"A Familiar Route Over the Fastest One"... 66% Reused Kakao Navi's "Frequently Traveled Routes"

Kakao Navi's newly introduced "Frequently Traveled Routes" option has received a strong response from users. The feature guides drivers along familiar routes rather than prioritizing the fastest route, which has helped make driving more convenient.

According to Kakao Mobility on October 28, 65.8% of drivers who used a personalized route for the first time used the feature again within a week. The repeat-use rate reached 76% among drivers who first took a personalized route on weekdays, when commuting demand is high.

Kakao Navi logo. Kakao Mobility

In September, Kakao Mobility redesigned the Kakao Navi app to display "Frequently Traveled Routes" at the top of route search results. The change reflects the company's recognition that drivers are more likely to use their preferred routes when traveling to familiar destinations. Earlier, in December 2023, Kakao Mobility introduced personalized navigation services based on driving records, including previously traveled routes and frequently traveled routes.

Kakao Mobility said the high repeat-use rate for commutes along the same stretches every day shows that Frequently Traveled Routes reflect drivers' habits and preferences. Taking note of this change, Kakao Navi placed personalized routes at the forefront of its navigation service.

User response to personalized routes has also been strong since the redesign. During the approximately 2.5 weeks after the routes were moved to the top of search results, the number of users of personalized routes, including Frequently Traveled Routes, nearly doubled compared with before the redesign. About half of them were new users.

Indicators of driving quality also improved. As of mid-October, the share of drivers who selected a personalized route on Kakao Navi and completed their trip without deviating from it was up 3.8 percentage points from mid-July.

A Kakao Mobility official said, "For drivers, the best route is not necessarily the fastest one, but one they can trust and follow. We will continue to enhance our personalized navigation service, optimized for everyday driving, by combining individual drivers' driving data with real-time traffic information."

The Frequently Traveled Routes option in Kakao Navi's route search settings. Kakao Mobility

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.