Rakuten launches Rakuten DX solution

ntttttttttttt

Rakuten Inc on Monday announced plans to establish a new company to support brick-and-mortar retailers in Japan to implement digital transformation with the introduction of multiple initiatives aimed at merging offline and online retail (OMO). With the working name of Rakuten DX Solution, plans are on track for the company to be established in January 2021.

As user behavior and shopping habits continue to evolve, online services centered on e-commerce and cashless payments are becoming a fundamental part of consumer life. Customer expectations are on the rise for new online services and seamless experiences across online and offline retail from supermarkets and other businesses operating brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Rakuten provides more than 70 services that utilize technology to contribute to the empowerment of people and local communities. By establishing this new company, Rakuten said it aims to empower the realization of a new kind of physical store through the digital transformation of food product and daily necessity retailers across Japan, by leveraging the expertise it has developed through its own businesses in areas such as OMO and data marketing.

Rakuten’s vision for the future of retail calls for acceleration of initiatives such as the optimization of inventory control and pricing with AI-driven user-demand forecasting, and the introduction of in-store checkout that circumvents cash registers with the use of smartphones. For OMO initiatives, Rakuten plans to leverage both online and offline purchasing data in order to offer personalized shopping information directly to customers and a more convenient shopping experience.

In addition, the company business plans include consideration of partnerships with companies that share the business vision for digital transformation for retail. Rakuten DX Solution’s potential partners include Tokyu Corporation.

Source: Rakuten