Seiyu and Rakuten Begin Full-Scale Rollout of New Collaborations: Centered on “Online Merges with Offline” Strategy and Powered by Rakuten Points

Tokyo, March 10, 2022 - Seiyu Co., Ltd., Rakuten Group, Inc., Rakuten Payment, Inc., Rakuten Edy, Inc., and Rakuten Card Co., Ltd. will begin a full-scale rollout of a new collaborative program in all Seiyu, Livin and Sunny stores operated by Seiyu in April 2022. The program will make use of an Online Merges with Offline (OMO) strategy centered on Rakuten Points.

This program aims to promote enriched digital marketing in Seiyu stores and create an environment that allows users to enjoy convenient shopping at reasonable prices whenever they choose by eliminating barriers between online and offline shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. The aim is to establish a new customer base — while activating the current customer base — to make Seiyu a leading Japanese OMO retailer.

As part of this program, Rakuten Card will issue a new credit card with an original Seiyu design starting April 1. This will be a first-of-its-kind design collaboration for Rakuten Card with a supermarket retailer. Rakuten Edy e-money can also be added to this card, enabling customers to use Rakuten Edy for payment at all Seiyu and related stores. In addition, new functionality to offer in-store services will be added to the Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper app, which will also be newly launched as the Rakuten Seiyu app on April 26 (planned release date). This new app will combine the functionality of Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper, the Rakuten Points loyalty program and the smartphone payment service Rakuten Pay in one integrated format, and is designed for use both in-store and online through Netsuper. Additionally, it will be possible to use Rakuten Point Cards in all Seiyu Group stores starting April 26.

By combining the introduction of Rakuten Edy and Rakuten Point Card with the Rakuten Pay app introduced by Seiyu in December 2020, Seiyu will be positioned to leverage an even more robust framework for data collection and analysis, enabling the company to provide customers with personalized communication and promotions through integrated online and offline data.

Seiyu and the Rakuten Group began their collaboration with the announcement in October 2018 of the grand opening of Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper, an online grocery delivery service jointly operated by both companies. The two companies introduced Rakuten Pay in December 2020, Rakuten Check – which allows users to earn points by visiting stores – in November 2021, and Rakuten Pasha – which allows users to earn points for sending pictures of receipts – in February 2019 in all Seiyu, Livin and Sunny stores, strengthening the Rakuten-Seiyu collaboration and providing services that transcend barriers between online and offline shopping. With the full-scale rollout of this program, Seiyu aims to become the largest supermarket retailer in Japan to provide customers with the opportunity to accumulate and use Rakuten Points.

To commemorate the launch of this program, between April 26 and May 8, Rakuten and Seiyu will hold a special campaign that awards customers five times the usual amount of Rakuten Points when using their Rakuten Point Card in-store. This will be followed in April by another campaign that increases the percentage of Rakuten Points awarded when using Rakuten Card and Rakuten Edy. From May onward, measures to ensure a reasonably-priced shopping experience at Seiyu stores will continue, including Rakuten Double Points Days, which award users double the usual amount of Rakuten Points by presenting their Rakuten Point Card.

Going forward, Seiyu and Rakuten will continue to strengthen this collaboration program, as well as further strengthening the Netsuper business and the integration of online and offline digital marketing. The two companies aim to make Seiyu a leading Japanese OMO retailer by establishing a new customer base and activating the current customer base. Additionally, Rakuten will leverage the program it has built alongside Seiyu as a model for taking its OMO platform nationwide in order to empower the supermarket industry across Japan.

Seiyu and Rakuten Group Program

Points chart fact sheet (*Under usual circumstances, excludes campaigns)^*1

*1 Eligible stores: All Seiyu stores, Livin stores and Sunny stores (A total of 328 stores as of March 10, 2022).

*2 Registration is required to earn points.

*3 The percentage of points awarded may vary in certain cases.

*4 Applies if payment (1%) is made after charging (0.5%) the Rakuten Cash online e-money with a Rakuten Card. The Rakuten Seiyu app reward percentage applies if the Rakuten Pay app is used.

Great value campaigns for the Seiyu Members’ Program

*Please check the campaign pages for more details.

*The details of campaigns may be subject to change.

