business

Rakuten and Walmart open first Walmart e-commerce store in Japan

7 Comments

Rakuten Inc and Walmart Inc officially opened the first Walmart e-commerce store in Japan, the Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store, on the Rakuten Ichiba internet shopping mall. The flagship store combines Walmart’s international expertise in delivering high-quality U.S. brand products at great prices and Rakuten’s strengths in online commerce to bring exciting new shopping experiences to Japanese consumers.

 The digital Walmart store offers Japanese consumers access to a wide variety of high-quality U.S. branded products, including fashion apparel, outdoor goods and toys. The store will initially offer approximately 1,200 products from a diverse range of prestigious brands. Orders will be fulfilled in the U.S. and air freighted directly to Japanese customers, with a no surprises policy that includes shipping, duties and taxes in the product price.

Walmart said it plans to continue expanding its product range and adding new product categories from its international assortment to the Rakuten Ichiba store to meet customer needs. Walmart’s Japanese subsidiary Seiyu GK will provide customer support for the store, leveraging its years of experience serving local Japanese consumers.

 “We are very excited to be working with Walmart to bring a diverse product lineup of American brands at affordable prices to Rakuten Ichiba users in Japan,” commented Shunsuke Yazawa, executive officer and vice president of the marketplace business at Rakuten, Inc. “Through the opening of the Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store, we hope to make Rakuten Ichiba an even more attractive destination for online shoppers in Japan.”

 “Walmart is committed to providing a trusted retail experience in Japan and we are always looking for new ways to better serve consumers here as their lifestyles and needs change,” said Nathan Kring, Senior Vice President, Walmart International. “Through Seiyu, we have an in-depth understanding of this fast-changing market. The carefully curated assortment being offered on our flagship store reflects this insight and our ongoing dedication to Japanese shoppers.”

The digital Walmart store on Rakuten Ichiba is part of a strategic alliance between Walmart and Rakuten announced in January this year. The two companies are leveraging their unique strengths and assets to expand consumer reach and enhance the way customers are served in Japan and the U.S.

In October, Rakuten and Seiyu jointly officially opened the Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper. This new online grocery delivery service leverages Seiyu’s extensive experience in the local fresh food and grocery segments to bring greater convenience to Rakuten’s roughly 99 million-strong membership base.

In addition, Walmart eBooks by Rakuten Kobo was launched in August of this year to give Walmart customers in the U.S. access to a comprehensive catalog of more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks, as well as the Kobo eReader and a co-branded free reading app for iOS and Android devices.

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7 Comments
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Just checked out the site and the prices are sky high! Stuff that you could probably get at Walmart for about half the price is being peddled on the Rakuten site at one heck of a mark up. And it is very limited what they are offering. Can't see anybody paying those prices.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

More like Walmart's expertise in peddling cheap made in China crap.

Hardly unique to Walmart. Have you ever entered a Daiso or Ko-nan?

Rakuten Inc and Walmart Inc officially opened the first Walmart e-commerce store in Japan, the Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store, on the Rakuten Ichiba internet shopping mall. The flagship store combines Walmart’s international expertise in delivering high-quality U.S. brand products at great prices and Rakuten’s strengths in online commerce to bring exciting new shopping experiences to Japanese consumers.

Sure reads like a scripted press release. Anyway, what MarkX said, which would mean same as it ever was. Last week I was looking for a door sweep for under my antique wood front door. I went to two different home centers, including a Ko-nan Pro and the best they had was an adhesive clear plastic thing--effective but tacky. So I searched Google and see several better and affordable products available on Amazon.com, but of course when I look for the same item on Amazon.jp or Rakuten either a) they don't sell it or b) if they do, the price magically quadruples before your eyes.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Don't (or didn't) Walmart own the Seiyu supermarket chain anyway? They used to sell Asda branded products in there. Asda is a large UK supermarket chain owned by Walmart.

My experience chimes in with jcapan's. If you need something for your house, it can be cheaper to buy (a new item) through ebay and pay their international postage than buy from a Japanese site.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

These companies are just buying the product at retail prices and doubling the price or getting wholesale prices and pretending to pay retail putting the extra costs on the customer. That is why middleman businesses here suck! Usually, it is the former.

Like others have said, it is cheaper to avoid Japanese companies all together for your import needs!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Most of Walmart's stuff is made in China so I wonder how that will work out.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Walmart’s international expertise in delivering high-quality U.S. brand products

A contradiction in terms.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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