[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/04\/16\/rakuten-future-commerc\/#Article","articleBody":"Hiroshi \u201cMickey\u201d Mikitani, founder and CEO of the Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, says that the future of e-commerce lies in a \u201chospitality\u201d model.\nIn his new book, \u201cMarketplace 3.0: Rewriting the Rules of Boarderless Business,\u201d he says online shopping will continue to evolve into a more personal experience. In an\u00a0interview with TechCrunch, he explains his vision and how the cultural characteristics of the Japanese influence what he calls \u201csocial commerce.\u201d Each transaction, he points out, even from the corner store, is marked by a profound desire to serve individual needs.\nThe social network was Web 2.0, says Mikitani, and now we\u2019re coming up against a new wave of commerce and that\u2019s social shopping and discovery shopping. That, he says, is Web 3.0.\nMikitani knows what he\u2019s talking about\u2014his company, Rakuten, has a $15 billion market cap and sells over 150 million SKUs in Japan. The brand also acquired Buy.com and e-book creator Kobo. The company employs about 10,000 people, who are all dedicated to the Japanese, personalized model of e-commerce, which he calls a hospitality experience.\nMikitani talks at length about his take on e-commerce in a 10-minute video you can see here.\nRead the full story at TechCrunch.","dateModified":"2020-11-17T21:16:22+00:00","datePublished":"2013-04-16T05:00:54+00:00","description":"An interview with Hiroshi \u201cMickey\u201d Mikitani, founder and CEO of the Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten","headline":"Is the future of e-commerce Japanese?","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/04\/16\/rakuten-future-commerc\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"600","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/fcec-share-image3-1200x600.png","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/04\/16\/rakuten-future-commerc\/","name":"Is the future of e-commerce Japanese?","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/04\/16\/rakuten-future-commerc\/#Article"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2013","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/\/04\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"16","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/\/04\/\/16\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Is the future of e-commerce Japanese?","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/04\/16\/rakuten-future-commerc\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]