From France, Japanese online platform Rakuten aims to conquer the rest of Europe. First stop: Spain, where the company has copied its model using generative AI to gain speed and cut costs.
Similar consumption habits
Rakuten, which has been operating in France for about 15 years, has just launched its marketplace in Spain. This should mark the start of a broader and faster European expansion. “Spain is a strategic choice because this market shows double-digit growth in e-commerce, unlike France, with around 30 million e-buyers with consumption habits similar to those of the French,” Cédric Dufour, CEO of Rakuten France, told LSA.