Many companies consider opening a store on Rakuten Ichiba when they want to expand sales in their EC business. However, they often do not have the know-how to increase sales or are unable to organize a system to match sales, so they often turn to consulting companies or management agencies for advice.
In this article, we will explain general consulting services and management agency services, and introduce examples of commerce media and the services they offer.
What is Rakuten Ichiba's consulting and management agency?
Rakuten Ichiba's consulting services are a cut-out of the Rakuten Ichiba-related content of the EC/mail order consulting services. The content varies considerably depending on the company providing the service, but most of the consulting is about "increasing sales and profits on Rakuten Ichiba."
Therefore, the general definition is "a service that makes proposals to increase sales and profits" using product planning, designing the path to purchase, SEO within Rakuten Market, and the use of advertising.
In addition, as the sales volume of the e-commerce/mail-order companies they support increases, they may find themselves short of manpower to operate the business, so some consulting companies also offer management services on their behalf.
The word "management" in management agency work often refers mainly to the front side of the website, and the main tasks include updating the site, registering product pages, creating banners and images, and creating and updating planning pages for sales such as shopping marathons and Rakuten SUPER sales.
However, when sales volume is still small, the fees that the client can pay often do not match with the fees for the management agency, so in many cases the client will initially work in-house while receiving consulting services.
In cases where Rakuten Ichiba already has large sales, or where a major company is entering Rakuten Ichiba, they are able to secure a budget, so they may request that we handle operations on their behalf from the start, along with consulting services.
Differences with ECC (E-Commerce Consultant)
When you open a store on Rakuten Ichiba, you are assigned a Rakuten employee called an ECC (E-Commerce Consultant). The role of this ECC is to increase sales for the store in charge, but since they also serve as advertising sales representatives, they are generally considered advertising sales representatives. Also, RMS operation support is handled separately, so even if you ask the ECC how to operate RMS, you will basically just be directed to support.
Depending on the ECC, they may be responsible for not just one company but over 100 companies at the same time, so the support time per company may be short.
The difference between ECC and consulting companies is that ECC can provide more specific proposals and closer support.
For example, our consulting services not only provide advertising suggestions for sales such as the Shopping Marathon and Rakuten Super Sale, but also provide more detailed support such as proposing store-specific campaign plans and campaign pages, selecting advertisements to match the campaign, and providing detailed reviews after the campaign.
In addition, consulting companies that also provide operational services can also provide ancillary services such as page creation and advertising management, so you can ask them to help you with everything from coming up with measures to implementing them and analyzing them.
Rakuten Ichiba Consulting Services
While there are various types of support depending on the company, Rakuten Ichiba's consulting services can be broadly divided into five types: chat support, ad management, advisory, monthly, and comprehensive support. We will explain the characteristics of each type here.
Chat support type
Some consulting companies offer consultation services via chat or email. These are services that respond to questions via chat or email, so rather than receiving suggestions on what to do, they provide advice when you want to do something.
For example, you can use it to discuss what type of ads to purchase when purchasing advertising space during the Shopping Marathon or Rakuten Super Sale, or when you want to receive ideas to improve a project you have come up with.
■ Recommended companies Companies that are running their own Rakuten Ichiba initiatives but would like a third-party opinion Companies that want to quickly learn about trends and how to utilize new features Companies that want data on other companies' case studies
Specialized advertising operations
Consulting companies that specialize in advertising operations mainly propose advertising strategies. Most of these companies can be entrusted with not only proposals but also operations, so they are like advertising agencies on Rakuten Ichiba.
What sets us apart from other web advertising agencies is that we are thoroughly familiar with the Rakuten Ichiba system. At Rakuten Ichiba, we are required to secure advertising space and increase exposure in line with Rakuten Ichiba-run events such as the Shopping Marathon and Rakuten Super Sale, as well as seasonal special features, so it can be a high hurdle for beginners.
In addition, some ads have conditions for display, and if you do not fully understand those conditions, you may not be able to display the ad even if you purchase it. For this reason, there are various factors to consider even when it comes to "advertising for the Rakuten SUPER Sale with a budget of 1 million yen."
Since various aspects of Rakuten Ichiba advertisements are constantly being updated, this type is recommended for companies that want to always optimize their advertising operations or companies that want proposals for advertising strategies that match their company's plans.
■Recommended companies Companies that do not have Rakuten's advertising know-how Companies that lack the resources to operate advertising Companies that want to quickly implement the PDCA cycle for advertising Companies that want to focus on their own planning and nurturing repeat customers
Advisory type
Advisory consulting is a service that organizes what needs to be done and by when in line with the goals of EC/mail-order companies, and manages execution. Since it is in a position similar to that of an external advisor, there is basically no support in terms of actual hands-on work.
