"I want to hang spring curtains in a 9-pyeong studio where a woman lives alone, but it's a rental so I can't drill holes."
When this question was posed to the agent, product categories matching the user's specific conditions — such as "no-drill options suitable for rentals" and "easy installation" — were introduced one after another. "Eyelet, pin, and ring-hook structures slide directly onto the curtain rod, so no drill or screws are needed, and even a woman living alone can easily hang them," the agent explained, guiding the user to suitable products like a seasoned shopping manager. Using artificial intelligence, the service accurately grasped the complex shopping context and intent, while reflecting the user's recent searches and purchase history to deliver personalized recommendations.
This is the new consumer landscape emerging as Naver's "AI Shopping Agent" takes center stage on Naver Plus Store, the company's AI shopping app. According to Naver on the 18th, an "AI Shopping Agent" icon was permanently placed in the search bar of the Naver Plus Store application on the 1st. After accessing the app, users can now instantly summon the shopping agent with a single touch and receive product recommendations through natural-language questions, continuing a new form of consumption experience.
The role of the Naver Plus Store AI Shopping Agent stands out particularly for high-involvement products that require research and detailed comparative analysis. Users no longer need to spend significant effort and time browsing blogs to find reviews tailored to their space, situation, or product preferences, as shopping exploration is now possible through conversation with the agent alone.
According to a survey Adobe conducted last year on 5,000 U.S. consumers, 55% used generative AI for "product research" — the highest share — followed by product recommendations at 47%. This indicates that users expect AI to enhance shopping efficiency by simultaneously supporting purchase decisions and execution.
Naver's shopping agent is also strengthening its "multi-turn" conversation capabilities and expanded recommendations. For example, if a user follows up a curtain inquiry with a question about curtain rods, the agent recommends rods that match the previous conditions or suggests all-in-one sets including both curtains and rods. This reflects the agent's understanding of situational context and preferences, drawn from its vast Smart Store product database, commerce data such as product reviews, and user-experience data and quality content accumulated across platforms including blogs and cafes.
Naver has also added a "History" feature that preserves users' conversation logs, continuously enhancing user convenience and experience. Since the launch of its AI shopping app last year, the rollout of "shopping app-only" features such as the AI Shopping Agent has driven Naver Plus Store app downloads to a cumulative 15.76 million as of the first quarter this year, while user time spent on the app has increased 2.3-fold.
Naver plans to upgrade the service during the first half into an AI Shopping Agent that proactively initiates conversations with users, further enhancing the personalized shopping experience. When users browse the home screen or explore products, the shopping agent will suggest personalized shopping themes based on the user's shopping history and context.
For users who have purchased or frequently searched for items such as newlywed home appliances or two-person furniture, the agent might initiate: "Shall we look for lighting to change the mood of your newlywed space together?" Alongside this, the agent is expected to offer follow-up questions such as "Recommend bedroom lighting that matches a white and wood tone" to help users narrow down their options.
"Since the launch, users have been utilizing the agent in various ways to streamline their shopping exploration through research on products with complex conditions and comparative analysis of specific product specs," a Naver official said. "We will continue to upgrade performance to provide seamless conversational shopping from exploration to payment within our own shopping ecosystem."
