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How to open a shop on Rakuten

Learn how to roll out your e-commerce store on Rakuten Ichiba, Japan's top online shopping mall with active user base of 100 million shoppers.

Pick your contract

There are two basic ways for businesses outside Japan to open stores. Please select whichever method works best for you.

Contract Type

Direct Contract (Basic Shop Open Plan)

Outsource to Service Partner

The overseas business entity signs a direct contract for store opening with Rakuten Ichiba. The overseas business entity signs an outsourcing contract with the service partner, who then signs a direct contract on your behalf with Rakuten Ichiba.
Countries Applicable
USA
Canada
UK
France
Germany
Australia
South Korea
Taiwan
Hong Kong
China
Denmark
Netherlands
Spain
Italy
Singapore
Switzerland
* Additional conditions may apply depending on your country of origin. Please contact us for more information.
Other
Payments Overseas Business Entity → Rakuten Overseas Business Entity → Service Partner → Rakuten
Rakuten →Overseas Business Entity Rakuten → Service Partner → Overseas Business Entity
Customer Service Overseas Business Entity Service Partner
Store Operations Overseas Business Entity Service Partner
Product Shipping Overseas Business Entity Overseas Business Entity
Japanese Staff Required (Service Partners available) Unnecessary (Service Partner)
Supported Integration Shopify None
Mamenta
Rithum

Cost & Fees

Estimated costs will vary based on whether you make a direct contract with Rakuten (Ichiba Basic Shop Open Plan), or choose to outsource to one of our service partners.

Costs

Direct Contract (Basic Shop Open Plan )

Outsource to Service Partner

Registration Fee ¥60,000 Varies by Service Partner. Our Onboarding Consultants can assist you in recommending the best plan and partner to match your business needs.
Monthly Fixed Fee ¥65,000
Monthly Fee: 2 Installments (6 months each) 
Contract Period 1 Year
Listing Capacity 20,000 Items* *Can request for more after shop open
Commission Fees System Fee PC: 2.0%-4.0% (Mobile: 2.5% - 4.5% ) System fees decrease as sales volume increases.
Rakuten Super Points Fee 1% of Monthly Sales
System Enhancement Fee for Improving Safety and Usability on the marketplace 0.1% of Monthly Sales
Rakuten Super Affiliate (1) Incentive Fee Rate: 2% ~ 4% of affiliate sales
(2) System Fee Rate: 15% ~ 30% of (1)

Requirements

Japanese Capabilities

Highly proficient Japanese capabilities will be required for:

  • Store Setup
  • Customer Support
  • Page Maintenance
  • Order and Return Management
  • Marketing Campaigns

Our partnered Service Partners are all highly qualified in Japanese proficiencies.

*Our Shop Interface, RMS (Rakuten Merchant Server) is only provided in Japanese.

Established Logistics

You will need to establish reliable logistics in order to ship products directly from the merchants to end users in Japan.

Rakuten offers various logistics solutions, including Rakuten Super Logistics and partnerships with other logistics providers to tailor the best solution for your business.

Applicable Products

All items must comply with applicable Japanese laws.

During the screening process, Rakuten may ask the seller to submit supplemental documentation regarding certain products.

Foreign Exchange Risk

Given that products are sold in Japanese Yen, be prepared to manage foreign exchange currency fluctuations.

Qualified Credit Report

Rakuten requires business to be incorporated and provide a good credit file. For your application, Rakuten may require either a Creditsafe report score, or the Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S number.

Merchant onboarding process

It takes about one and a half months from submitting your application to opening your shop on Rakuten Ichiba.

Step1

Application 2 ~ 4 weeks

All merchants are required to go through onboarding screening. An Onboarding Consultant will support you to prepare the necessary documents depending on your merchandise and shop operation plan.

Once you pass all stages of screening, you will be issued an account upon payment, and can start creating your our shop.

Step2

Contract Agreement

After you gain access to RMS (Rakuten Merchant Server), the next step will be to register your items in Japanese, upload your company's information, set your return and shipping policy, and create your storefront. A Shop Open Adviser will be standing by to support you with set up.

Step3

Store Setup 3 ~ 4 weeks

Your assigned Shop Open Advisor will guide you through the process of setting up your shop page, such as registering your items, uploading your company's information, setting your return and shipping policy, and creating your storefront.

Store open!
Finally, your store goes live!

Get in touch with an Onboarding Consultant

Contact Us!

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