How to Use NAVER Shopping Search Ads for Seasonal Promotions in Korea

In Korea’s fast-paced retail calendar, seasonal promotions are key opportunities to boost sales and deepen customer loyalty. From Lunar New Year (설날) to Chuseok (추석), and even back-to-school campaigns, Korean consumers expect timely, relevant offers that match their seasonal needs.

NAVER Shopping Search Ads are a powerful tool for brands to stay visible, competitive, and effective during these key sales periods. In this guide, we’ll show you how to leverage NAVER Shopping seasonal ad strategies using product targeting, keyword planning, and seasonal messaging to achieve high ROI.

NAVER Shopping Seasonal Ad Strategies: Why Seasonal Promotions Matter in Korea

Korean shopping behaviors are strongly influenced by national holidays, seasonal gifting culture, and school-related events. These periods often show high intent to purchase, meaning brands can achieve significant conversions if they target correctly.

Peak Shopping Seasons in Korea

To effectively penetrate the South Korean market and maximize sales, a deep understanding of its key shopping seasons is crucial. Aligning marketing campaigns and inventory management with these periods of heightened consumer spending can significantly impact your brand’s success. Let’s dive deeper into each of these pivotal times:

1. 설날 (Lunar New Year): A Time for Traditional Gift-Giving

• Timing: Typically falls in late January or February, spanning several days and incorporating family reunions and ancestral rites.
• Consumer Behavior: 설날 is a deeply rooted cultural holiday centered around family. Gift-giving is a significant tradition, expressing respect and gratitude, as well as wishes for the recipients’ health and prosperity in the coming year. Consumers actively seek out presents for parents, elders, relatives, and business associates.
• Top Product Categories: High-quality health supplements and products (vitamins, ginseng, etc.), luxurious items (cosmetics, perfumes, leather goods), and beautifully packaged food sets (premium fruits, meats, traditional snacks) are particularly popular. Gift cards offering flexibility are also well-received.
• Marketing Opportunities: Tailor campaigns around themes of health, well-being, luxury, and tradition. Create attractive gift bundles and offer elegant packaging. Consider collaborations with influential figures or showcasing traditional Korean aesthetics in your marketing materials. Early promotion is key, as consumers often begin their gift shopping in advance.

2. 추석 (Chuseok): The Autumn Harvest Festival and Another Major Gifting Occasion

• Timing: Celebrated in September or October, coinciding with the autumn harvest. It’s another extended holiday focused on family gatherings and paying respects to ancestors.
• Consumer Behavior: Similar to 설날, gift-giving is a central aspect of 추석. However, there’s a slightly stronger emphasis on practicality and items that can be shared among family members. Food plays a particularly significant role in Chuseok celebrations.
• Top Product Categories: Wellness products focused on relaxation and stress relief are relevant. Food items such as fresh produce, gourmet meats, seafood, and traditional Korean confectionery are highly sought after. Home goods, including kitchenware and bedding, also experience increased demand as families prepare for gatherings.
• Marketing Opportunities: Emphasize themes of family togetherness, gratitude, and the abundance of the harvest season. Highlight the freshness and quality of food products or the comfort and functionality of home goods. Consider offering bulk discounts or family-sized packages. Storytelling around family traditions and ancestral respect can resonate deeply with consumers.

3. Back-to-School: Equipping Students for The New Semester

• Timing: Peaks in July and August as the new academic year approaches.
• Consumer Behavior: Parents prioritize purchasing essential items for their children’s education. Students themselves may also be involved in the selection process, particularly for electronics and fashion items.
• Top Product Categories: School supplies (stationery, notebooks, backpacks), uniforms and related apparel, electronic devices (laptops, tablets, headphones), and comfortable yet stylish clothing are in high demand. Educational software and online learning resources may also see increased interest.
• Marketing Opportunities: Target parents with practical and value-driven promotions on essential school supplies. Appeal to students with trendy designs and technological features. Consider offering package deals that bundle necessary items. Collaborations with educational institutions or student influencers could be effective.

