Rakuten UK

8 06, 2016

Rakuten to Close UK Marketplace

By |2016-06-08T09:54:49+00:00June 8th, 2016|Categories: News, Rakuten UK|Comments Off on Rakuten to Close UK Marketplace

Merchants have received the below email from Rakuten informing them that the Rakuten UK marketplace will close at the end of August. It's sad to see the marketplace close and our sympathy goes out to those who will lose their jobs at the company. Dan Wilson at Tamebay suggests the company suffered from "not knowing what it wanted to do" and in business, that is crucial. In a press release, Rakuten has said it will focus its ecommerce marketplace investment in France and Germany as the businesses there have the scale and potential for sustainable growth. However, in UK and Spain, the cost of growth relative to the size of the businesses has led to plans to close these operations. Here's the email in full, "Dear Merchant We regret to inform you that following a strategic review of its operations in Europe, Rakuten has decided to consider plans to close Rakuten.co.uk to shoppers from the end of August. This is part of a European business review aimed at ensuring that Rakuten is able to redevelop our offer to match customer and merchant expectations in an [...]

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10 03, 2016

Infographic: Looking at Ecommerce Consumer Psychology

By |2018-12-14T12:18:05+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Amazon, eBay, Multi-channel Ecommerce, News, Rakuten UK, SellerExpress, Tips|Comments Off on Infographic: Looking at Ecommerce Consumer Psychology

We know that the speed of a website is one of the major factor in the success of the site, especially ecommerce websites. Aside from the obvious factors that make people leave your website, there are numerous other things that will influence the behaviour of your website shoppers—most of the customer’s behaviours boil down to human psychology. The behaviours are always predictive in the sense. The moment you understand perfectly the reason behind how and why people navigate and interact online, you can easily design and develop your e-commerce website on those principles. Consumer psychology is an aspect that helps you get into the heads of consumers to figure out what they buy and why. The more ecommerce facts you know, the easier it is to build marketing campaigns that will appeal to your target demographic. The infographic below can be the eye opener that you need to understand more of the ecommerce trends and take control of your marketing in a more effective way. Made by: BargainFox

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30 11, 2015

Online Holiday Shopping Tips and Stories

By |2018-12-14T12:18:06+00:00November 30th, 2015|Categories: Amazon, eBay, News, Rakuten UK, Tips|Comments Off on Online Holiday Shopping Tips and Stories

Each holiday season, the atmosphere sometimes gets the better of both buyers and sellers. It’s quite a hectic time of year with a lot going on — sometimes, people use this creatively and to their advantage (as we’ll see in one story below) and sometimes, things get a little nuts. SellerExpress brings you the best and worst of holiday shopping from both perspectives. Black Friday Sales to Die For America: it’s the land of excess and nuttiness on shopping holidays — especially Black Friday — with buyers entering stores as though they were hopped up on cocaine and bloodlust. The scent of a good sale is just too irresistible for hordes of buyers as they crash through metal gates, sprint into stores, tackle each other over packages and sometimes even trample each other to death. In one instance, a Los Angeles woman even took to pepper spraying video game buyers to grab more Xbox consoles than others. There can be really good deals to be had on Black Friday but when a site like Black Friday Death Count exists, you have to wonder if the [...]

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11 11, 2015

Infographic: Complete Guide to USPS International Shipping

By |2018-12-14T12:18:08+00:00November 11th, 2015|Categories: Amazon, eBay, Marketplaces, Multi-channel Ecommerce, News, Rakuten UK, SellerExpress, Tips|Comments Off on Infographic: Complete Guide to USPS International Shipping

Stamps.com have shared this great infographic which is a guide to USPS International Shipping, including tips for international shipping, shipping carrier cost comparisons, eBay’s top categories for international sales and much more. Learn how to ship your USPS packages to international customers and expand your business globally by tapping into the growing demand for American-made products.

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23 04, 2015

SellerExpress Rakuten Integration Software

By |2018-12-14T12:18:14+00:00April 23rd, 2015|Categories: Marketplaces, News, Rakuten UK, SellerExpress, Tips|Comments Off on SellerExpress Rakuten Integration Software

SellerExpress is pleased to announce a number of new features to make listing and selling on Rakuten.co.uk (formerly Play.com), simpler and faster. SellerExpress offers integration with Rakuten.co.uk, helping former Play.com customers link their listings to the new marketplace as well as offering new customers the necessary linkage to their Amazon and eBay listings. Control pricing SellerExpress allows you to base your Rakuten prices off either cost price, default sale price, or Amazon price. You can use such formula-based pricing or set fixed prices on Rakuten. Inventory control You can enter your stock quantities to SellerExpress which will be automatically sent to all of your marketplaces. Once you receive orders your stock will also be automatically deducted from SellerExpress and each of your other marketplaces. Order processing Your orders will also be downloaded so that you can process them through SellerExpress. Order dispatch notifications will be sent to Rakuten for you, and you can also cancel orders with SellerExpress. However if you need to send a customer refund you will need to do this directly on Rakuten at present. More to come SellerExpress has been working [...]

