Recent Rakuten Super Sale Validates Fashion Focus for Japan-based Online Shopping Giant
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 4 April 2014 – Rakuten, one of the world’s largest Internet service companies and owner of Malaysian marketplace Rakuten Online Shopping, is set to attract more clicks this year with the expansion of its fashion and accessories category. Today, the brand’s number of fashion merchants has multiplied by 8 times since its foray into the local market two years ago.
This growth reflects the increasing demand by Malaysian shoppers, especially for fashion items. Over the last two years, Rakuten has seen a steady 25% increase in member sign-ups each month, and a 400% increase in the number of orders received. The brand aims to continue achieving similar growth this year.
“According to the Malaysia E-Commerce Index which was released in August last year, clothing, accessories and jewellery accounted for 59.5% of the items purchased online. This made fashion and accessories the top-ranking category, compared to health and beauty (39.9%) and consumer electronics (34.7%). With Internet users also expected to increase to 25 million next year, we anticipate 2014 as a year of growth for us and our dedicated merchants,” said Masaya Ueno, President & CEO of Rakuten Online Shopping.
Boasting almost 18,000 products from over 80 merchants in the fashion and accessories category, consumers can enjoy an exciting line-up of clothing and fashion accessories, including bags, shoes and jewellery for women and men, from some of Malaysia’s top and up-and-coming retailers on Rakuten Online Shopping, including Toki Choi, Poh Kong, Afraldo Online Fashion, Bagstation, Crocs, and more.
The expansion of its fashion and accessories category is also in line with the brand’s second-ever Rakuten Super Sale campaign, which is set to take place in April.
“Empowering merchants and consumers is at the heart of our business. Over the past year, our team has worked tirelessly with our merchants to help them expand their reach through multichannel offerings. Our ambition is to create a global e-commerce platform, so that merchants and consumers can sell and shop from around the world.” said Masaya.
Rakuten's strength lies in its unique B2B2C model, which provides SMEs as well as larger-scale merchants with a global platform to expand their sales and visibility. The company does not only provide the training and knowledge to run a profitable online business, but encourages merchants and customers to form closer relationships beyond that of a seller and buyer. With the B2B2C model, merchants can build online storefronts on Rakuten and sell directly to consumers. Through this model Rakuten is also able to empower merchants with the e-commerce platform, tools and know-how they need to run successful online businesses while providing consumers with a new and interactive online shopping experience.
As Rakuten continues to strengthen its foothold in Malaysia, the brand will focus on bringing in more merchants in the fashion and accessories category as well as broadening its offerings in other key categories such as beauty & healthcare, IT & electronics, toys & games, kids, baby and maternity products.
SCCyberworld
Friday, April 4, 2014
Rakuten Online Shopping Targets Growth with Expansion of Fashion & Accessories Category
Friday, February 14, 2014
Rakuten Acquires Viber for $900 million
Rakuten accelerates its digital strategy by entering global messaging and VoIP, reinforces its focus on rapid growth of its global membership and Internet services ecosystem
TOKYO, February 14, 2014 — Rakuten Inc (4755:Tokyo), one of the world’s largest Internet services companies, announced today its acquisition of pioneering messaging and VoIP company, Viber. Rakuten will acquire Viber for a total consideration of $900 million. The acquisition represents another bold step for Rakuten into the digital content space, following its acquisitions of Kobo, Wuaki.tv, and Viki.
As people continue to shift from traditional content and communications platforms to mobile applications, Viber, one of the most popular mobile communications services worldwide with a rapidly growing global user base of 300 million registered users, perfectly complements Rakuten’s strategy in the digital space. As Rakuten aims to become the world’s No.1 Internet services company, this acquisition will enable Rakuten to penetrate new markets with multiple digital content offerings, in combination with its e-commerce and financial services platforms.
With 40 different services, Rakuten has built one of the world’s most robust and dynamic Internet services ecosystems, centred around a unified ID membership database that features the enormously popular and successful online Rakuten Super Points rewards program. Viber’s fun approach to messaging and high quality VoIP services is a perfect marriage with Rakuten’s digital content offerings and its “Shopping is Entertainment” philosophy laying the foundation for the world’s most comprehensive and engaging daily online platform. The combination also unlocks massive new potential markets for Viber through Rakuten Group’s roughly 225 million global members.
Rakuten Chairman and CEO, Hiroshi Mikitani, commented:
“I am tremendously excited to welcome Viber to the Rakuten family. Viber delivers the most consistently high quality and convenient messaging and VoIP experience available. Additionally, Viber has introduced a great sticker market and has tremendous potential as a gaming platform. Simply put, Viber understands how people actually want to engage and have built the only service that truly delivers on all fronts. This makes Viber the ideal total consumer engagement platform for Rakuten as we seek to bring our deep understanding of the consumer to vast new audiences through our dynamic ecosystem of Internet Services.”
Viber CEO and Founder, Talmon Marco, underlined these synergies:
“Rakuten is one of the world’s most important Internet companies. It is truly dominant in its home market of Japan and has been rapidly expanding globally. This combination presents an amazing opportunity for Viber to enhance our rapid user growth in both existing and new markets. Sharing similar aspirations with Rakuten, our vision is to be the world’s No.1 communications platform and our combination with Rakuten is an important step in that direction.”
Viber’s multi-platform application adoption is undeniably impressive. The business has demonstrated significant growth reaching 300 million registered users, growing over 120% in 2013.
Rakuten began its march into global digital content in 2012 with the acquisition of Kobo Inc., one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services, that now offers 4 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers to customers in 190 countries. In 2012, Rakuten acquired Wuaki.tv, an innovative Europe-based video-on-demand and streaming service, which recently began its international expansion beyond Spain by offering customers in the UK its premier movie titles catalogue and unique hybrid payment model. More recently, in September 2013, Rakuten acquired borderless digital content platform, Viki, which now reaches 65% of its 30 million monthly users through mobile devices.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
New Year, New You—Smarter Shopping for All!
