Rakuten integrates automotive service brands as “Rakuten Car”

February 3, 2020 - TOKYO, JAPAN: Rakuten, Inc. today announced the merger of the automotive service brands it operates. These services were launched today under the new “Rakuten Car” brand.

Rakuten Car is a new brand that covers the wide range of automotive-related services provided by the Rakuten Group designed to meet the needs of car owners, including the purchase and sale of cars, car washing, and vehicle inspection. By merging these services into one brand, Rakuten aims to make it easier to understand the diverse lineup of automotive services provided by the Rakuten Group, as well as lay the groundwork for strengthened collaboration between related services in the future.

This brand merger integrates the following five services under the Rakuten Car brand: Rakuten Shaken, a site for obtaining advance quotes and making bookings for vehicle inspections, Rakuten Car Service, which allows users to make batch assessment requests for the trade-in of used cars, compare and make reservations for car wash and coating services, and make reservations for tire mounting services, Rakuten Car Service App, a search app for gas stations where users can collect Rakuten Points, and Rakuten Car Service Magazine, which provides information on discounts on vehicle maintenance fees. The brand merger also includes Car Price, an auction service that purchases used cars, operated by the consolidated subsidiary Rakuten Car Co., Ltd.*1

Rakuten Car Service has witnessed a growing need for online services in the automotive sector. For example, the number of reservations made for its tire mounting service in 2019 increased by 5.6 times over the previous year, while the number of reservations made through Rakuten Shaken in 2019 grew by 1.6 times over the previous year. Taking into account these trends, Rakuten also launched the new Rakuten Car Rakuten Ichiba Store, a used car sales service for the Rakuten Car brand, on its online shopping mall, Rakuten Ichiba. In the future, the company plans to gradually expand the lineup of automotive services provided under the Rakuten Car brand.

Starting on Monday, February 3 (UTC+9), the Rakuten Car Birthday Celebration: Reward Points Festival will be held to commemorate the Rakuten Car brand merger. During this period, users who enter the campaign and register under the My Car membership program, operated by Rakuten for users who own cars, will be able to earn additional Rakuten Super Points for the use of eligible services under the Rakuten Car brand and for making purchases on eligible stores on Rakuten Ichiba.

Going forward, Rakuten will continue to further enhance the level of convenience provided by its services, while also providing diverse services designed to fit a variety of customer needs.

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