‘카카오 멤버십’ 이르면 10월 출시…택시·음악·쇼핑 다 묶는다

Kakao plans to unveil its "Kakao Membership" by next month, which will consolidate major subsidiaries and external partner services into a single integrated membership ecosystem based on KakaoTalk, which boasts 49 million monthly active users. A Kakao spokesperson revealed that the company is preparing a Kakao Membership beta version centered around KakaoAI, which will link its major subsidiary services.

However, the exact release date and participating services are still undecided. Membership fees have not been determined yet, but given that platforms like Naver and Coupang charge between 4,900-8,000 won per month, Kakao's pricing is likely to be similar. Depending on the membership tier, different benefits may be provided at varying price points.

Currently, Kakao offers various premium services through its subsidiaries. KakaoTalk offers the 'Emoji Plus' service for unlimited emoticon usage at 3,900 won per month, while Kakao Mobility provides discounts and points accumulation through its 'Kakao T Membership' for taxi, bike, and parking services at 4,900 won per month. Kakao Entertainment provides tiered subscription membership services for platforms like Melon, KakaoToon, and KakaoPage.

Industry observers predict that Kakao may also include financial and e-commerce services such as KakaoPay, KakaoShopping, and KakaoStyle (Gigazine) in the membership benefits. Notably, Kakao recently announced at its second-quarter earnings presentation that it will connect its AI assistant 'Kakana in KakaoTalk' with the food delivery platform 'Coupang Icet' to expand membership benefits further.

An industry source noted that with Kakao already boasting a robust user base through KakaoTalk, the company appears to be seeking a new growth model. They added that whether Kakao focuses on a Kakao-centric model or a Naver-style approach with external partnership integrations remains to be seen.