Kakao’s first integrated membership program, “Kakao Membership,” has been unveiled. Centered on shopping and Kakao Pay accumulation, it adds benefits such as emoticons and cloud storage, as well as securities and insurance services. The monthly subscription fee is 4,900 won.
Kakao announced on the 1st that it would begin accepting first-come, first-served applications for Kakao Membership. It is a product that bundles paid services and benefits including △Gifts (Seonmulhagi) △Talk Deal △Kakao Pay △Melon △Kakao Page △Emoticons △Talk Cloud △Accident Insurance △Securities. To ensure initial service stability, the service will launch with a small number of users.
Kakao has structured its membership services into categories such as “First Meeting Benefits” for new subscribers, “Accumulation Benefits,” “Content Benefits,” and “Practical Benefits.”
“First Meeting Benefits” provide new subscribers, each once initially, with △4,900 won worth of domestic stocks (one randomly selected from eligible fractional trading stocks) in a Kakao Pay Securities account, and △a total of 6,000 won worth of Melon Cash (3,000 won worth per round; the second round is automatically granted upon application for the first). However, members under the age of 19 will receive a 5,000 won discount coupon for Olive Young instead of domestic stocks. The provided Melon Cash can be used when purchasing Melon subscription passes or period-based passes.
“Accumulation Benefits” consist of Shopping Points and Kakao Pay Points accumulation. Shopping Points accumulate 0.5% to 5% of the payment amount, up to a maximum of 20,000 points per month, regardless of the payment method used for Gifts (Seonmulhagi) and Talk Deal transactions. Kakao Pay Points accumulate 0.5% to 1% when paying with Kakao Pay Money on Gifts (Seonmulhagi) or Talk Deal, and 0.5% to 2% for offline payments, up to a maximum of 50,000 points per month. Accumulated points can be used on Gifts (Seonmulhagi) and Talk Deal, and Kakao Pay Points can specifically also be used offline at convenience stores, cafes, etc.
As “Content Benefits,” subscribers can choose monthly between △“Emoticon Plus,” which allows unlimited downloads of over 850,000 Kakao emoticons worth 3,900 won, and △a 130GB Talk Cloud pass that automatically stores KakaoTalk conversations and media files. “Practical Benefits” include △2,000 cash for Kakao Page △cashback of up to 4,900 won on domestic stock selling fees at Kakao Pay Securities △compensation of up to 70,000 won for smartphone screen damage through Kakao Pay Accident Insurance, and △discounted subscriptions for Melon Streaming Lite.
In addition, subscribers can enjoy discounts and accumulation together by utilizing △Kakao Friends coupons △Talk Deal coupons △Gifts (Seonmulhagi) coupons, and Kakao Pay’s Good Deals.
Kakao Membership can be joined through open notification messages sent to friends on the KakaoTalk Talk Channel or via the menu in “More Settings.” By adding the “Kakao Membership” Talk Channel as a friend, users can receive future additional recruitment notifications first.
Kim Min-gyu, Kakao’s Performance Leader, stated, “We have gathered benefits needed for daily life, from subscriptions to shopping, content, and practical perks,” adding, “In the future, we will expand benefits by linking with various services and provide rare benefits that can only be enjoyed through Kakao Membership.”
in TECH