4. Summer & Winter Sales: Riding the Wave of Seasonal Clearance

• Timing: Major sales events typically occur mid-summer (June-July) and mid-winter (December-January).
• Consumer Behavior: Consumers anticipate these periods for significant discounts on seasonal merchandise. They are often willing to purchase items they may not immediately need, knowing they are anticipating favorable prices.
• Top Product Categories: Fashion apparel and accessories relevant to the respective season (swimwear, summer dresses vs. winter coats, sweaters), cosmetics and skincare products (especially those with seasonal relevance like sunscreens or moisturizing creams), and personal care items often see substantial markdowns to clear inventory.
• Marketing Opportunities: Aggressively promote discounts and limited-time offers. Highlight the value proposition of clearance items. Utilize eye-catching visuals and create a sense of urgency to drive sales. These periods can also be used strategically to introduce new product lines at the end of a sale, capitalizing on the increased traffic.

5. End-of-Year Promotions: A Strategic Push Before New Beginnings

• Timing: Generally runs from November through December.
• Consumer Behavior: This period combines holiday gift-giving (though less culturally significant than 설날 or 추석) with retailers aiming to clear out remaining inventory before the new year and upcoming product launches. Consumers may be looking for last-minute gifts or taking advantage of bundle deals.
• Top Product Categories: A wide range of products can perform well, including electronics, home goods, fashion, and beauty items. The key is often the attractiveness of the discounts and the perceived value of bundles.
• Marketing Opportunities: Offer compelling bundle deals combining older and newer products. Clearly communicate the value proposition of end-of-year promotions. This is also a strategic time to tease upcoming Q1 product releases, generating anticipation and setting the stage for future sales.

By meticulously planning your marketing and sales strategies around these distinct peak shopping seasons in Korea, you can significantly enhance your brand visibility, capture greater market share, and foster stronger customer engagement. Understanding the cultural nuances and specific consumer needs associated with each period is paramount to achieving sustained success in this dynamic market.

Step 1: Set Up NAVER Shopping Search Ads

Before launching a seasonal campaign, you need to make sure you’re properly set up on the NAVER Ads platform.

• Register Your Business: Ensure your business is registered on NAVER and your products are listed in the NAVER Shopping catalog.
  • This gives NAVER’s algorithm access to your product data and categories.
• Access the NAVER Ads Platform: Visit saedu.naver.com to manage and create your ad campaigns.
  • NAVER’s ad dashboard allows for precise targeting, analytics, and budget controls.
• Install NAVER Tag: Similar to a tracking pixel, the NAVER Tag must be installed on your site to collect data on user behavior.
  • This is essential for remarketing, conversion tracking, and building custom audiences.
• Link to NAVER Smart Store (if applicable): If you operate a Smart Store, integrate it for seamless campaign attribution.
  • Linking ensures NAVER Shopping ads drive traffic directly to product pages.

Step 2: Keyword Planning for Seasonal Campaigns

Targeting the right keywords is crucial for seasonal performance.

• Use NAVER Keyword Tool: This tool helps you identify trending keywords by category, season, and intent.
  • For example, during 추석, terms like “추석 선물세트” (Chuseok gift set) or “한과 세트” (traditional snacks) surge.
• Include Long-Tail Keywords: Instead of just bidding on “gift set,” try more specific ones like “추석 건강식품 선물세트” (Chuseok health gift set).
  • These keywords have lower competition but higher intent.
• Monitor Monthly Trends: NAVER provides historical keyword data, helping you anticipate spikes.
  • Knowing that “school backpack” spikes in July and August can help you schedule ad boosts.
• Refine by Device or Gender: NAVER lets you narrow by device (mobile vs desktop) and gender to optimize delivery.
  • Perfect for beauty brands that perform better with female audiences on mobile.

Step 3: Design Seasonal Product Pages

Your landing pages need to reflect the seasonal spirit.

