Wadizで注目を集めているカテゴリー：電子書籍・オンライン講座
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Which category do Wadiz supporters open their wallets widest for? Physical-product categories like Tech & Electronics might come to mind first. But the data points somewhere else. E-books & Online Classes --- a category with no shipping, no inventory, no physical product at all --- has a higher average pledge per supporter than Tech & Electronics, a category with nearly ten times as many supporters.
How is that possible? This article walks through three things: where Korea's e-book and online class consumption stands today, what this shift actually looks like inside Wadiz's own data, and which real projects are proving the trend.
01. Where Does Korea's E-book & Online Class Market Stand Today?
Start with the headline number. According to Korea's 2025 National Reading Survey (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the adult reading rate was 38.5% --- the lowest since the survey began in 1994. More than 6 in 10 Korean adults did not read a single book in the past year.
But the same survey holds an exception worth noticing. Reading rates among people in their 20s actually rose slightly, and their e-book readership (59.4%) has overtaken print readership (45.1%). In other words, the total number of "readers" is shrinking --- but the share reading digitally, and reading young, is expanding.
Put together, this points to a structural shift: the overall reading population is contracting, while the digitally-native, higher-spending younger segment within it is growing in relative weight. The size of the market matters less than who is consuming and how.
This shows up in the broader market too. Korea's e-book market has been on a steady upward curve, and the online class category --- particularly around money management and career development --- is growing fast, driven largely by people in their 20s and 30s pursuing side income and self-improvement. It's less about just 'reading' now, and more about getting hands-on knowledge and skills.
02. How Does E-Books &Class Category Show Up Inside Wadiz?
Launch Volume is Surging
Start with the growth itself. Monthly new project launches in this category climbed from 24 in June 2025 to 73 in July 2026, with growth building steadily through 2026 --- monthly launches held in the 44--53 range in the first quarter before climbing to 61 in May, 71 in June, and 73 in July --- one of the steepest sustained growth curves observed in this category to date.
And it isn't just about volume. As the next section shows, average pledge per supporter has grown right alongside it.
Higher Spend per Supporter Than Physical Categories
We compared average pledge per supporter across categories with meaningful scale --- meaning at least 5,000 supporters over the past 12 months, to filter out small, thin categories.
E-books & Online Classes has no shipping and no inventory, yet it ranks first in average pledge per supporter --- even ahead of Tech & Electronics, a category with nearly ten times the supporter volume. That runs counter to the common assumption that intangible content is a low-involvement, low-price purchase.
| Rank | Category | Supporters (past 12mo) | Avg. Pledge / Supporter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E-books & Online Classes | 34,611 | KRW 260,121 |
| 2 | Art | 9,634 | KRW 179,999 |
| 3 | Travel | 17,298 | KRW 178,997 |
| 4 | Games | 10,645 | KRW 172,716 |
| 5 | Fashion | 115,084 | KRW 147,473 |
High Retention, Higher Platform Engagement
Among the 25,704 people who supported an E-books & Online Classes project in the past year, 3,712 (14.4%) supported two or more projects within the same category. A single positive experience tends to lead to a repeat purchase --- a pattern distinct from repeat purchasing in physical categories (buying a different product from the same brand). In this category, the behavior resembles creator fandom or series-based engagement rather than typical retail shopping.
Moreover, these supporters are active across the entire Wadiz platform. They overlap significantly with Wadiz's most engaged core users. Rather than serving as an acquisition channel for entirely new users, this category expands the spending envelope of supporters who already trust and use Wadiz regularly. It functions less as an entry point and more as an expansion channel --- allowing existing Wadiz buyers to seamlessly extend their spending into self-development.
03. Which Projects Are Proving This Trend?
Gina English - "Escape Beginner Level"
Gina English's new English course launched with a minimum goal of KRW 500,000 and raised KRW 387.81 million, reaching a 77,561% funding rate. Positioned around "an overwhelming new curriculum even total beginners can follow," it drew 1,521 supporters in just 22 days --- the highest achievement rate among the projects covered in this piece.
