[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Naver (NAVER(035420)) will introduce a dedicated return center and early-morning delivery service exclusively for Naver Plus members this October. The strategy aims to increase repeat purchases among e-commerce users by bundling the Naver Plus Store app, membership, and N Delivery, thereby further strengthening its delivery competitiveness in the second half of the year.

Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, stated during the Q2 2026 earnings call on the 7th, “Starting this October, we plan to support fast returns through a membership-exclusive return center and fully launch a dedicated early-morning delivery service.” She added, “We expect the introduction of these benefits this October to further strengthen the virtuous cycle between the membership program and N Delivery and accelerate the growth of N Delivery in the second half of the year.”

Naver Commerce continued its growth momentum in the second quarter. CEO Choi explained, “Second-quarter Smart Store transaction volume increased by 15.5% year-over-year, indicating that growth is accelerating.” Regarding the reasons behind this growth, she assessed, “This is the result of the three engines—the Naver Plus Store app, membership, and delivery—working together organically, which has led to improved structural competitiveness for Naver Commerce and translated into strong results.”

The Naver Plus Store app has established itself as the primary transaction channel for loyal customers. CEO Choi stated, “In the second quarter, transaction volume via the app grew by more than 35% year-over-year, significantly outpacing the overall growth rate, and the share of transactions made through the app is rapidly expanding.” He further explained, “Traffic from repeat visits is growing about four times faster than traffic from new visitors, and both the average order value and purchase frequency per visit among app users exceed those of web users.”

The membership program is serving as a key link between app growth and the expansion of N-Delivery. CEO Choi noted, “Approximately 80% of app shoppers are becoming membership users,” adding, “Following the enhancement of free shipping and free return benefits, the purchase frequency of N-Delivery membership customers has increased by about 29%, and their share of total transactions has surpassed 70%.”

The growth of N-Delivery was also notable. CEO Choi stated, “As of June, the transaction volume for N-Delivery on Smart Store increased by 76% year-over-year, and coverage exceeded 20%, putting us on track to achieve our year-end target of 25%.” He added, “In the second quarter, the average transaction value for N Delivery sellers significantly outpaced the growth rate of general sellers,” noting, “This demonstrates that delivery serves as a practical growth tool that not only boosts user conversion and repeat purchases but also helps sellers expand their transaction volume.”

To expand N Delivery, Naver is strengthening support for sellers, focusing on core products with high delivery sensitivity, and increasing direct contracts between sellers and Naver to standardize logistics conditions and operational standards. The volume of direct contracts has increased more than fourfold year-over-year, and the goal is to raise the proportion of direct contracts to over half by the end of the year.

CEO Choi said, “Going forward, Naver will further strengthen a virtuous cycle in which the app drives user discovery and exploration, the membership program retains customers within the ecosystem, and delivery leads to purchase conversions and repeat purchases.”

Meanwhile, Naver posted its highest-ever quarterly revenue, recording 3.3888 trillion won in the second quarter—a 16.2% increase from the same period last year. However, operating profit decreased by 0.2% year-over-year to 520.3 billion won due to investments in AI infrastructure.