"Our goal is to increase the transaction amount, now near 1 trillion won, to 2 trillion won by 2030. We expect to achieve an operating profit surplus next year."
ONE store marked its 10th anniversary by unveiling the web-based D2C (Direct to Consumer) payment platform "One Web Shop" and "One Play Game," which can be used instantly without downloads, moving beyond the traditional download-focused app market. The company aims to expand the role of the existing app market and offer new choices to developers and users as it pushes for change. ONE store CEO Park Tae-young held a press briefing on the 30th in Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, and said the company would open the next generation of the app market as an "All in ONE Store," where download, payment, and play happen on a single platform, and stated accordingly.
Park said, "The next 10 years will be a process of expanding the role of the app market and leading change," adding, "ONE store carried out a voluntary retirement program last year and is rapidly narrowing losses with a focus on efficiency." The company aims for mid- to long-term growth by adding One Web Shop and One Play Game to the existing app market business as three pillars. Park expected that expanding onboarding for One Web Shop and One Play Game services and increasing time spent would create synergy with the existing app market business and drive overall app market transaction amount growth.
ONE store, an affiliate of SK Square, is a leading Korean app market founded in 2016. As of last year, SK Square held 45.78% equity in ONE store. Naver (24.06%), Steel Number One No. 1 (17.02%), KT (2.84%), Krafton (2.17%), Microsoft (1.23%), LG Uplus (0.68%), and Deutsche Telekom (0.60%) are among the major shareholders. However, in the domestic app market ecosystem, ONE store struggled to gain traction against Google's overwhelming dominance. The gap with Apple in market share is also not large. Last year's operating loss was 9.6 billion won. That is down 55% from the 21.4 billion won operating loss recorded in 2024. ONE store posted operating losses of 5.8 billion won in 2021, 24.9 billion won in 2022, and 11.6 billion won in 2023. Facing difficulty securing profitability in the domestic market, the company is pursuing business diversification as it marks its 10th anniversary.
Park said, "It's true the gap with Google is large, but as of the first half of 2025, ONE store's average purchase amount per actual buyer is about five times that of Google Play, which gives us competitiveness," adding, "We will differentiate with the web shop and One Play to deliver better results."
While the mobile game market grew 0.2% from the previous year, the D2C game market grew 26%. One Web Shop is a web-based D2C payment infrastructure directly provided by an app market operator. The company said this is the first time an app market has entered the D2C business. ONE store plans to apply the payment, settlement, customer response, and developer support experience it has accumulated operating an app market to One Web Shop to provide a D2C payment environment that both developers and users can trust.
The company said One Web Shop's greatest strengths are ease of adoption, low fees, and abundant connection paths. Developers can adopt One Web Shop using ONE store's existing in-app payment integration specifications without needing to develop separately for each market. Including PG (payment gateway) fees, developers can sell game items at an 8% fee. Users can move to One Web Shop via in-game paths or access it directly from the ONE store app. In addition, One Web Shop can be linked from external channels such as official communities, brand sites, and event pages operated by game companies, allowing developers to create D2C sales opportunities at various touchpoints. One Web Shop is accessible without constraints on user environment, including Android, iOS, and PC. About 40 products are preparing to onboard, with official launch slated for late May.
One Play Game is a service that lets users instantly run various types of games within the ONE store app without installing separate apps. ONE store plans to introduce a new mini-game experience to domestic users in cooperation with Tencent. Park explained, "One Play Game offers users a chance to discover and try games without the burden of app installation, and provides developers with a new exposure and revenue channel beyond traditional download-based app distribution." In particular, based on ONE store's login and payment infrastructure, it offers an in-app user experience that continues from running the game to purchasing items, enabling revenue even for instant-play games. The service will officially launch in May after a pilot operation.
Regarding the company's earlier attempt to go public that was withdrawn, Park said, "I think it's more important how the company is evaluated than when it lists," adding, "For now, we are focusing more on how to grow than on when to list." Park said, "The initial public offering (IPO) market has more requirements than before, and not only growth but also the practicality of the business model and the potential for results are becoming more important." On overseas expansion, Park said, "After achieving vertical growth of the business model in Korea with the app market, One Web Shop, and One Play Game, we will expand globally," adding, "Rather than scaling back overseas business, we will focus on feasibility."