. The Naver Plus Store, which launched online on Oct. 30, prioritizes products from Naver’s own vendors and advertisers. For example, when searching for “sneakers,” Naver’s own listings will appear first, rather than products from major online retailers like Coupang, which naturally reduces Coupang’s influence in search results. A Naver staffer explained, “We separated price comparison from the Naver Plus Store due to differences in usability and user intent,” adding, “The Naver Plus Store is designed to offer AI-driven, hyper-personalized product recommendations.”