By Masaya Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rakuten Online Shopping
Top Tips to Shop Smarter Online
Did you know that less than 25% of us can claim to have shopped online without regrets?
A recent survey by e-commerce company Rakuten* showed that the majority of online shoppers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Meanwhile, less than a quarter of us even bother to complete our online purchases.
Isn’t part of the beauty of online shopping the efficiency and convenience it offers? Yet, we’re spending hours online researching products, that we either don’t end up buying or end up being unhappy with.
Malaysia was recently listed in the Top 30 countries on AT Kearney’s 2013 Global Retail E-Commerce Index as an attractive online market, based on its online market size, technology adoption and consumer behaviour, infrastructure, and growth potential. As costs of living surges in the coming year, Malaysians from all walks of life are looking to tighten our belts and become smarter shoppers. With a ripe and ready e-commerce landscape, Malaysians need to take full advantage of this and learn how to navigate the virtual marketplace and make beter purchasing decisions.
Here are five top tips to help you shop smarter online and save time and disappointment.
1. Maximize your research time. A good portion of us prefer to research products first and delay our purchase decisions, but what if you could use that time a little bit more efficiently? Digital pin boards, like Pinterest, are a great way to to organize the products you’re researching and share them with friends or peers to seek their opinons before committing to your purchase.
2. Look for great product photography and detailed specs. A site that enables merchants to post realistic product images and detailed information on, for example sizing and fit, will help you easily and quickly determine if those pair of jeans are the ones you want.
3. Be smart and earn as you spend. Just like you can earn free coffee through loyalty programs at your favorite café, online loyalty credits or points can be a great way to earn extra ‘cash’ to spend on your next purchase. One-stop sites tend to also offer additional collective discounts, special sales and incentives which you can apply to save money on purchases from more than just one shop.
4. Know which sites offer the best delivery options up front. How many times have we gone to check out and left products in the shopping cart because the delivery options didn’t suit our needs or were too expensive? Familiarizing yourself with sites that offer the best delivery options for you—from low cost/free shipping options to cash-on-delivery (COD) and a pricing scale depending on how quickly you need the product—will save you time and headaches up front.
5. Qualify the return policy. While we’ve shared a number of tips to help you shop and make that purchase, in the case that you do second guess your decision to buy that trendy yellow dress after it arrives, ensure you shop on sites that offer good, hassle-free return policies.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Rakuten Commentary for Malaysia Budget 2014
Driving greater value creations from broader, quality access to the internet
Malaysia’s Budget 2014 announced a number of planned initiatives and actions, which align with Rakuten’s commitment to growing the e-commerce landscape in Malaysia. We believe that the key measures presented by the Prime Minister will bring further growth to Malaysia’s economy and allow the country to move towards the goal of becoming a high-income and developed nation.
Rakuten applauds the government’s implementation of the second phase of the High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) project under the National Broadband Initiative to expand coverage in major towns, through collaborations with the private sector, involving RM1.8billion worth of investment. This is expected to provide more coverage in urban areas, benefiting 2.8 million households, and increasing Internet speed to 10 Mbps.
This is definitely a boon to the e-commerce industry in Malaysia, as it will encourage and enable more people to have seamless access to the Internet. In turn, this will drive greater value creations from the increased connections, capitalising on e-commerce as an enabler while allowing the sector to thrive and grow, through its widespread reach across the country.
Additionally, we also welcome the government’s allocation of RM120 million for an integrated package to increase innovation and productivity of SMEs. SMEs account for 97.3% of total registered businesses, and their contribution is key to Malaysia’s GDP. Rakuten is committed to supporting these SMEs and helping them to build their e-commerce businesses in Malaysia.
Budget 2014 has the potential to encourage e-commerce as an engine to drive an improved economy and the initiatives announced are certainly a good start. Robust nationwide internet access and strong support for the business community, combined with positive developments around mobile shopping, social shopping and e-wallet, will continue to make Malaysia a vibrant and profitable market for e-commerce.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Rakuten To Acquire Global Video Streaming Service Viki
Disruptive Approach to Video Opens up New Markets to Rakuten
KUALA LUMPUR, September 3, 2013 – Rakuten, Inc. (4755:Tokyo), one of the world’s largest internet services companies, announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire global video streaming platform Viki. The acquisition represents a significant step forward for Rakuten as it continues to add to its digital content offerings and launch its internet services ecosystem into new markets.
Viki’s totally unique business model creates new value for a global audience. Viki is a global TV and video site that uniquely brings primetime TV shows, movies, music videos and other premium video content to new audiences and opens up entirely new markets for content providers. Through its social TV and subtitling intellectual property, Viki’s community of viewers have crowdsourced subtitles in more than 160 languages and translated more than 400 million words to date.
Rakuten Chairman and CEO, Hiroshi (Mickey) Mikitani, commented on the deal:
“Viki is a one-of-kind company with an entirely unique approach to video streaming that is truly global and truly engaging. They are fast, agile, and highly mobile. Their smart and creative approach to bringing popular content to global audiences will enable Rakuten to move quickly into new markets around the world.”
"There are a striking number of synergies and shared philosophies between our two businesses; the Viki model is built on a powerful community, focused on removing the language barriers that have traditionally trapped great content inside geographical borders. Since our foundation, Rakuten’s focus too has been to open up great services, content and goods to a global community. Viki is a perfect complement to Rakuten’s joint philosophies of Empowerment and Shopping IS entertainment.”
Razmig Hovaghimian, Viki CEO and co-founder, adds:
“Our vision is very well aligned with Rakuten’s focus on building a borderless digital ecosystem. We’ve built a truly global TV platform, with and for the fans, allowing content owners to reach the world in any language.”
