Cafe24 says AI-driven visits to D2C malls hit 850,000 in Q2

Cafe24 reported that generative AI-driven visits to D2C shopping malls reached about 850,000 in the second quarter of this year, up 72% year-on-year, according to inews24.com. Among the top 30 shopping malls by AI traffic, 57.4% of visitors went directly to product detail pages without passing through the main screen.

The figure comes as Korean consumer product discovery shifts from direct search toward AI and creator recommendations. Retailers are responding by expanding GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and creator collaboration strategies.

Pulmuone applied GEO to its official online mall and built an AI-specific product catalog. LF is pursuing a strategy of linking brand information scattered across its website and social media. Musinsa recommends fashion products based on TPO, weather, price range and taste through the ChatGPT app, and added a "seeding" feature to "Musinsa Curator" allowing brands to directly propose collaborations to creators.

Gmarket uses a ChatGPT plugin to suggest products based on user input of purpose, budget and preferences. Coupang introduced "Coupang Influencer," a dedicated affiliate program for creators. Cafe24 integrated the YouTube creator partnership API to analyze channel performance, content characteristics and viewer interests.

CJ OnStyle's creator commerce platform "Onter" connects brands and creators for joint purchases and live commerce. Aekyung Industrial is exposing product experience content on social media through "AK Lover Beauty·Life Supporters."

Creator commerce growth

CJ OnStyle's creator collaboration order amount in the first half of this year increased 330% year-on-year. A YouGov survey of US consumers found that 40% of Gen Z discover new products through influencers, compared to 26% of non-Gen Z.