The less bumpy way to ride e-commerce = Rakuten (Seite 249)

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Total Cumulative Number of Rakuten Points Issued Exceeds Three Trillion - 500 billion points issued in the 11 months since Rakuten achieved its 2.5 trillion cumulative points milestone.

Tokyo, July 19, 2022 – Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced that the total cumulative number of points issued through its Rakuten Points loyalty program has exceeded three trillion*1. Through the ongoing implementation of a variety of campaigns, the resurgence of offline consumption and increased usage of Rakuten Group services, 500 billion Rakuten Points have been issued in the 11 months since Rakuten achieved the 2.5 trillion total cumulative points issued milestone.

To commemorate the new milestone, a dedicated website explaining the ways in which Rakuten Points can be collected was launched earlier today. A special three trillion cumulative Rakuten Points issued campaign is also planned for the near future *2.

In addition to Rakuten services such as Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Card, Rakuten Bank and Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten’s flagship loyalty program Rakuten Points can also be earned and spent when shopping on Rakuten’s diverse portfolio of services and at partner stores across Japan. Launched in November 2002, the points program is approaching its 20th anniversary this year. Rakuten Points reached the milestone of one trillion total cumulative points issued in July 2017, followed by two trillion points in September 2020 and 2.5 trillion points in August 2021. In addition, the average number of points earned per Rakuten member increased by approximately 1.4 times*3 in the three-year span between 2019 and 2021, while the number of members who have earned 100,000 or more total points has exceeded 7.5 million*4.

Contributing factors to the achievement of three million total cumulative points issued include a variety of ongoing campaigns across the Rakuten Group. On the Rakuten Ichiba online marketplace, this includes the “Okaimono Marathon” and Rakuten Super Sale events, and other group services continue to offer incentives such as the Super Point Up Program, which scales up the amount of points earned according to the number of Rakuten Group services being used.

Elsewhere, Rakuten Card’s transaction value is increasing due to the increased number of cards being issued as well as the recovery in offline spending, while services such as Rakuten Pay and Rakuten Point Card have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of usage at participating stores. Additionally, Rakuten Mobile subscribers are increasing and other Rakuten Group services have been receiving active use – all factors that have contributed to achieving three trillion total cumulative points issued.

Rakuten’s unique ecosystem consists of more than 70 services spanning e-commerce, travel, finance, telecommunications, sports and more. Rakuten Points can be used on many Rakuten services and at affiliated merchants (approximately five million locations) and can also be exchanged with approximately 50 different points and miles programs issued by partner companies. The ways in which customers can use their Rakuten Points continues to expand: Easy Point Investment by Rakuten Point Club gives users a simulated investment experience using Rakuten Points, while similarly the Point Bitcoin by Rakuten Point Club service offers users a Bitcoin-trading experience. Additionally, Rakuten Point Interest allows users to increase their Rakuten Points in accordance with a predetermined interest rate.

Combined with constant improvements made to the convenience of Rakuten’s services, these campaigns and initiatives have contributed to the loyalty program’s popularity, and Rakuten Points has been consecutively named the number 1 loyalty points program in Japan for overall customer satisfaction. Rakuten Points has also been rated the points program users in Japan most want to earn and spend*5.

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/update/2022/0719_01.htm…

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Raktuten's Amit Patel on consumer differences between the U.S. and Japan

July 12, 2022

Partnering with the Golden State Warriors solved a “top of the funnel” challenge that Rakuten had when it rebranded and reached out to U.S. Consumers, said Amit Patel, CEO and president of Rakuten Americas.

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We are Symphony: A conversation with Vibha Chourey

By Suddhaloke Choudhury

Global Content and Social Media Manager Rakuten Symphony

A passionate stage performer and a ‘Garba’ dance enthusiast, Vibha Chourey currently works as an UI Tech Lead at Rakuten Symphony in Indore, India. We caught up with her to learn more about her career journey, what drives her to succeed and her ambitious goals for the future.

Tell us a little bit about your journey before Rakuten Symphony.

I grew up in a small town “Khandwa” in Madhya Pradesh, India. I remember taking “Informatics Practices” as an extra subject in high school where we had to make a small project on Visual Basics. It was at that time that I realized I liked programming and so I decided to study Computer Science Engineering after school.

At the age of 19, I left home to pursue engineering and after graduating, moved to Indore where I joined Innoeye Software Technologies (which has since joined the Rakuten Symphony family) as a software developer. During my tenure, I worked on various projects for big telecom vendors including Reliance Jio & Telstra and gained some insights into the telecom industry.

My biggest learning from Innoeye was actually words of advice from my mentor there, “Never run behind money, just focus on your learnings and everything else will follow.”

How would you describe your current role and responsibilities?

Currently at Rakuten Symphony, I am working as a UI Tech lead for one of the Symworld applications designed to help Rakuten’s customer care team maximize automation and customer satisfaction.

Since Symworld has many apps, keeping consistency among the applications is a very big challenge. A lot of my work involves constantly touching base with other application owners to keep the app consistent and up to mark.

Reviewing the codebase and giving constructive feedback to team members are some of my weekly tasks. I also plan timely upgrades for front-end technology and make sure nothing breaks, all of this while building a strong team of talented and eager individuals.

How would you describe your current role and responsibilities?

Currently at Rakuten Symphony, I am working as a UI Tech lead for one of the Symworld applications designed to help Rakuten’s customer care team maximize automation and customer satisfaction.

Since Symworld has many apps, keeping consistency among the applications is a very big challenge. A lot of my work involves constantly touching base with other application owners to keep the app consistent and up to mark.

