How can I sell on Rakuten as a professional?

12,000: the number of professional sellers who have chosen to boost their online sales with our Rakuten platform. Rakuten is the only marketplace that empowers sellers and their customers, without competing with them. It's also a platform with no hidden fees and transparent pricing. And so much more!

Are you a professional tempted by the adventure of e-commerce? But you don't know how to go about it, or who you can trust? Discover our guide to start selling your products or services on Rakuten... And get your business off the ground.

On the program:

• Why sell on a marketplace?
• Why choose Rakuten?
• What are the prerequisites for joining Rakuten?
• How do I start selling on Rakuten?
• How much does it cost to sell on Rakuten?
• How to develop your sales on Rakuten?

Why sell on a marketplace?

Marketplace: definition

Imagine a large digital shopping mall. Each store inside represents a vendor. Buyers, meanwhile, can move from store to store on the platform... without ever disconnecting. Thisisthemarketplaceprinciple . And that's exactly what Rakuten offers.

Rakuen is a marketplace that facilitates contact between buyers and sellers. On our e-commerce platform, professionals can sell their products, much to the delight of consumers: 52% of customers in France say they prefer to make all their purchases on a single site (Yougov 2021). And 92% of buyers plan to make increasing use of marketplaces in the future (Mirakl 2022)!

Sellers are also attracted to marketplaces, thanks to their simple, cost-effective operation. Most marketplaces offer a monthly subscription model, with commissions or percentages on sales. Each e-shop creator can then advertise products for sale. Some platforms, such as Rakuten, even offer to take charge of inventory management, storage and shipping .

Advantages of the marketplace model

Behind this online sales model, the advantages are numerous. These include

• Increasedvisibility and credibility: every marketplace has an established user base and traffic. Sellers can therefore benefit from an effortless increase in visibility and credibility. At Rakuten, for example, over 15 million unique visitors each month visit the e-shops of partner sellers... and 13 million loyal buyers put their trust in them!
  
• Lower marketing and communication costs: e-merchants in a marketplace benefit from integrated marketing tools (product promotion, targeted advertising, recommendation of similar products) and an existing website (without having to develop their own technological infrastructure and communicate on it). The result? Savings, reduced acquisition costs and improved ROI!
  
• Secure transactions: the platform guarantees the smooth running of transactions and data management. Choosing to sell on a marketplace means choosing maximum security... which has a major impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• A complementary sales channel: joining a marketplace doesn't mean giving up your traditional sales channel (physical store, e-commerce site, social shopping, etc.). It simply means multiplying additional sales opportunities! The marketplace is a choice compatible with your other channels, to amplify your reach on the Internet. So, have you thought about combining marketplace and e-commerce?

Why choose Rakuten?

Now you know the advantages of digital marketplaces. Now you're ready to make a choice from among the many marketplaces dedicated to web sales professionals... And if you're still hesitating, here are the reasons to put your trust in Rakuten:

• No competition with sellers : our priority is you. We don't sell our own B2C or B2B products. Unlike many marketplaces, we don't compete with our e-merchants by selling our own products. 100% of our efforts are dedicated to your success and the growth of your e-shop.
• Free offers and services: our starter offer is free, with no monthly fees and no minimum sales volume. Professionals on our platform also benefit from free services to make their day-to-day work easier. Click&collect, e-shop creation, digital training, invitations to exclusive events, support from an e-consultant... These services are included in their subscription, with no additional hidden costs.
• Regular payment: marketing your products online, and not receiving any money from sales... That's the worst situation for an e-tailer. Fortunately, at Rakuten, our sellers are spared! They receive regular payments twice a week.
• Simplified logistics: unlike traditional e-commerce sites, many marketplaces like Rakuten offer order management, storage, packaging and shipping services. Sellers can then concentrate on what they do best: selling.
• A loyal and committed community : 15 million unique monthly visitors, 13 million loyal buyers, 12,000 sellers... At Rakuten, we're committed to bringing people together, uniting them and engaging them. Would you like to be part of this community and attract regular customers? Then you've come to the right place:

What are the prerequisites to join Rakuten?

All e-commerce professionals are welcome on our Rakuten platform. That is, provided you have :

✅ A registration number (SIREN) and an Intracommunity VAT number

✅ Documents proving the company's name and address

✅ Documents proving theidentity of the company's legal representative

✅ A catalog that complies with Rakuten's compliance and security policy .

Do you meet these 4 requirements? Then you can join our 12,000 sellers. We'll tell you how to get your e-shop off the ground right after.

How do I start selling on Rakuten?

