Rakuten's Buy.com Celebrates 15th Anniversary

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, Rakuten's Buy.com, the global marketplace that allows shoppers to buy from people, not the internet, celebrates its 15th Anniversary, after launching in June 1997.  Reflecting on the lessons learned over the years, Rakuten's Buy.com will celebrate its corporate milestones to date and leverage its seasoned experiences in the e-commerce industry to highlight five online shopping trend predictions, while rolling out a number of online sales to reward its customers throughout the month of June. 

To kick-off the month, shoppers should be sure to check out today's Shopping Marathon, offering users up to 20 percent back in Rakuten Super Points.  There is also a 50,000 Super Point giveaway to be spent on Rakuten's Buy.com, users need to enter via their Facebook page by June 30th 2012.

Neel Grover, CEO, Rakuten's Buy.com, comments: "The Company has experienced some fantastic achievements to date and we're looking forward to continuing the hard work and significantly growing the business.  The market has evolved tremendously over the last 15 years and today's consumer has a very different set of expectations from even two years ago.  We're concentrating on reinventing the business to deliver a new era of online shopping, one that brings the benefits associated with traditional brick and mortar shopping, online."

Utilizing deep market insight from its experience to date, Rakuten's Buy.com provides five shopping predictions for the future:

1. The consumer will truly be at the center of the shopping ecosystem and retailers will create unique, tailored digital shopping experiences to reach the individual 
2. Expect the online marketplace to become increasingly global with consumers willing and able to purchase products from anywhere around the world, especially in new emerging markets
3. Mobile innovation will play an increasingly important role in the development of the market and there will be a clear shift from 'online shopping' to viewing and purchasing on mobile
4. Social shopping has already started to reinvent the purchasing model, with social and peer recommendations weighing heavily on purchasing decisions - this trend will become increasingly important, as consumers will look for approval and inspiration from existing and developing social media platforms
5. Expect more significant partnerships forming between Brick and mortar resellers and pureplay ecommerce companies

To reward both existing and new customers through the month of June, in addition to today's Shopping Marathon, Rakuten's Buy.com is giving shoppers 10 percent back on Father's Day, June 17th. Celebrations will continue at The Rakuten Buy.com Expo in New York on June 27th.  This Expo will bring together Buy.com and Rakuten executives to discuss best practices in the industry, exciting new strategies to implement and the promising road ahead for the global online marketplace. For more information June deals, promotions, product video reviews and more, please visit: www.buy.com/deals

About Rakuten's Buy.com

Rakuten Buy.com connects buyers and sellers in a global marketplace that allows shoppers to buy from people, not the internet. By providing a large selection of hand-picked products at a reasonable price point, Rakuten Buy.com shoppers support local merchants as well as the brands they love. Founded in 1997, Buy.com joined Rakuten in 2011 to continue its mission to provide a simple, connected and human alternative to the ecommerce experience. With more than 37,000 merchants offering 70 million products from around the world, Rakuten Buy.com is committed to technical innovation that empowers buyers and sellers to create long-lasting relationships. For more information, visit: www.buy.com.  

About Rakuten

Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ:4755), is one of the world's leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer- and business-focused services including e-commerce, e-reading, travel, banking, securities, credit card, e-money, portal and media, online marketing and professional sports. Rakuten is expanding globally and currently has operations throughout Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas. Founded in 1997, Rakuten is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: http://global.rakuten.com/group.

SOURCE Rakuten Buy.com