WEBTOON Updates Their UI. Again.
And a bonus prediction: they're going to change it again.
And we’re back again with another UI update at WEBTOON, this time the addition of a hero banner or, as WEBTOON is calling it, a home banner.
The placement is similar to most other platforms, but WEBTOON added functionality allowing users to either read the first episode or immediately subscribe from the banner.
And unlike other platforms, WEBTOON only has one banner. There’s no swiping to see other webtoon recommendations nor are they promoting events or sales (yet).
It’s an interesting change that essentially undoes last’s UI changed which I covered in my post WEBTOON Gets a Facelift. But for those of you who didn’t get a chance to read it or would like the abridged version, let’s jump in.
It’s a Numbers Game, or It Was Anyway
WEBTOON’s last update removed the pre-existing home banner slots and replaced it with a massive grid system that featured Trending Titles, Popular Titles (by category), New Realeases and the Daily Schedule.
Basically, WEBTOON went from exposing 6 to 10 titles on the front page up to a max of 15 (on web).
The reasoning is simple: more webtoons being shown means a better chance of readers clicking something. It’s a practical concept in theory, but in practice no other Korean platform (at home or abroad) puts into practice because every platform uses some sort of hero banner to welcome and direct their readers.
And now, so does WEBTOON.
Before we get too far into this post, I do want to say that WEBTOON’s current UI shift is probably the best one I’ve seen. Lezhin’s own UI has taken a few steps back by introducing Rankings, Genre and Event icons in addition to their menu bar underneath the hero banner. The same goes for Tappytoon who stuck a sub-hero banner underneath their main banner which isn’t just redundant, it removes the recently read titles out of the first screen.
Also… anyone else notice how similar the Tapas and WEBTOON banners are?
Wait, So… Why Change It Again?
It’s important to remember two things: (1) before WEBTOON’s facelift last year they went years before changing their front page UI and (2) Naver Webtoon's UI hasn’t changed in years.
There are multiple reasons to add a home banner: to decrease the bounce rate (the rate of users who leave without clicking), add a promotional slot for key titles/promotions/events, or to add a key clickable banner powered by their in-house AI recommendation system.
My theory is simple.
It’s all three. And, more importantly, the previous page wasn’t working.
More than anything else, the previous iteration was a copy-paste of the Korean Naver Webtoon front page. In addition to being the biggest webtoon/manga/comic platform in Korea, Naver has the advantage of one key element that allows their platform to thrive: a mature audience base.
Last year, when WEBTOON made their UI change, I made one important observation.
WEBTOON is betting that the overseas webtoon market has matured since the closure of Piccoma Europe as well as other ventures that sought to copy-paste East Asian content strategies in western markets. Or they’re betting that their specific strategy is applicable outside of their homecourt.
And based on what WEBTOON reported in Q3 and the drop in revenue expected for Q4, I think we’ve all realized that the international webtoon market is many things, but mature isn’t one of them.
In For a Penny When It Needs a Pound
The current WEBTOON front page (at least on app) features one massive home banner with three full covers (including tags) for three recommended titles underneath it.
It’s not enough.
I’ve been using WEBTOON longer than I can remember and I can honestly say the recommendations thus far have been disappointing considering the long history app use, webtoons read and webtoons dropped that big green has about me.
More than likely, we’re going to see a rearrangement of the inventories under the banner (new releases, recent reads, rankings, etc) not to mention the addition of swiping across to see more banners on the home banner.
You know, just like everyone else.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the webtoon industry is beginning to shift in terms of how webtoons titles are licensed and how platforms operate.
The Korean webtoon market is in an unmistable decline while the Japanese market is now in full competition with manga. And while Korean webtoons are by far dominant in the Japanese webtoon market, there isn’t as much confidence that Korean webtoons can compete against Japanese manga in the Japanese market.
And that isn’t even considering that the market outside of Asia is undergoing monumental shifts that affect the content industry as a whole.
This should be fun.