- Setting realistic sales targets
- Planning products that will win in the market
- Calculate the promotion budget required to achieve your goals
- Creating an annual promotional schedule
- Identify tasks to be performed
As mentioned above, the goal setting section helps you identify the gap between your goals and what needs to be done, so it is recommended for companies that are not yet familiar with Rakuten Ichiba and don't know where to start.
■Recommended companies ・Companies that have opened a store on Rakuten Ichiba but don't know what to do ・Companies that don't know how to set realistic goals or promotional budgets ・Companies that don't have an EC department manager and no prospect of hiring
Single month type
Monthly consulting mainly involves checking whether there are any abnormalities in the store's condition compared to the previous year, and if there are any abnormalities, proposing the causes and what measures should be taken to improve them. The service content can also be adjusted to include analysis and proposals for monthly goals rather than year-on-year comparisons, so it can be thought of as a monthly consulting service.
The condition of the store is diagnosed mainly based on access, conversion rate, and average customer spending, and if any of these indicators are below the previous year or target, the cause is identified and improvement measures are proposed. Since the figures fluctuate due to various external and internal factors within Rakuten Ichiba, analysis takes time and some cannot be explained, so it is recommended for companies that do not have analytical know-how or time to analyze.
I think this is a service that would suit companies that have a certain share of Rakuten Market sales and want to focus on other sales channels, as well as companies that deal with products such as health foods whose demand does not fluctuate much with the seasons.
■Recommended companies ・Companies that want to focus on other sales channels while maintaining their current Rakuten Ichiba sales ・Companies that want advice and information from a third-party perspective ・Companies that sell single repeat products with little seasonal fluctuation
Comprehensive support type
Finally, we will explain the comprehensive support type, which is a combination of the services we have explained so far. Because the scope of work is so wide, we need to be deeply involved in the EC business of the outsourced company, and the store side must also make an effort to communicate closely and share information.
In addition, with comprehensive support services, you can often also request management services, making it a service that allows you to use external resources to handle everything from planning to implementing measures.
Types of Rakuten Marketplace Management Agency Services
As mentioned above, as e-commerce and mail-order companies advance through the sales phase, the amount of work increases, and there is a need not only for consulting but also for outsourcing operation services.
Since management agency services are labor-intensive, outsourcing them requires the cost of professional labor, so if you have a low budget it may be difficult to make requests or you may only be able to outsource to a small extent.
*This is just an estimate as it will vary depending on the product, unit price, and size of the company.
Management agency services cannot be lumped together as the scope of coverage and service content varies from company to company, but we will explain the general scope of work.
Rakuten Ichiba: Business operations that can be outsourced to management agents
The main tasks that can be outsourced to Rakuten Ichiba's management agency are registration and updating of the site's front-end operations. The range of front-end operations that can generally be outsourced is listed below.
- Product page registration (image creation, registration work)
- Product page updates (product name, product image, etc.)
- Store TOP update
- Category page creation and update
- Planning page (GOLD) creation and update
- Banner Creation
- Coupon issue
- Point Settings
- Event update work
- Entry work (SUPER sale search, etc.)
- Email newsletter creation
- etc…
As mentioned above, you can outsource the registration and updating of product pages and category pages, as well as campaign settings for coupons, points, etc. Therefore, in addition to regular management tasks such as creating product pages and updating store pages, you can also change product pages to event-specific pages at the time of events such as shopping marathons, and publish event-specific planning pages without having to do the work yourself.
Rakuten Market sometimes holds events three or more times a month, and by outsourcing the operations to an agency, they almost completely eliminate the need for their own personnel.
However, since management agencies also use their human resources to provide support, they cannot accept requests indefinitely. Many management agencies set a limit on the number of requests they can accept, or have rules such as not accepting the next request until one request is completed.
Also, it may be difficult to secure personnel for urgent requests, so we recommend making requests with a flexible schedule.
Characteristics of each management agency
Depending on the management agency, you may be able to outsource not only front-end operations but also back-end operations such as customer support and logistics, and there are various other features. Here we will explain the most common ones.
Product photography
By providing product samples, you can commission the shooting of image materials to be used on the product page. The content that can be shot varies depending on the company's facilities, such as product photography, image shots, model photography, etc. The fee structure varies depending on the company, with some including it in the monthly fee and others charging a separate fee per shot.
Ad Management
As mentioned in the consulting service section, management services may also be able to outsource various advertising tasks such as setting up and updating programmatic ads, creating images for ads, etc. As for the cost, it is usually around 10% to 20% of the advertising cost, separate from the management agency fee.
Inventory Management
At Rakuten Ichiba, it is necessary to adjust inventory according to events. You can outsource the forecast of required inventory and the management of inventory.
Logistics
Some management agencies also operate logistics warehouses, and may be able to entrust you with the storage and shipping of your products. There are also cases where they partner with external logistics companies and manage logistics at their partner warehouses.
