What Danawa does

Danawa (다나와) is South Korea's leading online price comparison and shopping platform, operated by Connectwave Co., Ltd. (주식회사 커넥트웨이브) and headquartered in Seoul's Geumcheon-gu. Founded in 2000 under CEO Kim Jeong-nam, the company aggregates real-time product listings, prices, reviews, and configuration tools across more than ten consumer categories including electronics, home appliances, automobiles, furniture, food, fashion, and lifestyle goods. The platform serves both individual Korean consumers seeking the lowest prices and reliable product information, as well as third-party vendors and brand advertisers seeking access to a large, purchase-intent audience.

The core technology stack is a price comparison engine backed by an integrated multi-vendor marketplace (샵다나와), a real-time PC assembly tool (PC견적), an active community (DPG), and a specialized automotive portal (다나와 자동차). Danawa pulls product data from dozens of major Korean e-commerce malls such as Gmarket, Coupang, 11번가, Auction, LG전자, HiMart, 롯데ON, SSG, CJ온스타일, GSSHOP, Hmall, SK스토어, and 홈플러스, and monetizes through vendor advertising placements, monthly marketplace listing fees, transaction commissions on in-platform purchases backed by escrow, and referral fees from partner platforms. Channel coverage is fully digital, combining the danawa.com web platform with iOS/Android mobile apps and a network of sub-brands including Brandlog, 중고마켓, 중고매입, Danawa AS, and PC26.

The platform monetizes primarily on the B2B vendor/advertiser side via monthly subscription fees keyed to product listings, sponsored placements, and promotional campaigns, while keeping consumer access free. Distribution is driven by SEO-led organic discovery, content marketing through the DPG newsroom, video channels (다나와 2TV, 다나와 공식채널, 샵다나와, 노리다), gamified community features (Ranking 100, points, 메인 가자), and Korean identity/payment partnerships with Naver, Kakao, Samsung Pay, KB Pay, NH Pay, and LPay. In 2023, Danawa extended its automotive vertical through the acquisition of PLAYAUTO, reinforcing a multi-product strategy around price-led discovery and commerce enablement in the domestic Korean market.

Name

Danawa

Legal name

주식회사 커넥트웨이브

Website

https://danawa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Danawa is South Korea's largest online price comparison and shopping platform, serving Korean consumers with real-time price comparisons, reviews, and PC configuration tools across electronics, automotive, and lifestyle categories, monetizing through vendor advertising, marketplace fees, and transaction commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Price Comparison Platform

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (45999), Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449)

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Variety Stores (5331)

akta.pro primary industry

Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms (BPAMAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comparison Shopping & Price Discovery Portals (BPAMAAAJ), Price Comparison/Aggregator Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAI)

Keywords

• Price comparison platform
• Online shopping aggregator
• E-commerce marketplace
• Consumer electronics retail
• Digital advertising services

Headquarters

HQ city

Yongdungpo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising Services (광고): Vendors pay for advertising placements and featured product placements on the Danawa platform. This includes banner ads, category sponsorships, and promotional placements.
2. Vendor Marketplace Fees (판매점 이용요금): Third-party sellers (업체회원) pay service fees for listing products on the price comparison marketplace. Fees are based on product count and listing duration.
3. E-commerce Transaction Commission (커머스): When users purchase products through the integrated shop services (샵다나와), Danawa earns commissions on sales. Escrow payment services (에스크로) facilitate safe transactions.
4. Affiliate/Referral Revenue: Traffic referral fees from linked partner shopping malls (지마켓, 쿠팡, 11번가, 옥션, etc.) when users click through to make purchases on partner platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Danawa operates South Korea's largest horizontal price comparison platform that aggregates product listings, specifications, and pricing from hundreds of online retailers across consumer electronics, computers, home appliances, automotive, home goods, food, fashion, and lifestyle categories. It complements price comparison with the Shop Danawa multi-vendor marketplace for custom PCs and components, the Danawa Auto portal for new and used vehicle listings and estimates, and the DPG community platform for reviews, news, and video content. The platform monetizes via advertising, vendor listing fees, marketplace commissions, and affiliate referral revenue.