Reviewing the codebase and giving constructive feedback to team members are some of my weekly tasks. I also plan timely upgrades for front-end technology and make sure nothing breaks, all of this while building a strong team of talented and eager individuals.

There are not many organizations who have achieved a micro front-end architecture for UI. I am proud to say that we have done it and our apps are being used live already. Working with the latest technologies to build the one-of-a-kind marketplace for the telecom industry keeps me motivated and super exited.

When it comes to Rakuten, it is not only about the technology, but also about the vision and mission we have, of connecting and empowering people, and that motivates me.

What does a day in the life of Vibha look like?

My workday consists of discussions with different Module leads, Design Team, BA’s and QA’s as well as decision making for UI architecture to be followed for multiple requirements.

Other than that, I also have internal discussions with my team for planning and distribution of tasks, code review and more. I feel blessed to have the best team, with all of us remaining positive and working together, especially during difficult days.

Do you have any personal mantra or quote which keeps you going?‍

"Always be a better version of yourself everyday."

I keep asking myself all the time if I am learning something new daily. If you are the same as you were two, three months ago or a year ago, then you are not learning, you are not improving.

One more popular saying that I personally abide by is: "Either you can find an excuse or you can find a way’."

Making excuses is the worst thing one can do and so I always try to focus on getting on with it and finding a solution.

https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/we-are-symphony-a-conversa…

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Losses come exclusively from the massive costs linked to Rakuten’s development of its own nationwide mobile network

Rakuten presents a different picture. The core e-commerce business is highly profitable and has been so for a long while. Operating margins are stable or improving, standing at 8-10% for the retail segment (approximately double Amazon’s margins) and 12-14% for the financial services segment.
The recent losses come exclusively from the massive costs linked to Rakuten’s development of its own nationwide mobile network. Since 2018, these losses have exploded and entirely overwhelmed the rest of the profitable businesses of the company.

https://finmasters.com/rakuten-stock-research-report/#quick-…

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zu 8241

„In this report, I will show the following:

1. The quality and growth of e-commerce segment alone coils support a much higher market cap. We will also discuss why some Japanese equities deserve a second look, especially growing and modern companies.

2. The capital intensive phase of the mobile operations is largely done. Their losses should drop dramatically and they might even turn profitable.

3. The Rakuten ecosystem is a world-class moat, and the mobile activity reinforces it.

4. The financial branch of the company is largely not discussed, despite large opportunities available in Online Banking, FinTech, Insurtech, and for monetizing the data collected.

5. The investment in mobile network technology has been used to develop a unique technology stack, similar to what Amazon did with AWS. It could be massively adopted abroad by low-cost mobile operators, as demonstrated by some recent high-margin sales of the solution. This will also transform Rakuten’s investing profile from “Japan e-commerce” to a diversified international tech conglomerate.“

https://finmasters.com/rakuten-stock-research-report/#quick-…

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Rakuten is a major investor in Carousell

Carousell’s Journey to IPO in 2022 – Singapore Unicorn Start Up?

By Contributor -June 1, 20220

B Carousell is one of Singapore’s most well-known startup unicorns, synonymous with buying and selling new and secondhand goods.

Over the years, Carousell went on to attract additional funding from major investors such as Rakuten, Golden Gate Ventures, Naver and 500 Startups.

Then in September 2021, Carousell hit its biggest milestone. It raised $100 million in fresh funds from STIC Investments. This brought its valuation to US$1.1 billion – finally reaching unicorn status nine years after its founding.

financialhorse.com/carousells-journey-to-ipo-in-2022/

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zu 8240

"So I personally think that market pessimism on Rakuten is unwarranted. Expansion into mobile was a risky venture that might pay off more than anyone expected. And even if this was not the case, the value of e-commerce, FinTech, and overall ecosystem justify a higher valuation."

https://finmasters.com/rakuten-stock-research-report/#extend…

[FlankerStan]

Why Rakuten?

Rakuten is a large conglomerate of e-commerce, financial, telecom, and consumer service dominating the Japanese online economy. The telecom segment has been a major cash drain and spooked investors out. The strong growth and quality of the core business have been ignored and left the company undervalued. The mobile business is set to turn profitable and this should change the narrative (and valuation multiples) around Rakuten.

A High-Quality Core Business

Rakuten is the largest actor in the Japanese e-commerce sector and gaining even more dominance every year. It is highly profitable and with very strong margins compared to other generalist e-commerce platforms like Amazon or Alibaba.

As a stand-alone company, this segment could single-handily justify the current market valuation of the Rakuten Group, with all the rest of the company offered for free.

https://finmasters.com/rakuten-stock-research-report/#extend…

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten and JUBF Launch “World University Basketball Series” in Tokyo This August

- Sun Chlorella to be presenting partner of inaugural tournament, which will host teams from Indonesia, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220629005461/en/Rak…

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These are the best eReaders in 2022

By Roland Udvarlaki July 11, 2022, 10:00 am

Kobo Libra 2

Best alternative to Kindle

The Kobo Libra 2 is one of the best alternatives to the Amazon Kindle lineup. It features a large 7-inch 300ppi display. It’s a thin and lightweight tablet, features a long battery life, 32GB of storage, and a waterproof design. The tablet also supports landscape mode, and it has dedicated physical page-turn buttons for a simpler navigation.

The 7-inch display also features adjustable brightness and temperature slider, allowing you to change every aspect of your reading experience. The tablet also supports audiobooks, and you can connect a speaker or earbuds seamlessly by using Bluetooth. The tablet comes in two colors, black and white, and it’s slightly cheaper than the Kindle Oasis.

https://pocketnow.com/best-e-reader-tablet-2022