24-hour Sale Drives Record Day for Rakuten Ichiba

Rakuten Ichiba, the Internet shopping mall run by Rakuten, Inc.(“Rakuten,” Chairman and CEO: Hiroshi Mikitani, Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo), broke through the 10 billion yen sales mark in a 24-hour day for the first time, generating total sales of 13 billion yen[1] on Sunday, March 4.

Rakuten Ichiba held the “Rakuten Super Sale,” its biggest sale & Super Points campaign in history, from 12am midnight on March 4 until 11.59pm, offering enticements such as cars and motorbikes at less than half price. Not only were a great number of items under half price thanks to cooperation with merchants nationwide, but a points campaign gave customers up to 40 times as many points as usual. The success was driven by an aggressive promotional campaign, including TV commercials aired beginning Monday, February 27 and banners placed on public transport.  

Popular items during the March 4 sale included everyday products such rice and water, which have seen strong online sales since the March 11 disaster last year, as well as desks, chairs and other furniture. Robot cleaning devices were especially popular, capitalizing on the annual spring demand surge as people change houses and jobs ahead of the new fiscal year in Japan on April 1. Other bestsellers were spring fashion, small items such as clocks and seasonal cosmetics, and recreational goods such as sports gear to prepare for the more outdoor excursions as spring arrives.  

Previously, Rakuten Ichiba surpassed the 10 billion yen mark in total sales over a 30-hour period in December during the “Shopping Marathon” sale campaign. 2011 was also the first year that annual sales exceeded 1 trillion yen. Rakuten Ichiba aims to further expand sales, taking sustained measures to support sales growth at merchant stores while striving to improve customer satisfaction.

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[1] Based on preliminary estimates. Includes online purchases, joint purchases, regular purchases, Super Auction, Rakuten Books