Product overview

Danawa operates Korea's largest price comparison and shopping platform that aggregates product information and pricing from multiple e-commerce partners. The core offering is the 다나와 가격비교 (Danawa Price Comparison) service, which enables users to compare prices across hundreds of online shopping sites. The platform ecosystem includes several integrated services: 샵다나와 (Shop Danawa) for custom-built PCs and PC components, 브랜드로그 (Brand Log) for brand content, 중고마켓 (Used Market) for second-hand goods, 동영상 (Video) for product videos and reviews, 중고매입 (Used Purchase) for selling used electronics, 다나와AS (Danawa AS) for after-sales service, PC26 for PC community and reviews, 장터 (Marketplace) for classifieds, and a mobile app for on-the-go price comparison and shopping. The platform also features AI-powered PC shopping guidance through 샵다나와 AI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Danawa Price Comparison (다나와 가격비교) Korea's leading price comparison platform aggregating product listings and pricing from hundreds of e-commerce sites across electronics, computers, home appliances, automotive, home goods, food, fashion, and lifestyle categories. Built for individual Korean consumers seeking the lowest prices and product information.
• Shop Danawa (샵다나와) Multi-vendor marketplace for custom PC assembly and components with real-time pricing across multiple sellers, virtual PC estimation, and escrow-protected transactions. Built for Korean consumers building or upgrading PCs.
• Danawa Auto (다나와 자동차) Automotive portal providing new car estimates, vehicle evaluations, used car listings, automotive news, and an automotive community. Built for Korean consumers researching and purchasing vehicles.
• DPG Community Platform (다나와 플레이 그라운드) Community platform featuring news, product reviews, video content, benchmarks, forums, and user-generated content across electronics, automotive, gaming, and lifestyle categories. Built for Korean consumers researching products before purchase.
• Used Market (중고마켓) Second-hand goods marketplace for buying and selling used electronics, computers, and gadgets within the Danawa ecosystem. Built for Korean consumers buying or selling used tech products.
• Danawa Mobile App (다나와 모바일 앱) Mobile application providing price comparison, marketplace access, PC estimates, and automotive services on iOS and Android devices. Built for Korean consumers needing mobile access to Danawa services.
• Danawa Special Sale Mall (다나와 특가몰) Discount and deal-focused product sales section featuring discounted electronics and computer components with user reviews. Built for Korean consumers seeking promotional deals.
• Brand Log (브랜드로그) Brand content platform featuring product reviews, news, and branded content from various manufacturers and sellers. Built for Korean consumers researching branded products and for brands seeking content distribution.
• Danawa AS (다나와AS) After-sales service support and assistance for products purchased through the Danawa platform. Built for Korean consumers needing post-purchase support for products bought via Danawa.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 에누리 (Enuri)minorOthersRelated brand link in Danawa's top navigation menu. Enuri is also a Korean price comparison platform operated by the same parent company (주)커넥트웨이브. Listed as a related service alongside 몰테일 and 플레이오토.
• Associated Shopping Malls (30+ Korean e-commerce platforms)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDanawa integrates product listings and prices from dozens of major Korean e-commerce platforms including 지마켓, 쿠팡, 11번가, 옥션, LG전자, 하이마트, 전자랜드, SSG, CJ온스타일, GSSHOP, 롯데ON, Hmall, 이마트몰, SK스토아, 더현대닷컴, 롯데백화점, 신세계몰, 홈플러스, and more. Users are referred to these platforms for purchase completion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kakaku.com: Japan's largest price comparison platform covering electronics, PCs, automobiles, and lifestyle categories. Closest international analog: similar horizontal comparison model, vendor advertising fees, PC-configurator, and integrated community/reviews. Public, providing direct valuation reference points.
• Enuri (에누리): Direct Korean price comparison competitor operated by the same parent company (Connectwave). Same product category coverage, similar vendor advertising model, and shared corporate parent — making it both a direct competitor and sister brand under common ownership.
• PriceRunner: Long-running independent price comparison platform (Europe, Sweden-founded) covering electronics, home, and general merchandise. Closest Western analog in terms of horizontal comparison focus and multi-category vendor advertising model.
• Kelkoo: European price comparison platform owned by Kelkoo Group, serving multiple European markets with product-level comparison across electronics, fashion, and home. Comparable horizontal comparison + affiliate/marketplace business model to Danawa.
• Twenga: European price comparison and shopping platform operating in multiple European markets. Similar aggregation model across dozens of categories with merchant-funded CPC and affiliate fees.
• NexTag: US price comparison site covering electronics, apparel, home, and general merchandise via merchant feeds. Historic comparator for horizontal comparison marketplaces with similar CPC/affiliate monetization.
• Idealo: European (Germany-origin) price comparison platform with strong consumer brand, product-catalog breadth, and partner retailer integration. Closest analog in terms of independent, multi-category comparison consumer brand.

Regional players

• Naver Shopping: Major Korean comparison/shopping platform embedded within Naver's search and super-app ecosystem. Competes for the same Korean purchase-intent audience and serves as both a partner (Naver Shopping Mall listings on Danawa) and an indirect substitute if integrated comparison features in Naver Search become equivalent.

Broad incumbents

• Shopping.com (eBay): US-origin price comparison platform acquired by eBay. Earlier-stage analog of comparison commerce that demonstrated exit value; broader incumbent under eBay's portfolio, less specialized than Danawa.
• Google Shopping: Global comparison-shopping experience built into the world's largest search engine. Competes broadly with horizontal comparison players including Danawa; not price-comparison-only, but increasingly relevant as AI Overviews surface direct product comparisons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Danawa