On September 3, Place&, a Naver affiliate led by CEO Jaeheon Kim, joined Naver Place to host the “Naver Place x Place& Service Briefing” at Naver Partner Square Yeoksam in Seoul.
More than 100 brands attended, from F&B and a range of other industries. The turnout showed just how eager brands are to deepen their connection with the Naver ecosystem.
Key Naver Place services
Three services were introduced at the briefing:
- Place+: Shows store information and payment data directly in search results.
- QR Order: Connects ordering, payment, and reviews in one flow.
- Unified membership and CRM: Extends a brand’s membership program onto Naver.
The Naver app has more than 44 million monthly active users, and the Naver Map app more than 28 million. These are the touchpoints where brands can meet customers and welcome them as members.
One customer journey, from Naver to the store
Place& presented its role in carrying the online Naver experience all the way into physical stores. The goal is to connect every step of the customer journey: customers discover a store on Naver, visit through a reservation or the waitlist, and come back through membership.
Place& highlighted two services as its foundation:
- DodoPoint: A loyalty and customer management service run in stores for more than 10 years, with over 35 million customers to date.
- NowWaiting: Handles 1.1 million waitlist sign-ups every month.
Building on these, Place& showed how brands can quickly set up CRM and Naver integration without any in-house development.
Membership and CRM drew the most interest
Membership and CRM were the hottest topics of the day. Brands were especially interested in growing membership not only in store, but also through Naver Search, Naver Map, and Brand Home. Offering the same points and benefits across every location also drew attention.
Many questions focused on how customers can join and check their benefits right inside Naver, with no app to install. The ability to manage existing members and new Naver members in one place drew similar interest.
Bridging brands and Naver Place
The briefing reaffirmed Place&’s role, as a Naver affiliate, in bridging brands and Naver Place. Place& plans to extend this partnership beyond F&B to brands in more industries, helping offline stores meet customers and build lasting relationships within the Naver ecosystem.
“Today confirmed that many brands want a deeper connection with the Naver ecosystem,” said CEO Jaeheon Kim. “Place& will be the partner closest to the field, making sure customer experiences that begin on Naver lead to store visits and repeat visits.”