Rakuten makes a Foray into the Austrian Market

With the online marketplaces becoming very popular acting as the best platform for buyers and sellers, the Tokyo-based Rakuten Inc is going miles by penetrating different market segments. It is not only making plans for business expansion but implementing it with great force as it has started an e-commerce operation in Austria. It is the masterminds behind the smooth functioning of Rakuten which has enabled this Tokyo-based company to make its presence felt in more than 25 countries.

If it is about following a business model that has led Rakuten to find out the opportunities of mergers or acquisitions, it has sailed smoothly. The Rakuten CEO and chairman Hiroshi Mikitani has spelt out at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2013 in Chicago that Rakuten made plans and invested some good marketing dough to buy Webgistix. The e-commerce fulfillment firm has its base of operation in five U.S. warehouses.

The Success Story since 2010

It is not only Webgistix which is the feather in the cap that Rakuten has acquired; it has bought nine companies within a span of three years, which speaks about the growth potential of the Tokyo-based company. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Rakuten took the reins of Alpha Direct Services which is a French company offering or selling their logistics to e-retailers.  What made the ecommerce industry to create a buzz was when Rakuten bought U.S.-based Buy.com. Rakuten.com Shopping is the name that was bestowed on Buy.com. Beginning its journey Buy.com was a popular name as an online retailer offering a wide range of consumer electronics at unbeatable prices with the scope to avail discounts and deals.

Rakuten Shopping: Focusing to be a Marketplace

Rakuten is putting its focus on Rakuten Shopping to make it a marketplace, so that it can act as a strong platform between e-sellers and the online buyers. As an online marketplace, it will act as a connecting platform. Without a strong financial backbone, businesses have difficulty in finding a strong foothold in their respective niches.  Rakuten has created the Asian Startup Fund in Singapore. The fund is going to offer a supportive arm to the start-ups and businesses that have that e-commerce edge. So it is not only the business expansion plans that Rakuten is making with it being Austria  this time as the area of operation, it is helping business to stretch far and wide in the ecommerce landscape.