The Viki model has allowed us to unlock a massive torso of untapped demand. While viewers get to enjoy great entertainment they never knew existed anywhere, anytime and in their language, content owners get to reach a globally fragmented market, and increase the size of their target market multiple-fold through localization. Focusing on both content providers and fans, has allowed us to reach traditional TV like ratings online, with top shows getting translated in more than 50 languages.”
With Rakuten, we can now focus on building an entertainment ecosystem that also seamlessly allows viewers and content partners to jump across platforms, and interact with relevant Rakuten products and services seamlessly. I am thrilled to enter our next phase of growth as part of the Rakuten family, creating a service that competes with the largest industry players.”
Setting the Stage for a Global Rakuten Ecosystem
With this acquisition, Rakuten plans to leverage Viki’s global footprint, content and language analytics and community-first DNA to further expand the scope of its $16 billion internet services ecosystem. Rakuten and Viki expect exponential growth in Viki’s primary revenue driver, selling advertising against its video content. Viki also syndicates select content and has the potential to launch new revenue models. At the same time, Viki can now leverage Rakuten’s 85 million registered users in Japan and deep digital commerce and media experience to grow its user base in Japan and Europe.
Rakuten began its march into global digital content in 2012 when it acquired Kobo Inc., one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services that now offers 4-million eBooks, magazines and newspapers to customers in 190 countries. That same year, Rakuten welcomed Wuaki.tv, an innovative Europe-based video-on-demand and streaming service, which recently began its international expansion beyond Spain by offering customers in the UK its premier movie titles catalogue and unique hybrid payment model. Viki perfectly complements Wuaki.tv’s front-line strategy and extends Rakuten’s digital content offering to include international primetime and mid-and long-tail content from leading broadcasters and distributors.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Making the Most of the Marketplace – Taking SMEs Online
By Masaya Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rakuten Online Shopping
With over 1.6 million people shopping online in Malaysia , the online space presents a wealth of opportunities for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). There is a strong potential to help SMEs grow by bringing their businesses online, thanks to strong support from the Malaysian government. This year’s Budget 2013 announced a fund of RM1 billion that will be provided under the SME Development Scheme, to be managed by the SME Bank in a bid to accelerate the growth of SME and the expansion of industrial areas nationwide.
A PayPal study showed that Malaysia’s online commerce market grew 9% from RM1.8 billion in 2010 to RM1.97 billion in 2011 . With continued growth in the online retail market, it’s surprising to find that only 15 per cent of Malaysian SMEs have a website, according to Nielsen Research .
Drive footfall online
Just like having a prime location in a major shopping mall, a marketplace can drive new footfall to your business. Not only do marketplace sellers benefit by association from consumer trust in a marketplace brand, they also stand to benefit from strong web traffic generated by the marketplace’s own marketing efforts. In addition merchants can take advantage of the existing infrastructure, from ready-made payments processes to marketplace loyalty schemes.
Curate your product collections
Just as the high street is governed by the seasons, so is the online world and your online offering should reflect this. Tap into seasonal occasions like Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year to theme your online shop window and engage shoppers using your most eye-catching products. From back to work outfits and shoes to products that will update people’s homes, kitchens and living rooms, seasonal promotions allow you to direct shoppers to particular products and purchase a range of themed items.
Stay independent through customisation
You pop into a store as you walk past because the window looks bright, colourful and exciting. Similarly, your homepage acts as your window display, so you need to make it appealing to encourage online shoppers to click through. Some marketplaces offer the option to customise your storefront and this should be taken advantage of. From choosing which products should be most visible to mirroring your brand colours from the offline world. Customising your online store enables you to make it an extension of your physical shop and maintain individual brand identity at the same time.
Use social media to drive sales
Retailers can not only use eye-catching collections to draw shoppers in, but can actively promote products through social channels to tempt loyal followers of the brand to check out the new season’s lines. Having a presence on Twitter and Facebook is a brilliant way to shout about your venture into an online marketplace and can also be used to showcase happy customers. Engage with them via social media after they have made a purchase, enquire about their shopping experience and offer tailored promotions and discounts to keep them coming back to your brand.
Give great customer service
Shoppers now want a full shopping experience online, not just a ‘cash and carry’ attitude, so setting up the right online shopping experience is becoming even more important. For example, many retailers offer ‘collect in-store’ services to meet their consumers’ delivery needs. Encourage online reviews and act on customer feedback to show customers that you value their custom. You could also offer tips on how to pair clothing for outfits; with personal insight shoppers are much more likely to purchase from you again.
Ultimately, all retailers need to have an online presence, or they risk missing out on the opportunities that this continually growing channel offers. However, this doesn’t mean that their offline sales or brand experience needs to suffer. Marketplaces create another touch point for shoppers to browse and buy from which is convenient, trusted and reliable but this should be part of an integrated and seamless multi-channel offering. Consumers are coming to expect a seamless shopping experience across all channels so it’s no longer enough to have a website that merely compliments your brick-and-mortar presence. By taking advantage of the services that online retail offers, SMEs can develop their digital presence and connect people with their local high street too to provide a full brand experience.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Rakuten Malaysia Banks on Mobile to Spur E-Commerce Growth
Establishing Malaysia’s first Corporate Official Account on LINE and a mobile-optimised site
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5 June 2013 – Rakuten Malaysia today extended a series of mobile social properties on Rakuten Online Shopping aimed at spurring transaction and e-commerce growth in Malaysia. The new developments include a strategic partnership with leading mobile messaging service platform, LINE to establish a Corporate Official Account in Malaysia, as well as the introduction of its mobile-optimised version of Rakuten Online Shopping.
