Rakuten Inc and Tokyu Corp have established Rakuten Tokyu Planning Co Ltd, a new joint venture that will provide data marketing solutions to companies in Japan. The two companies will also explore new digital marketing solutions and other business opportunities.
The recent growth of online shopping, cashless payments and shifts in the economic landscape are transforming the lifestyles and shopping habits of consumers, creating new opportunities for flexible digital services to meet increasingly diverse consumer needs. In the midst of this change, Rakuten said it is uniquely positioned to provide more than 70 services, including e-commerce and data marketing, and leverage an 100-million strong membership to offer a diverse range of marketing options and solutions.
Read also – US banks bang door on Rakuten, Now fearing Amazon entry
To complement Rakuten’s online services, Tokyu offers comprehensive offline support to consumers living along its many rail corridors featuring transportation facilities, real estate, retail and hotels.
Rakuten and Tokyu said they aim to foster new purchasing habits and customer experiences through OMO*1 marketing techniques that combine their assets by harnessing the data accumulated by the two companies, strengthening their marketing solutions, applying them to merchandising in Tokyu Group stores and maximizing the ad performance delivered to advertising clients. This will allow stores to stock their shelves according to clearly defined consumer needs and all companies to offer customized product advertising, providing consumers with a highly personalized shopping experience.
Read also – Rakuten CEO requested to review of Japan’s COVID-19 entry deterrent on foreigners
Starting in October, the new company will conduct operational improvements at Tokyu Stores and other Tokyu Group locations by optimizing sales promotion data, improving product lineup and adjusting pricing via the application of consumer behavior analysis data from Rakuten and Tokyu. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of these new measures. In addition, trial sales of online advertising based on data from the two companies, as well as trial sales of digital signage combining Rakuten’s digital solutions and Tokyu’s operational expertise, are planned to start in the Futako-Tamagawa area in November.
*1 OMO: Online Merges with Offline. A marketing technique that provides consumers with a more efficient shopping experience by breaking down the barriers between online services and offline brick-and-mortar stores.
