Tokyo, November 20, 2013 - Kobo Inc., a subsidiary of Rakuten, Inc. enhanced cooperation with the online bookstore Rakuten Books, and as of November 20 launched “Rakuten Kobo eBook Store powered by Rakuten Books” within Rakuten Books, and commenced sales of eBooks. The existing Rakuten Kobo eBook Store (https://rakuten.kobobooks.com/) remains in service.
The launch of Rakuten Kobo eBook Store powered by Rakuten Books has added a new shopping cart function exclusively for eBooks in Rakuten Books. This will enable users to freely select and purchase both paper books and eBooks, as well as to purchase eBooks in bulk. Furthermore, a new function was added in the product page of Rakuten Kobo eBook Store powered by Rakuten Books, that enables the packet purchasing of all publications in serial works. Users of the new store will be able to post and browse reviews of eBooks, as well as easily access reviews of the paper versions of the same eBooks. Additionally, the book genre section was overhauled to match the specifics of the Japanese market, the user interface functionality and search functions were upgraded, and the store was optimized for smartphone use. Overall, the new eBook store boasts enhanced user-friendly features. It is also linked with the RaCoupon Rakuten Coupon Service, and in the future we intend to provide users with opportunities to purchase books at reasonable prices.
As Rakuten Group services, up until now Rakuten Kobo eBook Store and Rakuten Books have cooperated in terms of user ID and Rakuten points, but were completely independent in terms of their website user interface and functions. This meant that customers had to switch between services when buying paper books and eBooks. By strengthening their cooperation, both online stores will enable users to enjoy unrestricted and seamless purchasing of both paper books and eBooks. We intend to continue to add new functions to the service in the future, in order to provide users with a more comfortable and rich reading life.
Kobo will handle sales on both platforms (Rakuten Kobo eBook Store powered by Rakuten Books and Rakuten Kobo eBook Store), and Kobo Customer Care will continue to provide customer support related to eBooks.