Rakuten Ichiba offering limited free international frozen shipping to Hong Kong

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Rakuten has started a new initiative on the international shipping services site for its Rakuten Ichiba internet shopping mall, Rakuten Global Market (http://global.rakuten.com/en/), that will allow customers in Hong Kong to purchase fresh seafood from participating Rakuten Ichiba merchants through Yamato Transport’s express international frozen shipping service for still-fresh perishable foods.

The promotion runs through Thursday, Jan 31. All purchases of products listed on the promotion page are subject to free shipping and will be delivered on and around Feb 7.

Rakuten is undertaking this international frozen shipping project in partnership with its logistics subsidiary Rakuten Logistics Inc. The initiative uses a logistics model created in November 2012 by the speed delivery services of Yamato Transport Co and All Nippon Airways (ANA) and, through which the two companies provide short, next day deliveries to locations around Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia from a distribution hub in Okinawa prefecture. The companies do this by making full use of features, facilities, and an overseas express delivery network that incorporates ANA’s sizable air transport network – which offers even late night arrivals to Okinawa – as well as 24-hour customs clearance and the use of bonded warehouses within international logistics zones.

Rakuten has been operating the Rakuten Global Market service since 2008 to enable overseas purchases from its Rakuten Ichiba shopping mall. Rakuten Ichiba currently carries the products of approximately 40,000 merchants, of which about 7,000 also offer products on Rakuten Global Market. Currently, the site is making possible sales of fashion items, accessories, toys, and other products to over 200 countries around the world. Many customers have already expressed the desire to buy fresh food from Japan, but up until now, this has been difficult due to obstacles and regulations faced by the distribution networks that would send perishable products in a fresh state from Japan.