Quantitative data analysis of 'Live Class,' Korea's largest knowledge commerce builder.
– Notable increase in class repurchase rate… Increase in content that actually helps.
The "full-funnel strategy" that drove 50% growth in the adult education market is drawing attention.
– Provides step-by-step creator development guides available only through live classes.
In the first half of 2025, the adult education market is rapidly reorganizing into a fandom-based D2C ecosystem.
Knowledge commerce builder LiveClass and payment infrastructure company Toss Payments jointly published the "2025 Education Business Trend Report: Changes and Opportunities in the Creator Economy," revealing insights based on changes in the creator-centric education market and enrollment and payment data. The report is available for free download from the Toss Payments feed.
This report analyzes the growth of the adult education market, content consumption patterns, and monetization strategies based on actual course enrollment and payment data from approximately 100 educational industries, collected by LiveClass and Toss Payments, the largest providers of payment data for domestic knowledge commerce. Compared to the previous year, transaction volume in the adult education and hobby industries grew by a staggering 50%, demonstrating a significant shift in the creator-centric D2C (Direct to Consumer) business structure.
In the first half of 2025, total transactions related to adult education increased by 17% year-on-year. In particular, practical, online and offline adult education and hobby businesses, excluding certifications, recorded a 50% growth rate. Even in February, considered a seasonal off-season, the sector recorded a 54% growth rate, confirming that seasonality in learning demand is gradually becoming irrelevant.
By category, the proportion of course enrollment was as follows: ▲Work (69.4%), ▲Study (13.6%), and ▲Money (10.7%). While work-focused content remains the market's mainstay, the emotional and lifestyle categories showed rapid growth, recording year-over-year transaction volume growth of 499% and 221%, respectively. Conversely, the exercise and health category was the only category to experience negative growth, highlighting limitations in entry barriers and content sustainability.
Most notably, the proportion of repeat purchasers among all course participants in 2025 is expected to reach 30%, a year-on-year increase. This demonstrates a shift from one-time consumption of course content to high-engagement and repetitive learning based on a loyal customer base. Demand for truly helpful content is increasing, making demand forecasting and timing-focused planning increasingly crucial.
This report also analyzed the shift in the creator ecosystem, which is shifting away from marketplace-based distribution models and toward fandom-driven D2C knowledge businesses. Moving beyond the traditional reliance on advertising and platform exposure, a "full-funnel strategy"—from subscriber acquisition to lead conversion to paid purchases and review verification—is becoming increasingly important. Indeed, numerous examples were presented of companies achieving conversion rates more than double the average through progress-based message automation, free content reminders, and timely discount offers.
In a situation where subscriber numbers alone aren't enough to achieve results, LiveClass has implemented the entire process from attracting users to building relationships and converting users into buyers as its core functionality. Through customized consulting services and support programs like "Rocket Launch," LiveClass helps creators evolve into business models centered on educational content and the learning experience. Even for individual creators lacking technical infrastructure, LiveClass provides customer development guidance, including a tool that allows them to "create a lecture website in one minute and integrate payment processing."
This report is available for free download by anyone from the Toss Payments feed.
Future School CEO Shin Cheol-heon said, “Nowadays, anyone can create content, but it is difficult to generate sustainable profits with content alone.” He added, “This report will serve as a quantitative benchmark that shows how actual demand and strategies are changing in the adult education market.”
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