Through the partnership with LINE, Rakuten Online Shopping will be the first business entity to own a Corporate Official Account on the mobile messaging application in Malaysia. This will enable Rakuten Online Shopping to engage and interact with mobile users by providing real-time updates, news and promotions.
“This collaboration with LINE is part of Rakuten Online Shopping’s commitment to staying at the forefront of the latest trends in social shopping and e-commerce. LINE is a fun, entertaining, and engaging social application which falls perfectly in line with our ‘Shopping is Entertainment’ credo,” said Masaya Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rakuten Online Shopping. “The Rakuten Online Shopping Official Account is set to create an intimate channel for us to keep our customers informed on the best deals and encourage them take shopping on mobile.”
LINE Official Account is a global marketing platform that allows users a chance to befriend and communicate with their favourite brands and celebrities on LINE, the fastest growing mobile messenger boasting more than 160 million users worldwide. Fans can follow the messages, pictures and even video and audio clips sent from the accounts. Unlike other channels, these updates are sent to and displayed on users’ chat screen on their mobile devices, making the whole experience more personal.
Last year, Rakuten launched a similar initiative with LINE and established its Corporate Official Account in Taiwan. Today, it has grown to become the most popular LINE Official Account in Taiwan with over
2.6 million followers.
Enriched mobile shopping experience
In enabling users a greater online shopping experience on mobile devices, Rakuten Malaysia has also launched a mobile-optimised version of Rakuten Online Shopping. Shoppers can now visit the site directly on their mobile devices to seamlessly browse, purchase and pay on this mobile friendly marketplace. A mobile optimised site can potentially increase traffic by more than nine times, according to data collected when Rakuten.com launched similar enhancement in the United States .
The initiative to enhance mobile shopping experience represents part of its integral strategy to capitalise on Malaysia’s rapid growth in mobile commerce driven by increasing smartphone penetration and mobile social interaction. According to data from PayPal Online and Mobile Shopping Insights 2011, the mobile commerce market in Malaysia is projected to reach MYR3.43 billion, contributing to 60 percent of the overall online shopping market .
“The evolving e-commerce landscape is telling us that people want to shop when they want, where they want. Consumers are coming to expect a uniform brand experience across all available channels, whether online or on mobile. To meet this demand, we made our mobile platform more robust, faster and simple, while adding a layer of information push through the Official Account so shoppers can easily access the best deals online wherever they may be. We believe this would reenergise mobile shopping and contribute to a new e-commerce growth stream in Malaysia,” added Ueno.
Rakuten Online Shopping currently offers over 35,000 goods across a diverse mix of product categories, including consumer electronics, computer and IT, healthcare, fashion apparels, jewellery and accessories. Many top local and international retailers have launched shops on the online shopping mall, including Senheng Electric, Best Denki, CARiNG Pharmacy, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Poh Kong among others. Rakuten Online Shopping is one of the fastest growing e-commerce sites in Malaysia. The parent company of Rakuten Online Shopping is Rakuten, Inc., Japan's top internet services company and one of the world's largest e-commerce companies.
1. Rakuten.com Shopping (formerly Buy.com), Buy.com enhances mobile shopping, reports strong growth in mobile traffic, June 2012
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Malaysians Go Social Shopping
67% of Malaysian shoppers would recommend a product on social media sites
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 26 March 2013 – Rakuten, Japan’s top e-commerce company and owner of Malaysian marketplace Rakuten Online Shopping, recently released insights from their E-commerce Index, an independent global survey into shopping trends. For the first time, Malaysia was included in the survey which discovered the prominence of social shopping in the market. Over two-thirds (67 per cent) of those questioned in Malaysia would recommend a product via a social media platform.
Malaysia’s propensity for social shopping stands out on a global scale, coming in second place behind Indonesia which took the top spot with 78 per cent. The data shows the majority of Malaysian shoppers are keen to share their online purchases on popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The data also indicates consistent global trend where on average almost half of respondents (45 per cent) are actively recommending products on social media sites. Through this sharing, shoppers are allowing friends and family to view their purchases while showing their affinity for a particular brand or product.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Rakuten Commentary: 2013 Industry Outlook
By Masaya Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rakuten Online Shopping
On the local front, we announced our plans to launch Rakuten Online Shopping in May 2012 and the website went live with over 11,000 products from top local retailers on 1 November 2012. Overall, 2012 has been an exciting year for Rakuten as we implement our expansion strategy to further capture the growing opportunities in an increasingly vibrant e-commerce field worldwide.
Over the last 12 months, we have seen online retail propositions grow in sophistication, moving away from price driven transactions towards richer, branded shopping experiences. With so much choice a few clicks away, encouraging customer loyalty and nurturing shopping experiences will be essential for retailers as we move into 2013.
In the next year and beyond, we expect the rapid development of the e-commerce sector to continue, driven by three key trends as below:
1) Online retailers strive to deliver personal touch
Some things in retail haven’t changed; the secret to success is still engaging customers to keep them coming back to your brand and recommending it to their friends. Social channels have made it possible for retailers to not only enter into personal dialogue with fans but reach friends of fans too. Ultimately it’s not the number of fans that makes a difference, but how vocal they are. We anticipate more online retailers striving to reach out to their customers more than ever before through loyalty building programmes, service enhancements and tactics to encourage positive word-of-mouth. This may in turn drive more consumers to take their shopping online to reap the rewards offered.
2) Curated commerce
Getting a second opinion before committing to a purchase is nothing new, but now rather than taking a friend shopping, shoppers can take their entire social network with them. Social media tools, such as photo-sharing network Pinterest, are quickly gaining popularity, allowing users to organise their favourite items into themed collections that they can share with friends. Not only does this fuel personal expression in shopping, but other shoppers will use these collections to inform their own purchase decisions.