Rakuten Card

From Friday, April 1 to Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Seiyu, Livin and Sunny stores, customers who shop^*1 with their Rakuten Card^*2 will receive three times (3%) the usual number of Rakuten Points on weekdays^*3, and five times (5%) the usual number on Saturdays^*3.

*1 Certain products may be ineligible.

*2 Includes Rakuten Card: Seiyu Design, as well as Rakuten Pink Card, Rakuten Gold Card, Rakuten Premium Card, Rakuten Black Card, Rakuten ANA Mileage Club Card, Rakuten Bank Card, Rakuten Card Academy, Alpen Group Rakuten Card and other designs.

*3 Up to a maximum of 50,000 points.

Rakuten Point Card

Every day from Tuesday, April 26 to Sunday, May 8, 2022, customers who shop at Seiyu, Livin or Sunny stores will receive five times (2.5%) the usual number of Rakuten Points when they present their Rakuten Point Card.

Beginning Monday, May 9, customers who shop at Seiyu, Livin or Sunny stores on Tuesdays and Saturdays will receive twice (1%) the usual number of Rakuten Points when presenting their Rakuten Point Card, as well as five times the usual number of points (2.5%) on the 15^th day of each month.

Rakuten Edy

From Tuesday, April 5 to Monday, April 25, 2022, customers who charge their card at Seiyu, Livin or Sunny stores^*1 will be awarded Rakuten Points worth 2% of the amount charged^*2 within the campaign period.

From Tuesday, April 26 to Sunday, May 8, 2022, customers who use Rakuten Edy to shop at Seiyu, Livin or Sunny stores will be awarded twice (1%) the usual number of Rakuten Points^*2.

A campaign which will grant customers who shop at Seiyu, Livin or Sunny stores a significant number of bonus Rakuten Points is scheduled to begin Monday, May 9, 2022.

*1 For customers who charge their card at eligible stores.

*2 For customers who have completed their registration application as of the end of May 2022.

About Seiyu Co., Ltd.

Seiyu was established in 1963, and provides foodstuffs, daily necessities, household goods, and clothing to customers across Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, through more than 300 Seiyu, Sunny and Livin stores and Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper. It works to fulfill its mission, “Happiness is having Seiyu nearby” offering valuable products that meet the diverse demands and needs of customers and providing special value through careful business streamlining and technology. Seiyu aims to become an industry leader in OMO services that combine physical stores and the Internet by making the most of the strengths of its shareholders (KKR, Rakuten and Walmart), and will continue to innovate and take on challenges. https://www.seiyu.co.jp/

About Rakuten Group, Inc.

Rakuten Group (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to approximately 1.6 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 28,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.

About Rakuten Payment, Inc.

Rakuten Payment is a Rakuten Group company that provides services in payments and marketing. Established in April 2019, Rakuten Payment operates services such as Rakuten Pay (for store payments and for app payments), Rakuten Point Card, Rakuten Edy and Rakuten Check. Rakuten Payment provides convenient and safe payment services to customers and provides affiliated businesses with a wide range of payment services tailored to meet their diverse needs and support through marketing programs leveraging data. https://payment.rakuten.co.jp/

About Rakuten Edy, Inc.

Rakuten Edy operates the Rakuten Group’s prepaid e-money Rakuten Edy and the digital e-money Rakuten Cash. The company is focused on new initiatives, including attracting new participating stores from around the country (including supermarkets), operating cashless stadiums and promoting cashless payment in cooperation with local governments in Japan, and aims to further improve the convenience and satisfaction levels of all its e-money users and participating stores as it collaborates with various Rakuten Group services, working to provide even better services.

About Rakuten Card Co., Ltd.

Rakuten Card began issuing Rakuten Cards in July 2005. It aims to deliver even greater levels of customer satisfaction by expanding its credit card services and features, and ensuring that its financial services are more convenient, easier to use and more personal. It ranked no. 1 in customer satisfaction for the 13^th year in a row in the credit card category of the FY2021 Japanese Customer Satisfaction Index survey^*1, and has issued over 25 million cards (as of December 2021).

https://www.rakuten-card.co.jp/

*1 Japanese Customer Satisfaction Index: (*Japanese site)
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