In either case, delivery to a designated warehouse is required, so companies that originally manage their inventory in their own warehouses will need to manage their inventory separately, and their OMS (order management system/centralized management) and WMS (warehouse management system) may be limited.
Customer Support
You can outsource customer service such as handling inquiries and complaints. In addition, Rakuten Ichiba allows you to respond to reviews, so you may be able to outsource responses to low reviews and other necessary actions.
CM consulting and management services
Commerce Media's Rakuten Market Consulting is a comprehensive support consulting service, and we can also take on operational services on your behalf.
In addition to the usual front desk duties, our management agency also handles logistics operations at partner warehouses and overall logistics management. We can also outsource inventory management, customer support, and product photography (product photography only) using specialized equipment.
CM consulting examples
Since the scope of support required varies depending on the customer, Commerce Media can adjust the scope of support and provide only the services that are required. We will provide some examples based on actual cases.
Customer Case Study 1
Support provided: Consulting, management agency, advertising management, customer support, logistics management
We handle product registration, event planning, ad management, and back-end support such as logistics management and inventory management. In addition, we are also asked to provide customer support, and we respond to inquiries and deal with low reviews.
Due to the nature of the products, there are large seasonal fluctuations, so we plan products and secure and manage advertisements accordingly to maximize sales while supporting accident-free operations.
Customer Case Study 2
Support content: Consulting, product page creation
In addition to consulting, when new products are released, we are asked to provide materials and create product pages. As part of the consulting, in addition to communicating by email and phone, we also hold regular meetings to manage the health of the stores.
Customer Case Study 2
Support content: All
Our clients set annual profit targets and entrust us with almost all of the e-commerce related tasks. Our clients focus on the tasks that they should be focusing on as a manufacturer, such as production management and branding.
Customer Case 4
Support content: Consulting, advertising management
We have been asked by a manufacturer of products with a small number of products and little seasonal fluctuation to provide consulting and advertising management services. We propose measures to coincide with Rakuten Ichiba events, and secure and manage advertising. We hold regular meetings to review progress toward our goals.
Customer Case 5
Support: Consulting, management agency (partial), advertising management
This is a retail store with a large number of products, and we have been asked to provide consulting, event support, and advertising management. Product registration is done automatically in the client's system, so we set up product pages for events and create and update dedicated planning pages. Advertising costs are specified as a percentage of sales, and we aim to maximize sales by adjusting the balance of advertising costs.
Consulting and management service fees
The general market rate for consulting services is around 200,000 to 500,000 yen per month, but this can vary depending on the content of the contract.
In the case of management agency, the typical fee structure is fixed costs of 200,000 to 500,000 yen plus performance-based fees. Since the fixed costs and performance-based fees are adjusted to charge necessary labor costs, if the sales volume is large, the fixed costs are set high and the percentage of performance-based fees may be reduced or eliminated.
▽General market price Consulting: 200,000 to 500,000 yen (chat support is around 100,000 yen)
Management agency: 200,000-500,000 + 5%-20% of sales (there may be no commission)
Advertising operations: 10% to 20% of advertising costs
At Commerce Media, we adjust our service content based on our customers' requests and the scope of service they desire, so we offer the following general pricing plans, which are only a guide.
The support content listed in the price list is only an estimate. The fee and the number of requests you can make may vary depending on the content of your request. Please be aware of this in advance.
*We will not accept requests for quotes without any intention to place an order.
CM service flow
Although this may vary depending on the content of the request, Commerce Media provides services in the following order: We start with market research on Rakuten Ichiba, then we align sales targets, set KPIs and schedule measures, clearly indicating what will be done and when, and we strive to provide services that will reassure customers.
Market Research
First, we research the Rakuten Ichiba market and check whether your goals are realistic or not, and then create a goal plan.goal setting
We will then work to determine the final annual and monthly sales targets based on the goals outlined above.
Sales promotion budget adjustment
We will calculate the promotion budget required for the goals set above. If it is difficult to secure the promotion budget, it may be necessary to adjust the goals.
KPI Settings
We will set KPIs for access, conversion rate, and average customer spending based on sales goals and promotional budgets.
Issue analysis (gaps with competitors, etc.)
We will identify the KPIs you have set and the gap with your competitors, summarize measures, and organize tasks.
Scheduling
We will create an execution schedule for the organized tasks and an overall schedule that aligns with monthly Rakuten events.
execution
We will carry out the above-defined tasks and work with our customers to achieve their sales targets through the PDCA cycle. In most cases, we hold meetings once a month to share reports, discuss the status of tasks, and propose improvements.
Please feel free to contact us with any inquiries regarding increasing sales on Rakuten Market, operations, or any other problems you may have.
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