Rakuten acquires Fits.me, its second purchase this month. Can it become more than ‘Japan’s Amazon?’

Rakuten, the Japanese ecommerce giant, is (and has been) active in both investments and acquiring startups. It’s also no stranger to being called “Japan’s Amazon.” The company today announced (actually, TechCrunch appears to have announced it even before Rakuten’s PR team) that it has acquired 100 percent of London-based virtual fitting room startup Fits.me. Obviously, as an ecommerce company at its core, Fits.me will help users visualize garments they hope to buy on the site. But the firm has been buying up (and investing in) all kinds of businesses – all over the world.

Less than two weeks ago, Rakuten bought a majority stake in offbeat tour operator Voyagin, based dually in Tokyo and Singapore, in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. That purchase was to boost Rakuten Travel Back in March, the company also acquired OverDrive, a US-based ebook marketplace, to help its struggling Kobo business.

Of course, there’s also the likes of Viki, Viber, and eBates under the Rakuten umbrella.

It’s clear that Rakuten wants to be much more than Japan’s Amazon – but can it? How much have Rakuten’s overseas acquisitions and investments done to solidify it as a truly global tech titan? Will Fits.me have any effect on Rakuten’s flagging overseas ecommerce business, or will it simply be plugged into the Japan side?