US retail giant Walmart and Japanese internet titan Rakuten unveiled a strategic partnership which will include collaboration on digital books in the United States and grocery delivery in Japan.

The two firms will launch a new online grocery delivery service in Japan later this year, and have agreed to a retail alliance making Walmart a key partner on e-books and audiobooks using the Rakuten format Kobo, according to a statement late Thursday.

The deal comes amid a growing international presence by US online giant Amazon, which offers an array of services in different countries including video, e-books and grocery delivery.

"Rakuten is a strong e-commerce business and we're excited to collaborate with the top online shopping destination in Japan," said Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon, who met Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani in Tokyo to sign the agreement.

"We look forward to expanding our grocery footprint in Japan and launching a new offering of e-books and audiobooks for our customers in the US."

Mikitani said, "As global leaders in e-commerce and offline shopping, Rakuten and Walmart are uniquely positioned to empower our customers around the world with innovative services."

The companies said a joint venture would be established between Japan online grocery delivery service Rakuten and Seiyu GK, a subsidiary of Walmart. The service "Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper" is planned for the latter half of 2018.

The new service will be powered by Rakuten technology, using artificial intelligence "to offer a more personalized merchandise offering," according to the statement.

Additionally, Walmart will the exclusive mass retail partner for the Kobo brand in the US, which includes e-readers and digital applications similar to those of Amazon's Kindle.

Kobo was created in Canada and acquired in 2011 by Rakuten.

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Netflix lifted by 'beautiful' quarterly report
San Francisco (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
Netflix shares raced higher in after-hours trade Monday as the streaming television giant reported better-than-expected gains in its global subscriber base and a quarterly profit that nearly tripled from a year ago. Netflix has been on a tear with original programs such including "The Crown" and "Stranger Things." Netflix shares hit a record high during the trading day, with a leap after the earnings release lifting the California-based company's overall value above $100 billion for the first ti ... read more