tech

Rakuten to launch online supermarket platform

4 Comments

Rakuten Group will launch Rakuten Zenkoku Super, an online supermarket platform later this year. As a first step, Rakuten reached an agreement with Beisia which will see the supermarket chain join the new platform. Based in Gunma Prefecture, Beisia operates 138 stores in Tokyo and 14 additional prefectures across Japan (as of the end of July 2021).

With this platform, Rakuten provides a system for operating online supermarkets — including order management and online payments — to supermarket operators across Japan, leveraging the expertise gained through running Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper, which it operates together with Seiyu GK.

Rakuten said it will also provide a one-stop shop for retailers offering everything from customer acquisition and marketing support to consultation services for delivery operation setup. This allows participating businesses to reduce initial costs in the early stages of establishing their online presence and speed up the launch of their online supermarket.

Rakuten Zenkoku Super also aims to provide new levels of convenience to shoppers. Customers will be able to search for online supermarkets that deliver to their area simply by entering their postal code into the platform. By logging in with their Rakuten ID at checkout, customers can enjoy a smooth shopping experience because their registered address and credit card details are stored and automatically retrieved. Customers are also able to earn and use Rakuten Points on the new platform.

As consumers and businesses alike adapt to the new normal, demand for online supermarket shopping continues to soar. From January through March 2021, Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper sales grew by 29.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, and sales from April through June continued to grow, with a 28.4% year-on-year increase for that period. While supermarkets are increasingly eager to offer customers an online option, many lack the expertise required to operate an online business, and face the costs associated with infrastructure development. Through the new Rakuten Zenkoku Super platform, Rakuten will support and facilitate businesses entering the online supermarket space.

Source: Rakuten

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4 Comments
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Rakuten just waits and watches what AMAZON does. Then if they can, they just copy it!

That is their business plan.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Bring it on! Amazon doing it in central Tokyo only and haven't bothered to expand. Would love to be able to buy groceries online. Can't stand supermarkets, even more so during the pandemic.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Doesn’t sound so new. There were or are plenty of similar stores already, including Seiyu directly if I remember. Sounds more like Rakuten only cooperating or giving a better known brand to them. Seems to become more expensive with that deal, because now both want to make some money, the people behind Seiyu and of Rakuten additionally.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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