3) Increased mobile integration
Whether it’s a mobile-optimised site or dedicated app, most retailers are coming to terms with the need for a smartphone or tablet solution. In a report released this year, Paypal shares that the Malaysian mobile commerce market is expected to grow more than seven times to hit RM3.43 billion by 2015. In the next year, we expect to see more integration in-store, through the use of apps, QR codes and augmented reality experiences as well as shifts in the payment tools available.
As 2013 beckons, it is highly important to recognise that mobile and social uptake provides retailers with the opportunity to engage with customers on a more personal level. The customer is central to success in e-commerce, as in any retail business. Online businesses need to look at innovating the ways in which customer loyalty is built in an increasingly multi-channel retail environment.
Rakuten Malaysia is taking the step forward in refining the online shopping experience and will continue to seek opportunities to engage with Malaysian shoppers on a more social and personal level. Through our Rakuten Online Shopping virtual mall, we provide consumers with an entirely new online shopping experience that is both entertaining and interactive, and we are excited to play a part in contributing to Malaysia’s e-commerce growth.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Rakuten Commentary: 2013 Industry Outlook
By Masaya Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rakuten Online Shopping
On the local front, we announced our plans to launch Rakuten Online Shopping in May 2012 and the website went live with over 11,000 products from top local retailers on 1 November 2012. Overall, 2012 has been an exciting year for Rakuten as we implement our expansion strategy to further capture the growing opportunities in an increasingly vibrant e-commerce field worldwide.
Over the last 12 months, we have seen online retail propositions grow in sophistication, moving away from price driven transactions towards richer, branded shopping experiences. With so much choice a few clicks away, encouraging customer loyalty and nurturing shopping experiences will be essential for retailers as we move into 2013.
In the next year and beyond, we expect the rapid development of the e-commerce sector to continue, driven by three key trends as below:
1) Online retailers strive to deliver personal touch
Some things in retail haven’t changed; the secret to success is still engaging customers to keep them coming back to your brand and recommending it to their friends. Social channels have made it possible for retailers to not only enter into personal dialogue with fans but reach friends of fans too. Ultimately it’s not the number of fans that makes a difference, but how vocal they are. We anticipate more online retailers striving to reach out to their customers more than ever before through loyalty building programmes, service enhancements and tactics to encourage positive word-of-mouth. This may in turn drive more consumers to take their shopping online to reap the rewards offered.
2) Curated commerce
Getting a second opinion before committing to a purchase is nothing new, but now rather than taking a friend shopping, shoppers can take their entire social network with them. Social media tools, such as photo-sharing network Pinterest, are quickly gaining popularity, allowing users to organise their favourite items into themed collections that they can share with friends. Not only does this fuel personal expression in shopping, but other shoppers will use these collections to inform their own purchase decisions.
3) Increased mobile integration
Whether it’s a mobile-optimised site or dedicated app, most retailers are coming to terms with the need for a smartphone or tablet solution. In a report released this year, Paypal shares that the Malaysian mobile commerce market is expected to grow more than seven times to hit RM3.43 billion by 2015. In the next year, we expect to see more integration in-store, through the use of apps, QR codes and augmented reality experiences as well as shifts in the payment tools available.
As 2013 beckons, it is highly important to recognise that mobile and social uptake provides retailers with the opportunity to engage with customers on a more personal level. The customer is central to success in e-commerce, as in any retail business. Online businesses need to look at innovating the ways in which customer loyalty is built in an increasingly multi-channel retail environment.
Rakuten Malaysia is taking the step forward in refining the online shopping experience and will continue to seek opportunities to engage with Malaysian shoppers on a more social and personal level. Through our Rakuten Online Shopping virtual mall, we provide consumers with an entirely new online shopping experience that is both entertaining and interactive, and we are excited to play a part in contributing to Malaysia’s e-commerce growth.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Rakuten Set to Ignite Online Shopping in Malaysia
E-Commerce giant Rakuten brings “Shopping is Entertainment” experience to Malaysian consumers
KUALA LUMPUR, October 31, 2012 -- Rakuten Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), Japan’s top e-commerce company today announced that its Malaysian Internet shopping mall, Rakuten Online Shopping is set to launch on November 1, 2012 at 09:00 Malaysia Standard Time. With over 11,000 goods from top local retailers available at launch and expanding daily, the service provides consumers in Malaysia with an entirely new online shopping experience that is entertaining and interactive.
Rakuten Online Shopping has recruited some of Malaysia’s top retailers to offer a diverse mix of product categories, including consumer electronics, computer and IT, healthcare, fashion apparels, jewellery and accessories. Customers can expect an exciting line-up from over 40 top retailers at launch, including Senheng Electric, Best Denki, CARiNG Pharmacy, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Poh Kong among others, with more merchants and products being added each day.
“Rakuten Online Shopping brings to the market a unique and interactive online shopping experience,” said Rakuten Online Shopping President and Chief Executive Officer Masaya Ueno. “At Rakuten, our philosophy is ‘Shopping is Entertainment.’ We believe that shopping online can and should be as exciting and interactive as a live market and not simply the vending-machine-like experience that most sites offer.”
Unlike existing shopping sites, Rakuten Online Shopping is a virtual mall populated with multiple stores that cater to various segments of interest. It employs Japan’s world famous customer service standards and innovative collaborations with reliable partners to deliver a trusted shopping environment that is efficient, hassle-free and secure.
Aside from the ability to shop anytime, customers are also treated with exciting promotions by the mall and individual merchants. It also features the award-winning Rakuten Super Points loyalty rewards programme that incentivise shoppers with points for all purchases that are redeemable as payment for future purchases.
“The launch represents a significant first step in our journey towards growing Rakuten into a full Internet services company in Malaysia. We aim to build an ecosystem here that is similar in Japan, where we now offer over 40 different Internet services, in addition to e-commerce, all connected by Rakuten Super Points.” added Ueno.
