April 20, 2024
Mobile & Internet
[EQUITIES] ‘Kakao to rebound on the back of characters’
[THE INVESTOR] South Korean internet giant Kakao’s third-quarter revenue growth was driven by non-core businesses such as commerce, 020 and fintech, said Shinyoung Securities on Nov. 16.
Kakao Friends, its character brand, in particular posted strong growth in its 18 stores, said analyst Jang Won-yeol. “The characters are on par with those of Marvel, which is widely popular here, and in terms of search words on Naver Shopping, which has great influence in actual purchases, it is rather ahead,” added Jang.
“Characters created for mobiles have crossed over offline and that alone means that Kakao has secured competitiveness, and the characters will have much more use in games as well,” said the analyst.
Kakao Friends will continue to fare well and serve as a marketing platform for games, boosting the firm enough to return to double-digit growth in 2017, added Jang.
By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)
Kakao Friends, its character brand, in particular posted strong growth in its 18 stores, said analyst Jang Won-yeol. “The characters are on par with those of Marvel, which is widely popular here, and in terms of search words on Naver Shopping, which has great influence in actual purchases, it is rather ahead,” added Jang.
“Characters created for mobiles have crossed over offline and that alone means that Kakao has secured competitiveness, and the characters will have much more use in games as well,” said the analyst.
Kakao Friends will continue to fare well and serve as a marketing platform for games, boosting the firm enough to return to double-digit growth in 2017, added Jang.
By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)