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6 03, 2015

Rakuten’s Play.com to Close on 24 March 2015

By |2016-12-20T16:15:22+00:00March 6th, 2015|Categories: News, Rakuten UK|Comments Off on Rakuten’s Play.com to Close on 24 March 2015

Rakuten are currently emailing Play.com merchants regarding the closing of Play.com on 24 March 2015. Further details can be found in the email from Rakuten below. "As per our email to you earlier this year, we are closing Play.com on 24th March, 2015. Since this will directly impact on your business we would like to share our plan for the closure so that you can make the necessary preparations. Here are some answers to common questions being asked: What happens to traffic when you close Play.com? From the 24th March, we will re-direct all traffic from Play.com web pages to the Rakuten.co.uk domain. All listings will be set to inactive for Play.com, so that no further sales can be made. What does this mean for my account on Play.com? Until the 24th of March, you will be able to trade on Play.com as usual and you will have full access to the toolbox and the features it contains. After this date, you will have full access to your account for 3 months (until 1st July), to fulfil any remaining orders, process refunds and handle outstanding [...]

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9 12, 2014

Google Analytics for Ecommerce Businesses

By |2018-12-14T12:18:19+00:00December 9th, 2014|Categories: Amazon, eBay, Marketplaces, News, Rakuten UK, Tips|Comments Off on Google Analytics for Ecommerce Businesses

Google Analytics for ecommerce businesses is no longer optional, it’s mandatory. Well, it is if you have any plans of succeeding in ecommerce. Even if you don’t and are content to go at it very part-time, it’s still a very useful tool to have around so you can measure who visits your site and where they come from. SellerExpress takes a look at this new aspect of Google Analytics and why you should be hopping on board as soon as possible. Google Analytics: A Recap Most merchants are no doubt familiar with Google Analytics but just in case, here’s a little rundown of its most important points. Tracking: This is the first part of getting started and all you’ll need is a Google account, which you may already have. You’ll next have to set up an account on Google Analytics, link your website, and then copy and paste the tracking code they provide. Reports: Remember that Google sometimes takes up to a day to get its 'tracking robots' in order, so don’t expect results right away. Once they do start coming in, you’ll be able [...]

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9 01, 2014

Rakuten’s Play.com Launches Premium Delivery Options

By |2016-07-18T11:13:08+00:00January 9th, 2014|Categories: Rakuten UK|Comments Off on Rakuten’s Play.com Launches Premium Delivery Options

The UK's 3rd largest marketplace, Rakuten Play.com has just announced new Premium Delivery options for its merchants and customers. The new functionality is aimed at allowing merchants the option of offering First Class and Express delivery on a SKU by SKU basis, determining price per item as well. Play.com is clearly in a competitive online market where its main marketplace competitors, Amazon and eBay continue to see delivery options as a determining factor in rising sales. Keen to offer its customers greater choice when ordering, Play.com is enabling its merchants with the tools to add further delivery options to their products and having reviewed its guide, we would expect merchants to find this quite straightforward to implement. If you're not already selling on Rakuten Play.com, we would certainly advise you to consider it. With over 15 million customers, it's a sizeable 3rd marketplace in the UK and if you're already selling on Amazon or eBay, it can be easily reached through your SellerExpress account. For more details check out the Play.com's Marketplace.

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19 12, 2013

Are your eBay sales down this Christmas?

By |2018-12-14T12:18:20+00:00December 19th, 2013|Categories: Amazon, eBay, Marketplaces, Multi-channel Ecommerce, Rakuten UK|Comments Off on Are your eBay sales down this Christmas?

Being on ecommerce forums a lot allows me to take the pulse of sellers’ gripes and indeed successes from time to time. Christmas is always that time of year when many are complaining about their sales not matching their expectations, and how continual fee hikes and ever-changing regulations are eroding profits. For many, when the answer is 'yes' to the question, "Are eBay sales down?" the gaze across to Amazon counterparts is inevitable and fed by the ‘grass is greener’ feeling and whilst that isn’t always the reality, for those thinking of switching to Amazon or adding it to their sales channels it’s worth being as informed as possible before jumping in… 1. More Traffic, More Opportunities You began selling on eBay because of the sheer volume of traffic it gets and the number of potential buyers who could see your wares. Well, as a natural extension of this rational, Amazon gets much more traffic than eBay—from paying customers who trust the site and are in buying mode. What’s not to like about that? 2. Fewer Bargain Hunters Whilst Amazon customers are definitely on the [...]

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1 07, 2013

Rakuten Play.com Gold Star Merchants use SellerExpress

By |2018-12-14T12:18:21+00:00July 1st, 2013|Categories: Rakuten UK|Comments Off on Rakuten Play.com Gold Star Merchants use SellerExpress

Rakuten Play.com highlights monthly award-winning merchants who are their most trusted sellers demonstrating a combination of great customer service, excellent feedback and fast delivery times. We don't think it's a coincidence that quite a few of the merchants on show use SellerExpress for their multichannel selling. In fact, we're not surprised at all, since SellerExpress greatly improves your performance in the key areas Rakuten and its customers value: Postive feedback Faster and more accurate order processing to improve customer satisfaction, reduce labour costs and increase your seller performance ratings. Extensive range When you have a lot of items on sale, SellerExpress allows you to list, synchronise and automate that inventory across eBay, Amazon, PlayTrade and your own webstore from one central hub, allowing you to save time, maximise sales, minimize overselling and increase profits. Fast delivery With advanced picking list options and all your information in one easy-to-use online application, you've got everything you need to quickly pick, pack and dispatch your orders super fast. Competitive price SellerExpress comes complete with the market-leading repricer built right in, so you can sell more and increase your [...]

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