As the live commerce industry reels from the aftereffects of its initial boom, Grip is setting sail to venture into wider waters.
Kim Han-na, CEO of Grip, asserted, “This is not a crisis, but a time of evolution.” When we met at Grip’s headquarters, she calmly explained her plan to transform beyond live commerce into a “commerce creator platform.”
“The live commerce market has grown through many trials and errors, and now it is time to redefine the entire content and communication method.”
CEO Kim Han-na deeply touched on the essence of the problem. “Up until now, live commerce has been limited to temporary sales centered on price. If the non-face-to-face consumption trend during the COVID-19 period was a favorable wind, now is the time to provide sustainable customer value. We can no longer differentiate ourselves with simple show host-centered broadcasts.”
So Grip is creating a world where ‘anyone can sell’, that is, a commerce structure where creators are the center and introduce and sell products based on stories and trust. It is a process of creating an evolved commerce ecosystem that combines content and community, focusing on the relationship between fans and sellers, rather than simple sales.
Discovery built on relationships
“The point that Grip focuses on is live commerce as ‘relationship-based commerce.’”
CEO Kim Han-na pointed to the tablet on her desk and showed the ‘Grip’ app screen.
“Live on Grip goes beyond a sales tool, and is a way to form and strengthen relationships between sellers and customers through real-time communication. And in this relationship, ‘discovery’ plays an important role. It’s not simply about buying products you already know, but discovering products you didn’t know about through creators, and in the process, an experience is created where trust and taste are connected.”
CEO Kim Hanna explained, “Ultimately, live commerce is moving towards ‘creator-centered commerce,’ where both ‘relational’ and ‘discovery’ commerce elements are operating together.”
“Even in the midst of a crisis across the industry, the creator economy is growing rapidly, and the need for monetization through sales beyond advertising or PPL is also growing. The influencer market will grow even larger.”
The figures presented were strong evidence.
“The average repurchase rate of my popular sellers is over 50%. This means that more than half of our customers are converting into regular customers.”
He explained, “Customers’ average monthly purchase amount is 500,000 won, so loyalty is high, and the return rate is less than 1%,” and “The return rate is significantly lower than other commerce platforms.” CEO Kim Hanna continued, “These indicators are the results of ‘relationship-based commerce’ that goes beyond simple transactions.”
“At Grip, customers don’t just view live broadcasts as a shopping channel. They consume them as content by communicating with sellers, immersing themselves in stories, and building trust. This kind of fandom-based bonding creates a structure that leads to repeat purchases and long-term customers.”
Building a commerce creator platform
“Grip does not limit its platform to ‘live commerce’ but aims to evolve into a ‘commerce creator platform’.”
He clearly defined the concept of a 'commerce creator'. "A commerce creator refers to 'a person who builds trust with fans based on their own taste and content.' On Grip, commerce creators called 'grippers' are active, and we are expanding our position as a platform that supports their growth."
When asked about specific support measures, he explained them in three axes. “First, we support solutions that allow commerce creators to easily curate products. This allows creators to sell products on Grip and generate revenue even if they don’t own the products.”
He said, “Grip is currently operating ‘Grip One,’ a matching solution that connects live commerce creators and brands, and we are in the process of upgrading it,” and explained, “We plan to develop it into a form where sellers can find the items they want by making suggestions through an AI product matching algorithm, and Grip can assist in sourcing the products.”
The second is content creation support. “If you have planned a product, we provide advanced formats and tools necessary for the production process to turn it into content. Previously, we provided functions such as flash product registration, first-come-first-served sales, lotteries, and auctions optimized for live content creation and sales, and sellers are utilizing these functions more than 70% and are creating high purchase conversions.”
CEO Kim Hanna also said, "We are providing various devices so that customers can easily discover content and naturally connect with sellers." "One such feature is the function that automatically edits highlights after a live broadcast ends and provides them in the form of shorts. Through this function, customers can access content briefly and intuitively, and sellers can expand their contact with their fan base."
The third is strengthening the fandom. “As part of strengthening the creator fandom, we are also strengthening the fan management function,” he said, explaining the special culture of Grip users. According to him, Grip consumers do not simply use it for the purpose of purchasing a specific product, but rather, they choose creators who match their tastes, watch content, purchase products, and create a fandom culture beyond regulars.
“As the role of these fans becomes more important, we are developing CRM programs such as community, fan gift, and manager functions. We are also developing new fan 
“We are also in the process of improving our creator-fan matching algorithm to ensure that we can secure this.”
When asked about expanding content outside of live, CEO Kim Han-na provided a clear direction. “We are expanding the form of content. So that any commerce creator with various capabilities can be active on the platform. We are expanding tools that support the production and publication of shorts and image content in addition to live, and we are also increasing the diversity of content.”
He emphasized Grip’s unique point of differentiation once again. “While existing content platforms focused on specific types of content and stopped at accumulating data centered on viewing and staying, Grip has the strength of being able to link various types of content centered on creators and quickly collect purchase conversion data.”
Finally, he revealed the ultimate vision of the service. “If the commerce market has focused on product price and delivery speed competition so far, in the future, the success or failure of the market will be determined by how well product suggestions and recommendations, loyalty, and trustworthy relationships are provided within the platform. We are redefining ourselves as a ‘commerce creator platform’ and creating an ecosystem amidst these market changes.”
He concluded by quoting the company’s vision statement. “Our vision statement is ‘Everyone can sell.’ We are working to create a platform where anyone can easily create content, acquire customers, and sell products to generate revenue.”
In the midst of the storm of the live commerce market, what Grip has chosen is not 'escape' but 'evolution'. It is up to the market to answer whether the new course of 'commerce creator platform' drawn by CEO Kim Hanna will be successful.
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