The fact that language-learning content gets validated again and again, even with brand-new courses each time, shows that the underlying goal --- learning --- creates steady recurring demand on its own. Its average pledge per supporter, about KRW 255,000, was also among the highest of these cases. It represents the most stable, foundational project type within this category.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Key Reward | Beginner-focused English curriculum |
| Supporters | 1,521 |
| Amount Raised | KRW 387.81 million |
| Avg. Pledge / Supporter | ~KRW 255,000 |
Blolism - "AI Automation System Refined over 4 Years"
Blolism's project offers a system that automates blog, thread, and e-book content creation. Starting from a KRW 500,000 goal, it raised KRW 182.49 million --- a 36,498% funding rate with 1,610 supporters.
What makes this project notable is its timing. Korea's 2026 side-hustle trend has converged around "AI-tool-first, solo-operable structures," and this project landed exactly there. That a brand-new project reached top-tier funding rates shows how quickly AI-and-side-hustle content is taking hold in this category.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Key Reward | AI automation system for blog/thread/e-book creation |
| Supporters | 1,610 |
| Amount Raised | KRW 182.49 million |
| Avg. Pledge / Supporter | ~KRW 113,000 |
Arcplot - "Korea Violent Crime Case Law Archive"
Maker Arcplot launched this ambitious archive with a KRW 500,000 goal and went on to raise KRW 93.00 million with 1,110 supporters in just 13 days. The project curated verdicts from 8,000 violent crime cases (1951--2006), detailing the full journey from investigation to final verdict. It was offered in three tiers: PDF-only, physical print, and a combined bundle.
Rather than treating the PDF as a cheap add-on, a significant portion of supporters opted for pure digital access. This shows that a digital edition serves as a genuine, stand-alone alternative to a physical book. Even in categories where collectibles traditionally dominate, there is strong demand for a no-shipping, instant-access format---especially for users who prioritize searching, quoting, and referencing over bookshelf display.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Key Reward | PDF case law archive: 8,000 violent crime cases (1951--2006), from case overview to verdict |
| Supporters | 1,110 |
| Amount Raised | KRW 93.00 million |
| Avg. Pledge / Supporter | ~KRW 83,800 |
Key Takeaways for Global Makers
If you're a global maker weighing what to launch next, the takeaway is simple: don't overlook a project built around an intangible reward --- something a supporter can access the moment they pledge, with no shipping and no cross-border logistics to plan around --- because this is one of the fastest-growing, highest-spending categories on Wadiz right now, and knowing that ahead of time is exactly the kind of preparation that helps a launch land well.
The catch is that the audience is Korean, so the language gap is something to solve for from day one --- whether that means localizing your material or bringing on a Korean-speaking collaborator.
Curious which projects are shaping this trend? Explore them directly in "The Bookmarks" collection on Wadiz.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. How long does it typically take from project launch to final settlement?
A. From main Funding launch to final settlement, you should generally expect about 1.5--2 months, depending on your exact campaign length and shipping schedule.
Key pieces from the official guides:
- Recommended Funding duration is typically 15--20 days (minimum 7 days, up to around 25 days depending on Reward type).
- After Funding ends, settlement happens after payments are processed and fees are deducted; the specific date depends on your project's end date and the standard settlement schedule.
Because actual settlement timing is tied to your exact campaign end date, please use the official calculator to see the precise expected date for your case.
Q. Do global makers follow the same settlement fee policy as Korean makers?
A. Global makers follow the same basic fee structure concept, but the settlement processing details differ from Korean (domestic) makers.
Payment settlement processing fee:
- Korean makers: 3% payment gateway fee + 99,000 KRW basic service fee (excl. VAT).
- Makers outside Korea: 4% payment gateway fee + 99 USD basic service fee.
If a project does not reach its Funding goal, all platform and settlement fees are fully waived (all-or-nothing model) for both domestic and global makers.
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