For those interested in alternative e-commerce strategies which specifically target repeat customers, Rakuten would be a good case study. The Japanese conglomerate has declared war on the online “vending machines” and wants to compete with a model centered around fun e-commerce.
To put a name behind the concept, Rakuten has coined the term “Happy Commerce” this week at their annual press conference:
Rakuten was represented at last September's K5 Conference and gave further insights into their e-commerce philosophy.
Rakuten has already converted both their US operations (Buy.com) and their UK arm (Play.com) from a first party sales model to a marketplace model.
With $805 million in revenues, Buy.com took 36th place on the Internet Retailer's Top 500. Rakuten had paid $250 million to acquire it in 2010. At the time, Buy.com was already on its way to a marketplace model.
In December, Rakuten renamed Freecause to “Rakuten Loyalty”. And last September, Rakuten's affiliate network Linkshare acquired the display ad and retargeting company mediaFORGE.
Most recently, Rakuten has invested in Pinterest, Ahalife and the Daily Grommet. On the other hand, nothing has become of Vaniti, the marketplace for designer labels that was announced in the summertime.
Rakuten has launched its first German Rakuten Super Sale on February 17th which will last 28 hours.
Related posts:
- Rakuten Elaborates On It’s “Rakuten Super Logistics” Strategy
- Daily Grommet and the Feminine Take on Live Shopping
- Rakuten: “Buy from people, not the internet”
- Pinterest Raises $100 Million From Investment Group Led by Rakuten
- How Rakuten Wants To Push Tradoria Ahead With Buy.com
- Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani in DLD Video Interview
Originally posted in German by Jochen Krisch, adapted for excitingcommerce.com by Jason Soo.
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