Despite predictions that AI chatbots would replace traditional search engines, Naver's search usage has unexpectedly increased, indicating a shift in user behavior.
As generative AI chatbots become mainstream, interest is growing around the unexpected rise in Naver's search usage. Contrary to expectations that services like ChatGPT and Gemini would supplant existing search engines, data shows that Naver has seen a boost in market share. According to Internet Trend's web log analysis on March 10, Naver's share of the domestic search engine market has reached 64.39% in the early part of this year, hitting its highest level since 2019. After a decline from a peak of 71.17% in 2018 to a low of 50.67% in 2020, Naver's search share appears to be on the rise again since 2024, although the company cautions against overreliance on external metrics due to significant fluctuations in search share over time.
Industry analysts are noting that despite a significant increase in users of generative AI over the past year, the number of Naver's search users has not declined. According to data from the data tech company IGAWorks, the monthly active users of the ChatGPT application in South Korea soared to 14.46 million in February, a fourfold increase from the previous year. Yet, during this period, the number of users and search volume on Naver remained relatively stable, indicating that usage behaviors are evolving. Naver representatives pointed out that there has been a marked decrease in users who rely solely on either their search engine or generative AI chatbots, leading to an increase in 'cross users' who employ both tools concurrently. For instance, users might obtain product recommendations from ChatGPT and then search for those products on Naver, showing a complementary relationship rather than outright replacement.
This shift is also manifesting in the nature of queries made through Naver's search engine, which are now becoming longer and more specific in format. Users seem to be crafting more elaborate and detailed questions, reflecting a changing dynamic in how people seek information and the synergy between traditional searches and AI-assisted inquiries. As Naver observes this trend, it anticipates that the overall search market is expanding, thus benefiting from the presence of AI technology rather than being eclipsed by it.
