Rakuten Helps American Merchants Make Faster Deliveries With Logistics Company Acquisition

Japanese e-commerce titan Rakuten (JSD:4755) has revealed today that it’s acquired California-based logistics company Webgistix for an undisclosed amount. The deal gives Rakuten’s merchants a boost on its US site (formerly called Buy.com) as they can now have greater access to Webgistix’s cloud-based fulfillment technology for e-commerce retailers.

One of Webgistix’s main logistics services is one that can reach 98 percent of e-commerce customers in the US via ground delivery within one or two business days. The company has five US warehouses. This should be a competitive advantage for Rakuten’s open platform retailers as they battle direct B2C e-shopping rivals Amazon, Zappos, and others.

The newly acquired Webgistix has operations in 20 countries, but it’s not clear how it might help Rakuten’s other sites, such as Play.com in the UK or Priceminister in France.

Rakuten made a similar move in November 2012 when it bought up French logistics company Alpha Direct Services.

Rakuten CEO and chairman Hiroshi Mikitani says in today’s announcement:

Every step of the customer path to purchase is important, especially when the process takes place electronically. Webgistix ensures that fulfillment processes are carried out successfully at the most pivotal point of each e-commerce order, where digital services meet physical services. The experienced management team at Webgistix provides entrepreneurial leadership at the foundation of a growing Americas logistics operation, one that will benefit and support our current and future e-commerce marketplace customers in the Americas, and throughout the world.

Rakuten has e-commerce stores in 25 countries.