Telecom Membership Apps Expand Customer Touchpoints; LG Uplus Posts Biggest Growth

[Financial News] As the three telecom carriers expand marketing through their customer service apps, LG Uplus's U+one has seen the largest increase in users over the past year. The growth is attributed to the integration of customer service and membership functions, along with the expansion of events designed to encourage repeat visits. All three telecom apps saw common spikes in usage when customers preordered new smartphones or checked their bills early in the month.■ U+one grows 33.7% after integrating customer service and membership functionsAccording to Mobile Index on the 27th, U+one recorded an average of 498,416 daily active users (DAU) between September 13 last year and September 12 this year. That was a 33.7% increase from the average of 372,829 users during the preceding year.
U+one's growth coincided with the timing of the app's overhaul. Last October, LG Uplus launched U+one by combining the functions of its existing customer service app, Your U+ (U+), with those of its membership app. Users can now check and pay bills, access membership discounts and coupons, and purchase devices through a single app.
U+one's average monthly DAU rose from 402,048 in October last year to 454,323 in November and 505,011 in December. The upward trend continued this year, reaching 504,337 in April, 553,385 in June, and 569,357 in August. The increase is attributed to the consolidation of users who had previously been split between the customer service and membership apps, as well as the addition of benefits that encourage regular use, which raised visit frequency.
T world, operated by SK Telecom, had the highest average DAU among the customer apps of the three telecom carriers, at 774,598. KT's My KT followed with 548,330.■ Expanding customer touchpoints through new products and membership benefitsThe customer apps of all three telecom carriers saw increases in usage when new smartphones were launched, preorders opened, membership events were held, or customers checked their bills and data at the beginning of the month. However, the timing and scale of the spikes varied by app.
T world recorded its highest DAU of the past year on January 1, with 1,260,328 users. A pattern of sharply higher usage on the first day of each month was also repeated. It recorded 1,201,192 users on June 1, 1,248,891 on July 1, and 1,163,416 on August 1. My KT recorded its highest number of users on August 30, at 1,426,938. Usage also reached 1,416,683 and 1,388,814 on September 11 and 12, respectively, ahead of preorders for the iPhone 18 series. U+one recorded its highest DAU of the past year on July 28, when preorders for a new Samsung Galaxy product began, reaching 885,093 users.
The telecom industry is expanding customer apps from simple billing-check tools into comprehensive platforms that encompass device sales and membership marketing. These apps can recommend products based on subscribers' usage patterns and connect them to new-device purchases and subscriptions to additional services.
An industry official said, "Customer apps are digital communication touchpoints where telecom companies and customers meet directly. We continue to improve them so users can conveniently access not only billing and membership services but also a range of other functions in one place."
[email protected] Yoon Hong-jip Reporter