Want to sell on Japan Rakuten but don’t know where to start? This article takes you through Rakuten Japan’s platform features, two entry modes, entry conditions and fees, and then gives you product selection directions suitable for Japanese consumers. Finally, it reminds you of the account environment and compliance operations.
Rakuten is the leading platform in the Japanese e-commerce market, and its status is roughly equivalent to Amazon in the United States. It is an important and weighty entrance for sellers who want to enter the Japanese market. However, the threshold for entering Lotte is not low, and the process is also very particular. Doing enough homework in advance can avoid detours. This article will walk you through the core points of opening a store.
First understand the characteristics of Rakuten platform
Rakuten is not just an "e-commerce website", it combines online retail and membership services. Its most famous mechanism is the "Rakuten Super Points" points system - customers accumulate points through consumption and come back to spend again, thus forming strong brand loyalty and repurchase inertia. This is not only good for sellers (user stickiness is high), but it also means that you need to know how to manage points and membership relationships.
What are the advantages of opening a store in Lotte?
- Wide user coverage: Rakuten users range from young people to middle-aged and elderly people, and from all income levels. You can reach different segmented groups based on product positioning.
- Strong Brand Endorsement: Backed by Rakuten, a leading platform, new sellers in Japan can use its influence to be trusted by consumers faster.
- Frequent promotions: Big promotions like Super Sale attract a lot of traffic and are a good time to increase sales and increase visibility.
- Relatively healthy business environment: Rakuten has stricter control over merchant behavior. There are less cases of follow-up sales and fraudulent orders on the platform, and it is more friendly to regular sellers who make products and services with care.
How to choose between the two settlement modes?
- Direct Entry: Suitable for sellers who already have some experience and resources in the Japanese market. The product listing, marketing, and customer service of the store are all managed by themselves.
- Official Agent Settlement: Suitable for sellers who lack Japanese market experience or language support. Agents can provide introductory consultation, language support and follow-up operation services.
How to choose depends mainly on your understanding of the Japanese market, Japanese language ability and resources. If you settle through an agent, it is best to consult the investment manager directly for specific details.
Settlement conditions and fees (for reference)
Rakuten's threshold for merchants to enter is not low. Common conditions include: being a formally registered enterprise, having a certain number of years of e-commerce operation experience in the Japanese market, being able to provide Japanese customer service, products that must comply with relevant certifications for the Japanese market, and using bank accounts in the name of the company for transactions, etc. For details, please refer to the latest official requirements of Rakuten.
Expenses generally include initial registration fees, deposits, periodic fixed fees, and commissions calculated as a certain percentage of sales. There will be differences in different periods and categories. Remember to refer to the official quotation of the platform for the current period.
What is the general process of settling in?
The overall process is divided into three steps: Apply for opening a store (prepare corporate information, bank and payment account numbers, etc., and submit to the investment manager for confirmation) → Issue a seller account (log in to Rakuten backend RMS to set up the store and pay the initial fee) → Officially open the store (decorate the store in RMS, upload products, and open the store after passing the opening review). It often takes several months from preparation to actually opening a store, so there is no rush.
Product selection direction for the Japanese market
Japanese consumers not only value quality, but also like things with uniqueness and design. In recent years, their demand for environmental protection, health, sustainability and organic products has also grown. Several types of directions that are more popular in Rakuten Japan:
- 3C and consumer electronics: smartphone accessories, portable charging, high-end audio, etc. Japanese consumers are highly receptive to cutting-edge technology and energy-efficient products.
- Beauty and Personal Care: Japan is a big country in beauty and skin care, and cosmetics and skin care products with unique effects or ingredients have great potential.
- Fashion Clothing: Japanese consumers value personality and brand. Independent designer brands or clothing with cultural characteristics are more attractive to young people.
- Home Furnishings: Innovative gadgets and smart home appliances that can improve the quality of life have stable demand in Japan.
Don’t forget the account environment and compliance
The operation of Rakuten stores is often linked to social media promotions such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. These social media have strict checks on multiple account associations: the platform will determine whether the accounts are related through device fingerprints, network behavior, etc. Once it is determined that the same person is operating multiple accounts, they may be collectively restricted. Therefore, in the Japanese market, try to make each account environment independent of each other to reduce related risks.
At the same time, be sure to follow compliant operations and network routes—don’t use your brain to break through risk control in the account environment. Only by isolating accounts and providing good products and services can Lotte stores get off to a solid start.
Summary
Entering Lotte means that you must first think clearly about the entry model, prepare all the information, calculate the costs, and then select and operate products according to the tastes of Japanese consumers. This is a process that requires patience and meticulous investment, but the traffic and brand value brought by the platform are also considerable. With a willingness to continue learning and adapting to the Japanese market, Rakuten will be a place worth operating in the long term.
