[Provided by Karrot]
[Provided by Karrot]

The cumulative number of regulars connected to local businesses through Karrot's BizProfile service has surpassed 10 million, cementing the platform's role as a local marketing channel that helps neighborhood shops meet nearby residents and build repeat customers online.

Karrot announced Thursday that its BizProfile-based cumulative regular count has crossed 10 million. BizProfile is Karrot's local commerce marketing service that lets shop owners share store information, news and events while communicating directly with users.

The total number of BizProfile pages created to date has also exceeded 3 million. Restaurants, cafes, hagwon, hospitals, beauty and health businesses, and lifestyle service providers are among the wide range of local shops building connections with neighbors through the platform.

To build on this momentum, Karrot is running an eight-week campaign called "Jjin Karrot" through July 29. The campaign focuses on strengthening relationships between local shops and users through visit reviews and regular-customer connections.

Actor Park Bo-gum appears in the campaign's first piece of content. He plays "Park Beugeum," the owner of a listening cafe called "Park BGM," conveying the message that real experiences and reviews from neighbors serve as clues for finding great local shops.

The fictional setup extends into the Karrot app itself. A "Park BGM" BizProfile will operate throughout the campaign period, and an offline listening event will also be held. Users who want to participate can add the BizProfile as a regular on the neighborhood map from June 8 through June 23 and submit a song request along with a personal story. Winners will be announced June 25.

Karrot will also run "Jjin Karrot Week" targeting four everyday business categories: restaurants and cafes, beauty and health, hagwon, and hospitals. Users can participate by leaving reviews of places they have visited or by adding shops they are interested in as regulars. Writing a review based on a visit makes users eligible for a support grant of up to 1 million won (about $660), while adding three shops as regulars enters them in a draw for a random grant of up to 5,000 won.

Benefits for shop owners are also part of the campaign. Karrot will give owners a consolidated view of their BizProfile performance — including visitor counts, average ratings and unread reviews. Owners who complete a news-post mission will receive a business support grant and a special bonus grant.

"The competitiveness of a neighborhood shop starts with the experiences and trust of nearby residents," a Karrot official said. "We hope this campaign gives users a chance to discover new favorite local spots, and gives shop owners an opportunity to expand their connections with local residents."

Meanwhile, Karrot held an 88.3 percent market share in the used-goods trading platform segment — a lifestyle-adjacent service category — ranking first, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT's "2025 Value-Added Telecommunications Business Survey (estimated based on 2024 data)." That figure dwarfs the 5.9 percent share held by second-place Junggo Nara.


rim@heraldcorp.com