Naver Group of South Korea - User Research on Online Manga Consumers
Company overview
Naver is South Korea's leading internet company, with Naver.com being the country's largest search engine. The company has rapidly expanded across multiple domains including content platforms, artificial intelligence, and e-payment services. Naver Webtoon, its online manga platform, launched in 2004 and has since grown into a globally leading digital manga platform with a broad user base across South Korea, Japan, the United States, and other regions. It enjoys high popularity among young audiences
Research background
With the rapid development of China's pan-entertainment industry and the rise of otaku culture and mobile reading, the online manga market has experienced explosive growth. Naver Webtoon plans to enter the Chinese market. To accurately identify its target user group and understand the behavioral patterns and preferences of Chinese youth in digital manga consumption, and to develop product positioning and promotional strategies tailored to the local market, Naver commissioned CEIDEA Research to conduct in-depth user research in Beijing and Guangzhou.
Research scope
In August 2016, CEIDEA Research was entrusted by Naver Group to conduct qualitative research with multiple focus group discussions (FGD) targeting middle and high school students who are online manga consumers in Beijing and Guangzhou. The study focused on users' current manga reading habits, frequency and duration, preferred genres, favorite domestic and international manga platforms, app feature usage and pain points, willingness to pay for content, and channels through which they obtain platform information. The research aimed to deeply explore the genuine needs and underlying psychological motivations of youth in manga consumption.
Expected outcomes
The final research findings provide Naver Webtoon with authentic and in-depth insights into the acceptance and user characteristics of the Chinese youth market. The research report will support the optimization of the app's functional structure, content categorization, and genre planning, and help establish a clear content tone and commercial strategy suitable for youth audiences. Additionally, it will serve as a foundation for Naver's brand communication strategy and media placement planning in China, thereby laying a solid strategic groundwork for successfully entering and deeply penetrating the Chinese online manga market.
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