en.Wedoany.com Reported - Retail technology company Kurly is accelerating its AI integration and platform expansion, joining the AI agent commerce competition where generative artificial intelligence (AI) intervenes in purchase decision-making. Kurly recently began testing AI-based product recommendation features in certain product categories within its app. When users search for products, the AI identifies their purchase purpose and preferences to recommend suitable items. This service is a continuation of Kurly's AI transformation (AX); on the 1st, the company announced a small-scale equity swap worth approximately KRW 30 billion with AI solutions firm Wonji Labs, after which Wonji Labs will become a wholly owned subsidiary. The two parties are jointly developing creative AI, AI customer service (AICS), and advertising system integration. Currently, about 40% of daily inquiries in Kurly's one-on-one consultation service are handled by AI.
Kurly plans to focus its AI application scope on deepening product recommendations, search, and curated selections in the near future. A Kurly official stated that it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of AX, and the current priority is to deepen creative AI and curated product recommendations. Industry observers believe that the direction of e-commerce companies using AI is shifting from competition in search accuracy to identifying user preferences and purchase intent, representing an attempt to integrate generative AI into the entire product discovery process.
The foundation of platform expansion lies in retail. Kurly emphasizes its competitiveness in product data and curation capabilities. When reviewing new products through its product committee, it evaluates them against over 70 criteria, including freshness, raw materials, and production environment. The collaboration with Naver is based on the same background; Naver holds a 6.2% stake in Kurly, and the two parties are expanding cooperation by combining Naver's search and recommendation infrastructure with Kurly's fresh food procurement and early-morning delivery capabilities. Kurly N Mart, launched last year, is a typical example. Consumers flowing in through Naver and those using the proprietary app show different purchasing tendencies, and the range of product selection is also expanding.
Financial performance has improved. Kurly achieved sales of KRW 2.3671 trillion and an operating profit of KRW 13.1 billion last year, marking its first annual profit since establishment. In the first quarter of this year, it recorded sales of KRW 745.7 billion and an operating profit of KRW 24.2 billion, setting a quarterly record. Industry observers believe Kurly is transitioning from a vertical e-commerce company focused primarily on direct sourcing to a platform-type business. The expansion of seller-fulfilled delivery and third-party logistics (3PL), collaboration with Naver, and AI recommendation services are all part of this trend. A Kurly official stated that retail and platforms are inseparable, and the company is strengthening its platform competitiveness based on products, logistics, and customer experience, effectively delivering information accumulated from producers, sellers, MDs, and logistics sites to consumers.
However, ensuring accountability as a platform company remains a challenge. South Korea's Fair Trade Commission has recently strengthened oversight of the platform market. This year, it plans to inspect suppliers transacting with major online platforms such as Coupang, Kurly, SSG.com, and Musinsa to check transaction concentration, transaction dependency, and the existence of unfair trade practices. In May, Kurly received a corrective order from the Fair Trade Commission for allegedly violating the Large-Scale Distribution Business Act in the operation of its sales incentive system. The commission found that Kurly failed to adequately consult with suppliers during the expansion of the sales incentive program's scope, thereby limiting suppliers' autonomous choice.
AI recommendation services and platform expansion are seen as Kurly's new growth strategies. However, as the platform's influence grows, demands for transaction order and consumer protection are also increasing. The industry is watching how Kurly will prove its growth potential through AI and platform strategies while ensuring the accountability and trust required of a platform company.
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