Going forward, Rakuten will continue to grow its base of merchant partners across key industries to expand its product categories in Malaysia. Utilising a proven business to business to consumer (B2B2C) model, merchants are able to build online storefronts on the marketplace and sell directly to consumers.
“Rakuten Online Shopping is a WIN-WIN model for consumers and merchants,” said Ueno. “We aim to foster continued e-commerce growth and elevate the maturity of the industry by empowering more retailers to open their businesses online, strengthening local expertise and transferring knowledge to local merchants.”
In May 2012, Rakuten announced plans to launch Rakuten Online Shopping in Malaysia, expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia and marking its third e-commerce market entry in the region following TARAD.com in Thailand in 2009 and Indonesia’s Rakuten Belanja Online in 2011. Malaysia was also Rakuten’s first greenfield entry in its global e-commerce expansion. With the launch of Rakuten Online Shopping, the company is set to tap the encouraging Internet retailing market in Malaysia which is expected to exceed MYR1.9 billion (USD 623 million) by 2016[1].
[1] Euromonitor International, 2011
乐天(Rakuten) 在马来西亚设置网上购物
电子商务巨头 - 乐天为马来西亚消费者带来“购物是娱乐”的全新体验
吉隆坡，2012年10月31日 – 日本最顶尖的电子商务公司，乐天公司(JASDAQ:4755)今天宣布，马来西亚网购商城Rakuten Online Shopping定于2012年11月1日，马来西亚标准时间早上9点推介。推介日时将有本地顶尖零售商家超过11,000的商品，并日益扩大。这将为马来西亚的消费者提供一个全新的网上购物体验，并且充满娱乐性和互动性。
乐天网上购物招募了一些马来西亚顶尖的零售商，提供不同组合的商品类别，包括电子、电脑和科技产品、医疗保健、时尚服装、珠宝首饰和配件。推介时，顾客将可以期待一个由超过40个顶尖零售商提供令人雀跃万分的产品阵容，包括Senheng Electric、Best Denki、CARiNG Pharmacy、Toys ‘R’ Us和宝光。同时每天也将增加更多的商家和商品。
“乐天网上购物为市场带来了一个独特和互动性的网上购物体验。”乐天网上购物总裁兼首席执行官马萨亚野说到。“在乐天，我们的理念是‘购物是娱乐’。我们相信网上购物也可以令人兴奋和作为一个互动的市场，而不如大部分的网上购物所提供的简单自动售货机般的体验。”
有别于现有的网上购物，乐天网上购物是一个虚拟的商场，里面拥有多个商店，以迎合各阶层人士的兴趣。它采用了日本世界著名的客户服务标准和创新合作，提供值得信赖，并且高效率、无障碍和安全的购物环境，是绝对可靠的合作伙伴。
除了随时随地可以购物，顾客也将可享受由商场和商家提供各种振奋人心的促销。此外，它还采用了屡获殊荣的乐天超级点数忠诚激励计划，把所有的消费化作积分，以便可以在下次消费时兑换。
“这次的推介踏出了重要的第一步，为乐天在马来西亚设立一个完整的互联网服务。我们的目标是建立一个与日本类似的生态系统，我们现在提供超过40个不同的互联网服务，除了电子商务，也连接乐天超级点数。”上野补充说。
展望未来，乐天将继续扩展与各大领域的商业伙伴合作，以扩大马来西亚的商品类别。通过一个已经稳定的企业对企业对消费者(B2B2C)模式，商家能够在市场上建立网上店面，并直接售于消费者。
“乐天网上购物为消费者和商家提供一个双赢模式。”上野说到。“我们的目标是继续促进电子商务的成长，邀请越来越多的零售商开启网上业务，加强当地的专业知识和把知识传授给本地商家。”
在2012年5月，乐天宣布计划在马来西亚推介乐天网上购物，扩大其在东南亚的足迹。乐天网上购物将是续2009年在泰国推介的TARAD.Com及2011年在印尼推介的Belanja Online后，在东南亚的第三个电子商务市场。马来西亚也是乐天第一个全球电子商务扩展的新建项目。随着乐天网上购物的推介，该公司已经开拓了令人鼓舞的网上零售市场，预计马来西亚在2016年的销售额将超过1.9亿令吉(6.23亿美元)。
Friday, July 6, 2012
Digital Malaysia to advance Digital Economy with Three Strategic Thrusts
Kuala Lumpur, 5 July 2012 – The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI), YB Datuk Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof today unveiled details of Digital Malaysia, a national programme based on three strategic thrusts to advance the country towards a developed digital economy by 2020. He did this with Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer of the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), an organisation under MOSTI, which was mandated by the Prime Minister, YAB Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to steer the programme.
Speaking at the event, YB Datuk Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof said, “Digital Malaysia is a unique programme based on its three strategic thrusts. It will create an ecosystem that promotes the pervasive use of ICT in all aspects of the economy to connect communities globally and interact in real time resulting in increased Gross National Income, enhanced productivity and improved standards of living.
(From L to R) YBhg. Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), YB Datuk Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI), and Y. Bhg. Dato Dr. Madinah Mohamad, KSU MOSTI, are seen officiating the Digital Malaysia initiative.
“The Digital Malaysia programme’s three strategic thrusts will leverage on new and existing initiatives to drive Malaysia towards a digital economy. By effectively combining existing ICT and digital initiatives, Digital Malaysia will foster a cohesive digital ecosystem that will ensure Malaysia becomes a developed digital economy,” he added.
