Kakao Piccoma tops in Japanese app market sales in H1 2023

Kakao Piccoma, a Japanese subsidiary of Kakao Japan Corp. and the global leading webtoon platform achieved the top position in the first half of 2023 for the most consumer spending among apps in Japan.

According to the data analysis company data.ai on Friday, Piccoma rose to first place in Japan and 15th globally (excluding game apps) in the overall mobile app market consumer spending rankings for the first half of the year.

Continuing its success, Piccoma also secured the top spot in the monthly consumer spending rankings for all app categories (including games) in Japan from April to June this year. Among the top-five apps with significant consumer spending in Japan, excluding games, Piccoma stands as the only non-gaming app.

As a single app, Piccoma holds over 50% of the webtoon app market share in Japan and has maintained its position as the top global webtoon app since Jul. 2021 until now. It has been praised for creating and establishing an environment where digital comics are enjoyed like a snack culture.

A significant growth factor for Piccoma is its work-first policy, prioritizing the content it offers. The platform aims to establish a more detailed connection with its users among the 120,000-plus works it provides, fostering an environment where users can discover new preferences and works. Furthermore, the platform builds and analyzes data specific to each work and applies the results to enhance user satisfaction.

Heading into the second half of the year, Piccoma plans to continue expanding its content library to cater to the diverse preferences and needs of its users. It is actively engaging in discussions to strengthen partnerships and continuously striving to improve services to broaden users' choices in enjoying works.

Kakao Piccoma launched Piccoma in Japan in April 2016, providing webtoons and novels from Japan, South Korea, China, the United States, and other countries through its app and website. In March 2022, it launched Piccoma France.

"The reason Piccoma continues to be loved by many users is that it allows them to enjoy entertaining works anytime, anywhere," a Piccoma source said. "We will continue to provide enjoyable works and a convenient user environment, connecting more works and people to ensure users' enjoyment." 

Write to Ju-Hyun Lee at 2juhyun@hankyung.com