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JD.com bags Japanese e-commerce marketplace Rakuten after losing Uniqlo earlier this year

Japan-based electronic e-commerce marketplace Rakuten  announced today that it is establishing an online store on JD.com. Products sold on the platform include cosmetics, snacks and health food products.

“We opened a Japanese Mall for authentic imported goods earlier in the year, and it is one of the most popular country malls we have launched so far,” Josh Gartner, a spokesperson for JD.com, told e27. 

Though Japanese goods may be a favorite among Chinese consumers, it’s not always easy keeping merchants on board for the entire ride.

In July of this year, Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo closed its online store on JD.com. Uniqlo’s platform was open on JD.com for only three months and had seemingly performed well, prior to making the announcement. No reason was given for the closing.

However, Uniqlo’s store on Alibaba’s Tmall remains running. It’s been speculated that Alibaba provided Uniqlo with added incentives, should the fashion retailer stay monogamous.

JD.com, formerly known as 360buy Jingdong, went public on Nasdaq in May 2014 and is currently China’s second-largest online retailer, after Alibaba.

Alibaba and JD.com both compete to attract high-profile brands to their platform, and the long-term rivalry hasn’t always been friendly. In November, just prior to Singles’ Day, China’s biggest shopping day, JD.com filed an unfair competition lawsuit against Alibaba’s Tmall.com.

JD.com’s lawsuit is based on information from its merchants indicating that Alibaba was coercing merchants to choose to exclusively deal with one e-commerce site during promotional activities.

In any case, the Rakuten addition may reflect favorably on JD.com. Founded in 1997, Rakuten is one of the world’s leading Internet services companies.

Also Read: Alibaba breaks sales records on Singles Day, should you care?

The post Uniqlo out, Rakuten in: The e-commerce hub joins JD.com appeared first on e27.

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