Rakuten to launch e-commerce service in Malaysia

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Rakuten Inc, Japan’s top e-commerce company, has 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 Southeast 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.”