Digital Malaysia is underpinned by three (3) strategic thrusts that have been identified as critical game changers:
• Move Malaysia from being supply to demand focused, i.e. initiating more demand-focused activities to leverage existing infrastructure, economic activity, market trends and consumer behaviour;
• Shift behaviours from being consumption to production centric, i.e. encouraging and enabling internet users to produce as much as they consume from digital technologies;
• Evolve from low knowledge-add to high knowledge-add i.e. increasing development of local talent in key industries to become innovators and knowledge workers.
Digital Malaysia will deliver its targeted goals via a number of projects. Currently eight (8) projects have been identified and are being rolled-out from this year. They include the Asian e-fulfilment Hub; e-Payment services for small and medium businesses and microenterprises; Shared cloud enterprise services, Microsourcing for income generation, Accelerated international trade through e-Commerce, On-demand customised online education; Growing the embedded systems industry and a Mobile Digital Wallet.
The Digital Malaysia programme is a dynamic one and will continuously evolve with an ongoing ideation process and mechanism leading to the development of new projects in the coming years.
Ultimately, Digital Malaysia aims to help Malaysia raise its ICT contribution to 17% of GNI; raise its ranking in the Economists’ Intelligence Unit Digital Economy Rankings to be within the top 20 and also be within the top 10 of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook.
An estimated investment value of RM 31.2 billion is expected to be generated from Digital Malaysia based on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model, which is expected to create 160,000 jobs and make the overall Digital Economy contribution to GNI, RM294 Billion (17%) by 2020.
From a productivity standpoint, Digital Malaysia is expected to contribute 1% to the projected absolute growth of SME contribution to GDP by 2020. In terms of impact on standard of living, the programme targets to deliver an additional RM7,000 per annum for 350,000 citizens from digital income.
Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of MDeC, said “Digital Malaysia is unique because of its strategy which is built on three strategic thrusts. It will help to create a new class of digital entrepreneurs through our demand-focused initiatives and it will help nurture a new generation of Digital-savvy youth through the use of digital learning who will form the bulk of Malaysia’s workforce from 2020. Digital Malaysia will also help drive automation and technology adoption amongst SMEs to boost productivity”.
“Today Malaysia enjoys a strong ICT foundation, but a holistic digital initiative is still needed to ensure that Malaysia is able to advance further and Digital Malaysia with its three strategic thrusts, will ensure this ,” added Badlisham.
Digital Malaysia is under the stewardship of the Digital Malaysia Steering Committee led by YB Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili and reports to the Prime Minister.
Industry Commentary on Digital Malaysia Announcement
Tan Choon Sang, Country Manager, Autodesk Malaysia
Autodesk is very excited with the announcement by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to propel the nation towards a developed digital economy by 2020. One of the major global forces that exerts great pressure on companies and the economy is the advent of technology and “digital” lifestyles. While ICT adoption feeds on the age of access and experience, the rise of consumer and mobile computing opens up opportunities for businesses to drive productivity and innovation.
We believe that with emerging digital tools and the fast-developing opportunities from infinite computing, the newly set up ecosystem under Digital Malaysia will promote an environment for businesses to up their game in the global marketplace. The market demands that companies innovate in order to remain competitive, achieve greater operational efficiencies and profitability. Thus, digital tools such as Autodesk Digital Prototyping and Building Information Modeling provide the opportunity to level the playing field for business of all sizes to create, compete and thrive.
At Autodesk, we certainly welcome this development and we look forward to being part of the ecosystem that pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the design and engineering market. Digital Malaysia is yet another step forward to empower and prime the marketplace for a truly developed digital nation.
Masaya Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rakuten Online Shopping
The demands of consumers today are changing and the spheres in which they inhabit and consume for their lifestyle needs are no longer confined. The advent of e-commerce has unlocked a borderless world on the Web for merchants to expand their businesses and provided consumers with broader options for their shopping and service needs. Digital Malaysia is set to enable businesses to grow and capitalise on opportunities in the digital economy with greater integration of ICT.
Rakuten welcomes the unveiling of Digital Malaysia. Having just announced Rakuten’s market entry in Malaysia, we are encouraged by the Government’s commitment to drive Malaysia towards a digital economy. We believe that initiatives under Digital Malaysia will strengthen the nation’s e-commerce industry and encourage merchants to leverage opportunities online as a natural next step for their businesses.
Merchants hoping to expand their customer reach online should determine the right partner that will not only empower them with the e-commerce platform but also share the tools and e-commerce knowledge needed to build a successful online business. Rakuten provides an innovative e-commerce business model that is a WIN-WIN for both merchants and consumers alike.
Nafis Jasmani, Country Manager, Axis Communications, Malaysia
Axis Communications applauds the government’s fostering of ICT as the backbone of business, productivity, trade and social development in Digital Malaysia. This initiative augurs well for the adoption of IP-based or network video surveillance given that public safety continues to be a top priority for the government and its various stakeholders.
Video surveillance has stood the test of time as the go-to technology for obtaining information around crime and security related incidents. The network video is one of the most useful tools for fighting crime and protecting citizens, acting both to detect and deter. It creates a secure environment and helps first responders pinpoint where their assistance is most needed. Today’s IP-based surveillance cameras can offer several enhanced features such as sharper image quality, motion and tampering detection.
Digital Malaysia will ease the transition of video into the IP world and enable businesses to embrace and reap the benefits of the advancements in video analytics. With digital surveillance, the authorities can offer the best security solutions to create a wide-area security net, so that both the nation’s assets as well as the rakyat continues to be safe and secure. We are convinced that Digital Malaysia will bring the country one step closer to fulfilling its ambition to improve the standard of living of the people and making the country a safer place to live in.
Zulkifli Md Ghairi, Country Manager of CA IT Infrastructure Solutions Sdn Bhd.
CA Technologies applauds the Malaysian Government’s efforts to advance the country towards a developed digital economy by 2020. We are strongly encouraged by the government’s efforts to promote the use of ICT to improve productivity and the standard of living in the country.
