[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] Amid the rapid growth of the cross-border e-commerce market, Naver (NAVER(035420)) D2SF has invested in an AI startup showing steep growth in the Korea-Japan cross-border commerce market.

The startup in question is “SAZO,” which has seen its monthly transaction volume increase sevenfold over the past six months. This investment is seen as a high evaluation of SAZO’s technological capabilities—which use artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the complex procedures involved in purchasing overseas products, thereby lowering barriers to shopping between South Korea and Japan—and its growth potential.

Naver D2SF announced on the 25th that it has made a new investment in SAZO, an agentic AI-based cross-border commerce startup. The investment amount was not disclosed.

SAZO is developing a cross-border commerce infrastructure in which AI agents handle the entire process—from predicting shipping costs and customs duties to product translation, price calculation, payment, and customs clearance. Its core mission is to use technology to overcome purchasing barriers caused by differences in language, payment systems, logistics, and customs procedures across countries.

With the recent surge in interest in K-content and creators’ intellectual property (IP), demand for directly purchasing overseas merchandise, fashion items, and secondhand goods has skyrocketed. However, consumers often find it difficult to accurately determine the final shipping costs and customs duties before making a purchase, while sellers face the burden of setting up logistics and payment systems tailored to each country.

Sajwo has solved these problems using AI. It predicts shipping costs, customs duties, and fees with approximately 95% accuracy and has automated everything from product translation to local pricing, payment processing, and customs clearance. Consumers can purchase overseas products just as they would on a domestic online store, and sellers can expand their sales territories without having to build separate overseas infrastructure.

Rapid Growth Through Partnerships with Mercari and Rakuten

Sajwo currently operates a cross-border service connecting South Korea and Japan. Over the past six months, its monthly transaction volume has grown approximately sevenfold, and the company has secured partnerships with major platforms such as Mercari, Japan’s largest secondhand marketplace; Rakuten, an e-commerce giant; and South Korea’s Bungeojangteo.

Last year, the company also secured strategic investment from Japan Post Capital, a venture capital arm of the Japan Post Group, which operates Japan’s largest international logistics network. Currently operating in the South Korean, Japanese, and U.S. markets, the company plans to expand into additional countries and grow into a global cross-border commerce infrastructure provider.

CEO Gil Maro, who leads Sajwo, is an entrepreneur in his 20s who founded the company in 2023 while studying in Japan on a government scholarship. Drawing on their experience in AI and cross-border commerce, the co-founders have also been developing the business with the global market in mind since the company’s inception.

Potential for Collaboration with Naver Shopping

Naver D2SF explained that it took note of how Sajwo developed its product with the global market in mind from the early stages and demonstrated its business viability by securing actual transaction results and partnerships.

In particular, the potential for synergy with the Naver commerce ecosystem has drawn interest. It is believed that Sajwo’s technology could serve as a foundation to support Naver Shopping sellers and creators in expanding into overseas markets.

Yang Sang-hwan, Head of Naver D2SF, stated, “Cross-border commerce is a market that goes beyond simply exposing products overseas; it requires integrating the different languages, payment methods, logistics, and customs clearance systems of each country into a single purchasing experience.” He added, “Sajwo is currently discussing various forms of collaboration with Naver Shopping, and we expect this to provide users with a more convenient experience when purchasing overseas products, while offering sellers and creators opportunities to expand their global sales channels.”