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With the highest average Internet connection speeds globally, South Korea is a breeding ground for innovative online-to-offline startups

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South Koreans are obsessed with their smartphones and the nation has the best food delivery service in the world. This set the perfect backdrop for Baedal Minjeok to become a dominant force in the food delivery market, delivering a complete range of the nation’s favorite food, with just a few clicks. The company raised US$36 million at the end of 2014 and has used the funding to expand their business into new verticals such as fresh groceries and high end food delivery.

Beyond Baedal Minjeok and it’s closest rival, Yogiyo, a large number of Korean startups in other industries now offer a range of traditional offline services via mobile apps and online platforms. Services range from real-estate to fashion, food to commerce, and many more.

We’ve highlighted four burgeoning O2O Startups to look out for in Korea this year.

1. Parkhere

When you live in a densely populated city like Seoul, parking can be a frustrating experience, driving in endless circles trying to find a spot to squeeze into. With the aim of solving inner-city parking woes, Parkhere has developed a mobile service that helps drivers quickly locate available parking spaces with a few taps.

Available in both the App Store and Google Play Store, Parkhere locates parking spaces and provides information such as pricing and the number of available spots. Just tap in the location where you would like to park and the app will pinpoint every parking spot in the area. The app also has a service where you can reserve certain parking spaces. Beyond these functionalities, Parkhere also offers in-app payments, saving drivers time and further improving the convenience of parking.

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Parkhere recently removed the need to sign up or log in to the service. According to a company spokesperson, Parkhere got rid of the sign-up process to make sure that their customers experience the most convenient parking experience, without having to worry about their personal data being shared with third parties.

In 2015, Parkhere raised around US$ $1.5 million from its series B round and by the end of the same year, Parkhere claims it experienced 100,000 downloads, over 30,000 active users monthly. and a 435 per cent increase in revenue compared to 2014.

2. Good Choice (여기어때)

Produced by WithWeb, Good Choice is an O2O service that provides lists of accommodation, such as hotels or motels, categorized by region. The service offers ratings and reviews by other users, as well as special discounts. With a simple user interface, optimised for mobile use, you can reserve a place for a romantic getaway or a hip party for your friends.

The Location Based Service (LBS) boasts the largest database of any similar accommodation company in Korea and has achieved a number one ranking locally in the accommodation app category. Bolstered by strong security systems the company was recently awarded an “ePrivacy” certification under which the protection of all user’s private information is guaranteed. The app is available in both the App store and Google Play.

3. ZigBang

Finding a decent place to live in Seoul can be enough to give anyone a headache. There are real estate agencies on every street in the city, but they are not connected to a central database and prices vary depending on which agent you speak with. In fact, in one of the world’s most wired capitals, until recently online services for finding permanent accommodation were simply not available.

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Addressing this issue, ZigBang is a platform which links real estate agents with potential customers so you don’t waste time trawling agencies to find your next dream house. The platform offers information about available rooms from pricing to location. Currently, it holds data on 70 per cent of the real estate market in Seoul.

In 2016 the company has plans to launch “ZigBangCar” to provide safe rides to all customers visiting accommodation listed on the service. ZigBang is available on both Google Play and the App store.

4. Plugger

Despite incredibly technology advances that have brought us electronic prosthetics and self driving cars, dead car battery issues remain unresolved. While Plugger hasn’t solved the issue of batteries running dry, they have helped their customers stay fully charged by helping them locate the nearest place to charge their portable electronic gadgets.

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The database of charging stations currently counts 30,000 locations in various cities across Korea. Charging stations include coffee shops, restaurants, and even subway stations. Users can leave reviews of charging stations that are available for anyone to view. Plugger also allows customers to send messages to friends on social media alerting them of remaining battery life (if they are kind enough to share).

It raised US$100,000 from 500 Startups. The company aims to expand beyond Korea, to Tokyo, Shanghai and New York later this year.

The post 4 cool O2O startups to watch in Korea appeared first on e27.

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