Once you've met the 4 prerequisites listed above, you can join our marketplace. It couldn'tbe easier: go here to register.

Fill in the registration form, and your account will be validated within 48 hours. Once validated, you'll be able to :

• Put your products online

• Customize your delivery options and shipping costs

• Set up your e-shop
• Activate payment

To guide you through each of these 4 steps and start selling on Rakuten, here's our video tutorial (subtitled in english) :

How much does it cost to sell on Rakuten?

Transparent pricing and attractive commissions: that's what we offer all our partner sellers. Indeed, selling on our marketplace is a financially advantageous solution:

• Transparent pricing
• Clear commissions, with no hidden fees
• No account opening fees
• Subscriptions to suit your needs

We offer two subscription formulas:

• The Starter pack :from €0/month and commissions from 14%. It's the ideal package for getting started in e-commerce and testing sales from a marketplace.
• The Expert pack: from €49/month and commissions from 8%. This is the formula best suited to building a long-term business.

In addition to these offers, management fees vary according to the value of the item sold, starting at €0.15 for products of €10 or less. Click here to findout more .

And that's all there is to it. Let's get selling!

How to develop your sales on Rakuten?

After the creation phase, it's time to accelerate: how do you develop your sales? Increase your growth, boost your ROI and win the loyalty of a large number of customers on Rakuten?

Here are our 4 tips for going from "beginner seller" to "successful professional seller":

1. Optimize your catalog and product sheets

30%of Internet users have already abandoned a shopping cart because of an incomplete product description (source: Shotfarm Product Information Report). To avoid losing sales opportunities, it's essential to take care of your product sheet and catalog. To optimize it, remember to :

• Use keywords for natural referencing (SEO)
• Write a detailed description (conditions of use, product technical details, etc.)
• Include a clickable button (CTA) to encourage purchase
• Add high-quality visuals (static, contextualized product photos, videos, etc.)
• Insert social proof, thanks to customer reviews
• Highlight certain offers or products in your catalog, according to the highlights of the year

Discover all our tips for creating an exceptional product sheet on Rakuten.

2. Competitive delivery

The presence of shipping costs is a reason for cart abandonment for 62% of e-buyers, according to a Sendcloud study (2023 ). What's more ,44% of buyers don't want to wait more than two days to receive their order (Statistia, 2022) .

Today,thepriority for e-tailers is toreduce parcel delivery times (and the associated costs!). To achieve this, they need reliable logistics partners like Rakuten Fulfillment Network.

If you're a user of Rakuten Fulfillment Network, our e-commerce logistics service, you can outsource your entire supply chain and ensure fast service for your customers .99.8% of orders placed before 2pm are delivered within 24 hours!

3. Sponsor your ads

To maximize your performance, have you considered sponsoring your ads? Sponsoring puts your products in the spotlight in a marketplace. For example, with Rakuten Ads, sponsorship rapidly improves the visibility of your e-boutique and your products .

The principle is simple: our algorithm selects the most relevant keywords to promote your products. If a potential buyer types in a pre-defined keyword, your product appears first in the search results.

You define the budget for your campaign. Once it's exhausted, it can't be exceeded. You benefit from greater visibility on our marketplace, and increased traffic and sales. Perfect for boosting your growth!

4. Offer attractive promotions

80%ofconsumers are more inclined to buy a new brand if they have access to a coupon or promo code (source: RetailMeNote annual report, 2021). And 46% of consumers even abandon their shopping baskets if a promotional code doesn't work .Promotions are a real lever for acquisition, but also for loyalty: you can't afford to miss out!

By becoming a professional seller on Rakuten, you have several options open to you, such as Rakuten Coupons and Rakuten Points.

Rakuten Coupons are personalized discount vouchers valid only on your ads. They are automatically placed in strategic locations on Rakuten, such as the RakutenDealspage and on product sheets.

RakutenPointsare cashback that members of our free loyalty program (Club R) can receive after each purchase. Club R members can earn upto20% of the purchase price in cashback.

Activating Rakuten Points campaigns is useful for offering additional discounts without affecting the face price of your products. On your side ,youincrease the average basket, while improving your customer acquisition and retention strategy. What more could you ask for?

Sales professionals: ready to join Rakuten?

Marketplaces are growing exponentially. In 2020 alone, these platforms recorded 81% growth, twice that of traditional e-commerce sites (Mirakl, 2021). And the good news is that sellers on these platforms are also benefiting from this performance: increased visibility, traffic, sales and turnover... All while saving on logistics and marketing costs.

Would you like to take advantage of all these benefits? Start selling today on Rakuten, and join our 12,000 sellers :