Online shopping for locals

People who frequently shop online will be familiar with names like eBay or Amazon. Those online shopping websites are famous for their excellent service and safe payment system.

Back home, Indonesian customers also have some online shopping sites. Websites like belanjaonline.com, tokobagus.com and berniaga.com, to name a few, have been popular destinations.

But, local shoppers now have a new option for shopping online with the launch of rakuten.co.id. People may have heard of Rakuten as one of the world’s leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer and business-focused services including e-commerce, travel and professional sports.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Tokyo, Rakuten has over 10,000 employees worldwide. Rakuten has also been expanding globally and currently operates throughout Asia, Western Europe and North America.  

After signing a joint venture agreement in May 2010 with MNC Group, Rakuten has been diligently preparing for the official launch of RBO (Rakuten Belanja Online or Rakuten Online Shopping) in Indonesia.

Initially, RBO will be offering a wide range of domestically produced products to Indonesian consumers by local merchants. This system replicates Japan’s Rakuten Ichiba B2B2C (Business-to-Business-to-Consumer) Internet shopping mall model.

Rakuten Online Shopping offer merchandise and goods from Indonesia’s top retailers, such as consumer electronics from Electronic Solution, books and stationery from Kinokuniya and, for golf enthusiasts, Top Golf.

RBO will be linked to Rakuten Group’s e-commerce sites in other countries, including Japan’s Rakuten Ichiba.

The great thing about Rakuten Online Shopping is that they fully support local Indonesian brands by offering beauty products from top local cosmetics companies like Mustika Ratu and Martha Tilaar as well as goods from prominent department stores like Alun-Alun Indonesia and Sarinah.

“Rakuten and MNC Group aim to work together to develop and expand RBO to become Indonesia’s No.1 Internet shopping mall. We plan to benefit from Rakuten’s e-commerce expertise as the largest online shopping mall in Japan and MNC Group’s leading positions for the effective and efficient placement of advertisements and promotions,” said Hary Tanoesoedibjo, group president and CEO of MNC Group, at the launching.

Rakuten Online Shopping also provides a safe way for Indonesia consumers to shop online. They are now working to ensure safe and secure transactions between consumers and merchants and deliver highly convenient and reliable services.

Making everything easier for their consumers, RBO has formed an agreement with well-known banks in Indonesia such as BCA and Bank Mandiri to facilitate payments through the Internet.

Other banks will soon be joining similar partnerships. In order to secure a reliable distribution network, RBO will seek cooperation with major partners in Indonesia.

Rakuten’s chair and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani said that Rakuten Belanja Online (Rakuten Online Shopping) is the realization of a joint venture between Rakuten and MNC Group with the hope of enriching the lives of the Indonesian people by providing a fun, safe and a convenient place to shop for goods and services.

RBO is also expected to contribute to the growth of Indonesia’s e-commerce by empowering merchants and consumers through the power of the Internet.

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post