Rakuten and Tokyu break down barriers between offline and online with new joint venture

If you’ve ever visited Tokyo, chances are you’ve come across the Tokyu brand. Whether you got from point A to point B via a Tokyu train line, shopped at a Tokyu department store, or stayed at a Tokyu hotel — and perhaps all three in one day — it’s a name that has been known and trusted for almost a century. 

And now, the transportation, real estate, retail and hotel leader has teamed up with Rakuten to establish its name in a new field: digital marketing solutions. 

Announced at a recent virtual press event, Rakuten and Tokyu have launched Rakuten Tokyu Planning Co., Ltd., a new joint venture that will leverage the online and offline reach and technological capabilities of both groups to create better shopping experiences for customers and accelerate cashless payment trends in Japan.

Personalized shopping experiences

The continued 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 changing consumer needs. In the midst of this transformation, Tokyu offers comprehensive offline support to consumers living along its many rail corridors, featuring transportation facilities, real estate, retail and hotels, complementing Rakuten’s powerful ecosystem of 70+ services.

With the launch of Rakuten Tokyu Planning, the two companies will create a more personalized, rewarding experience for customers through a variety of intelligent marketing solutions that combine the experience, reach and tech capabilities of both groups. These solutions will be applied to merchandising in Tokyu Group retail stores, allowing them to improve operations and stock their shelves according to clearly defined consumer needs.

All aboard for a cashless future

With this new joint venture, Rakuten and Tokyu also have another goal in mind: To further accelerate the cashless payment trend in Japan. Starting this month, the two companies will fast-track the adoption of Rakuten Point Card, the Rakuten Group’s loyalty points program, and introduce the app-based Rakuten Pay cashless payment service into the payment systems of the Tokyu Group’s vast network of stores.

Spurred by changes in customer habits calling for more cashless payment options across Japan, Rakuten and Tokyu hope their alliance can help propel more consumers into a cashless future.

Through Rakuten Tokyu Planning, a global tech company and a Tokyo icon are on track to provide customers with more convenient services and a more personalized shopping experience, breaking down the barriers between online and offline services along Tokyu-owned rail corridors.

For more details see the announcement made on August 31, 2020.