• Use Holiday-Themed Visuals: Update banners and product images to match the occasion.
  • For 설날, use traditional colors (red, gold), and include seasonal greetings.
• Offer Limited-Time Bundles: Group products into exclusive gift sets.
  • For example, a “Back-to-School Essentials Pack” can include notebooks, pens, and a backpack.
• Highlight Urgency: Use countdown timers, bold deadlines, or “limited stock” tags.
  • This boosts conversion rates through FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
• Include User Reviews: Seasonal buyers trust past customer feedback.
  • Show reviews that mention the product as a gift or seasonal favorite.

Step 4: Launch Your NAVER Shopping Ads

Now it’s time to build your campaign.

• Select the Right Ad Format: NAVER Shopping offers image-based product ads, carousel ads, and text+image combos.
  • Carousel ads are great for showcasing bundles or multiple gift sets.
• Target Specific Categories: Align with NAVER Shopping’s product taxonomy.
  • For 추석, focus on categories like “gift sets,” “traditional food,” or “wellness.”
• Bid Strategically: Increase bids for top-performing keywords during peak shopping days.
  • You can set hourly bid adjustments to dominate visibility during evenings or weekends.
• Use Geo-Targeting: If your product is region-specific, such as local foods, target cities where it’s most popular.
  • Geo-targeting is especially useful during regional sales events.

Step 5: Use Retargeting Tools to Maximize Conversions

NAVER offers powerful retargeting features that keep your brand relevant.

• Custom Audience Retargeting: Use NAVER’s CRM integration to retarget existing customers with seasonal offers.
  • Send targeted ads to past customers who bought similar products.
• Dynamic Product Retargeting: Display the exact product users viewed, improving relevance and CTR.
  • NAVER’s engine will auto-generate these placements based on behavior.
• Cross-Device Targeting: Reach users on desktop and mobile, especially those who browsed on one and abandoned on the other.
  • Ensure your landing pages are fully mobile-optimized.
• Lookalike Audience Targeting: NAVER creates audiences based on your best customers to find similar users.
  • Great for expanding reach during high-demand seasons.

Step 6: Track Performance and Optimize

Monitoring campaign success is essential.

• Track CTR and ROAS: Use NAVER’s dashboard to monitor click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
  • Watch how metrics shift before, during, and after each seasonal event.
• Analyze Keyword Performance: Pause underperforming keywords and reinvest in high-converting ones.
  • NAVER shows exact queries, helping you fine-tune targeting.
• A/B Test Creatives: Try different headlines, images, and CTAs.
  • Use split-testing tools to identify what resonates with your audience.
• Use Attribution Reports: NAVER provides insights into multi-touch journeys.
  • These reports show which channels or keywords assisted in conversion.

Final Thoughts: Make Seasonal Promotions Count

With Korea’s strong seasonal buying patterns, mastering NAVER Shopping seasonal ad strategies gives you a competitive edge. By preparing your ad assets in advance, targeting with precision, and optimizing continuously, you can significantly boost sales and customer loyalty during Korea’s most important retail moments.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start preparing my NAVER Shopping seasonal ads?

Start 4-6 weeks before the seasonal peak. This gives you time for keyword research, creating ads (with holiday themes), setting up ads, and testing. For big holidays like Lunar New Year or Chuseok, people shop early, so it’s good to be seen early.

What mistakes should I avoid with seasonal ads on NAVER?

Update your ad pictures and landing pages for the season. Don’t forget to change your bids for busy times. Don’t use general keywords; use specific ones. Don’t ignore NAVER’s retargeting tools. Also, understand that each holiday is different; what works for Lunar New Year might not work for Chuseok, so change your message.

What other NAVER services can help my seasonal promotions?

NAVER Shopping Search Ads are important, but other NAVER services can help a lot. Use NAVER Blog or NAVER Cafe to share content and connect with customers about your offers. NAVER Pay makes checkout easy and helps with sales. NAVER TalkTalk (chat support) during busy times can help customers right away and answer questions before they buy, making their experience better.