Marketplace giants eBay and Rakuten are partnering in what the two rivals hope will be a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Under the agreement, eBay Korea’s Gmarket will launch a flagship store on Rakuten Ichiba – its Japanese platform – featuring boutique shops that will offer Korean fashion and beauty products to Rakuten’s membership base of more than 100 million users.
Likewise, Rakuten will launch a service on Gmarket’s curated ecommerce service G9, offering Korean consumers the opportunity to purchase unique merchandise from Rakuten’s extensive lineup of Japanese merchants.
The two marketplaces will provide their sellers with translation, listings, merchandising and customer support services. In addition, eBay and Rakuten will support each other by providing fulfilment center warehouse space and delivery solutions in their respective home countries.
The agreement was touted as “another step toward active cross-border trading for merchants – small and large – in both countries.”
There was nothing in Tuesday’s announcement to suggest the two companies might partner elsewhere around the globe.
