Japan’s Rakuten Group, Inc. and Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. have announced the establishment of Rakuten Data Solutions, Inc., a new company which will research and develop new data solutions, with operations now underway.
Rakuten Data Solutions will research and develop data solutions for advertising clients using Rakuten’s accumulated online and offline consumer behavior analysis data – which draws from a membership base of more than 100 million members in Japan alone – as well as leveraging the consumer and media data and marketing expertise the Hakuhodo DY Group has accrued as a marketing services company. Toshimasa Tanaka, President and Representative Director of MIHA, Inc., Rakuten’s influencer marketing company, will assume the position of President and Representative Director of Rakuten Data Solutions.
In recent years, marketing strategies that focus on maximising customer LTV (lifetime value) have become essential to the sustained business growth of companies. As a result, companies have needed to respond with full-funnel strategies to every step in the consumer behavior journey, from brand awareness, to purchase, to converting consumers into fans. It is this business environment in which Rakuten Data Solutions will research and develop new solutions that combine the strengths of both Rakuten and Hakuhodo DY Holdings, and contribute to integrated marketing activities.
To date, both Rakuten and Hakuhodo DY Holdings have supported the marketing activities of a variety of companies by leveraging their strengths respectively. The establishment of Rakuten Data Solutions will allow both companies to combine their efforts, leading to next-generation data solutions.