The findings, led by Kim Ji-young, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, drew on transaction data from sellers who cooperated with Naver's counterfeit prevention program. Brands participating in the initiative also saw likes and visitor counts on their Smart Store pages climb 11 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
Consumer sentiment tracked alongside the sales data.
More than 80 percent of shoppers surveyed said the program was effective at protecting them from fake goods, while over 73 percent expressed satisfaction with Naver's overall enforcement efforts. Brands were even more bullish — more than 92 percent said cooperation with Naver had a meaningful impact on their image, and every respondent indicated plans to deepen the partnership.
Naver deploys an AI-powered monitoring system to flag suspicious listings and behavior at an early stage. The platform also runs a mystery shopping program, in which staff purchase goods as ordinary consumers before sending items for expert authentication, and a buyer-participation appraisal service that lets customers submit products for free verification.
Sellers found to be distributing counterfeits face immediate account termination under a one-strike-out policy, a measure Naver says has sharply curtailed fake goods on the platform.
"This is a leading case in which platform self-regulation has simultaneously achieved consumer protection and merchant growth," committee chairman Kwon Hun-yeong said, adding that the body would continue research to help spread similar practices across other platforms.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