We believe that, businesses have to innovate to drive competitive differentiation, find new revenue streams to accelerate growth and obtain increased value from ICT in order to fully leverage the opportunities in a digital economy. ICT provides companies with the necessary tools to manage cost and risk, reduce delivery cycle times, and enable increased productivity.
Digital Malaysia promises to fast forward Malaysian enterprises to embrace the benefits of cloud computing, virtualization and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), improving productivity and competitiveness. Whether a company is operating a private cloud, or in a hybrid environment – it all has to be managed and secured, which is the expertise of CA Technologies for over 35 years. CA Technologies supports Digital Malaysia’s efforts in empowering enterprises to manage and secure their IT and accelerate their delivery of business service innovation, and is convinced that this will bring us closer to the vision of becoming a developed nation.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Rakuten to Launch E-Commerce Service in Malaysia
New Internet Shopping Mall to bring top products and Japanese service standards to Malaysian consumers
KUALA LUMPUR, May 24, 2012 -- Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), Japan’s top e-commerce company, today announced plans to launch an Internet shopping mall in Malaysia, Rakuten Online Shopping. The service will introduce consumers in Malaysia to an entirely new and unique online shopping experience. Rakuten is currently recruiting merchant partners to populate its online shopping mall leading up to its launch in late 2012.
Rakuten Online Shopping will focus on offering consumers in Malaysia the best local and international goods while employing Japan’s world famous customer service standards. Rakuten Online Shopping expands Rakuten’s footprint in South East Asia, marking its third e-commerce market entry in the region, following TARAD.com in Thailand in 2009, and Indonesia’s Rakuten Belanja Online in 2011.
“The Rakuten shopping experience brings the best of both worlds to consumers and merchants,” said Rakuten Online Shopping President and Chief Executive Officer Masaya Ueno. “We empower merchants with the platform, tools and know-how they need to run successful online businesses. We also enable them to customize their storefronts to maximize their own brand appeal and allow them to communicate directly with their customers. This flexibility and interaction bring the online shopping experience to life and puts the fun back in shopping.”
In 1997, Rakuten launched a pioneering e-commerce platform, Rakuten Ichiba, in Japan that utilizes a business to business to consumer (B2B2C) model, whereby merchants build online storefronts on the marketplace and sell directly to consumers. This unique model empowers consumers and merchants alike and has driven Rakuten to become the world’s third largest e-commerce company by revenue.
Ueno explained, “Malaysia is an attractive market owing to its economic stability and well-equipped infrastructure for the development of e-commerce, including Internet, logistics and online payment facilities. Malaysia market growth and encouraging online shopping trends present Rakuten with a bright opportunity in this market.”
“The market indications validate our timely entry into the market. At this initial phase, Rakuten seeks to partner mid-sized and large retailers across industries in Malaysia including fashion and apparel, IT and electronics, books and luxury goods,” added Ueno. “We aim to foster continued e-commerce growth in Malaysia by transferring our knowledge and helping retailers to make online shopping a truly viable and sustainable business, leveraging on our 15 years of e-commerce expertise.”
Malaysia is a growing market that boasts a very high Internet penetration rate among the ASEAN countries, and the online shopping market is set to grow at an accelerated pace in the future. Internet retailing reached RM842 million in 2011 and the number is expected to exceed RM1.9 billion by 2016 .
乐天(Rakuten)在马来西亚推出电子商务服务
全新网上购物广场带来最佳商品为马来西亚消费者提供日本服务标准
吉隆坡，2012年5月24日 – 乐天公司（JASDAQ证券交易所: 4755）是日本顶尖的电子商务公司今天正式宣布在马来西亚推介乐天网上购物。此服务将为马来西亚消费者带来全新和独特的网上购物体验。乐天目前正在招募商务合作伙伴，以加入即将在2012年秒推介的网上购物广场。
乐天网上购物将专注于提供给消费者最好的本地和国际产品，同时更提供拥有享誉全球最佳服务的日本客户服务标准。乐天网上购物将是续2009年在泰国推介的TARAD.Com及2010年在印尼推介的Belanja Online后，在东南亚的第三个电子商务市场。
“乐天网上购物将为消费者和商家带来最棒的体验。”乐天网上购物主席和行政总裁马萨亚野说到：“我们为商家提供一个平台、工具和技巧诀窍，让他们更成功的进行网上企业。我们也让他们可以定制自己的店面，以最大限度地提高自己的品牌号召力，让他们直接与客户沟通。这种灵活性和互动生活，让网上购物体验和购物变得乐趣无穷。”
在1997年，乐天首开先河开拓电子商务平台。日本乐天市场利用企业到消费者(B2B2C)模式，让商家建立网上店面，并直接与消费者接洽。这独特的模式获得消费者和商家一致好评，并成功让乐天成为世界上收入第三大的电子商务公司。
亚野解释说：“马来西亚是一个很有吸引力的市场，因为它有稳定的经济和良好的电子商务基础设施，包括互联网、物流和网上支付设施。马来西亚市场在持续成长，网上购物趋势也越来越好，这所有皆为乐天提供了一个充满潜能的市场。”
“市场迹象显示这正是进入市场的最佳时刻。在这个初始阶段，乐天寻求来自全马各行各业的合作伙伴，包括中型和大型的零售商，同时涵盖时尚和时装、科技和电子产品、书籍和各种高尚产品。”亚野补充说。“我们的目标是利用我们在电子商务的15年专业经验，把我们的知识传授给马来西亚的零售商，为他们建立网上购物并成为一个真正可行和持续性的业务。”
马来西亚是一个不断成长的市场，在东盟国家中拥有非常高的互联网普及率。同时网上购物市场也将在未来的日子快速成长。在2011年，网上零售达842万令吉，而估计在2016 年将超越1.6亿令吉。
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