Rakuten kicks off European expansion plan in Spain

Japanese online platform Rakuten has devised a plan to conquer Europe from its base camp France. First stop: Spain, where the company has copied its French model using generative AI to gain speed and cut costs.

Similar consumption habits

Rakuten has been operating in France for fifteen years, and has now launched its marketplace in Spain as well. This should mark the start of a broader European expansion. “Spain is a strategic choice because this market shows double-digit growth in e-commerce, unlike France, with around 30 million e-buyers with consumption habits similar to those of the French“, Rakuten Fance CEO Cédric Dufour told LSA.