FEATURE Aussie icon wines feature on Japan e-commerce page

IT Sales Innovation

Aussie icon wines feature on Japan e-commerce page

Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has agreed to sell more than 400 additional South Australian food and beverage products in a new partnership with the government of South Australia.

The Japanese online retailer Rakuten, which is second only to Amazon with a 27 per cent share of Japan’s e-commerce sector, launched a dedicated South Australian products page in June. The South Australian Department for Trade and Investment brokered the “Tasting South Australia” page deal and helped nine of the state’s businesses to feature on Rakuten’s e-commerce platform of more than 111 million Japanese users. The companies export products ranging from wine to pet food. South Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Nick Champion said the partnership would increase the number of South Australian products featured on Rakuten to around 2500 and provide additional support and exposure to more than 70 companies already in the market, including over 50 wine producers such as D’Arenberg, Henschke and Penfolds.

“Along with a firstmover advantage on Japan’s premium e-commerce platform, we are seeking to establish our own unique footprint in the Japanese market,” Champion said. “South Australia will be the first Australian jurisdiction with a standalone designated page that showcases the very best of our state’s premium wine, beer, gin, honey, almonds, seafood, sweets, spreads and pet food, along with fashion and beauty products. “With that increase comes an anticipation that this initiative will yield an increase in the value of our export sales into the Japanese market.” Japan is currently South Australia’s fifth biggest export market, according to Champion, with an export value of just under $700 million a year. South Australian companies that will feature their products on the Tasting South Australia page include NovaFarms, Buzz Honey, Hither & Yon, Prohibition Liquor Co, Southern Kuya, Apiwraps and Pet Snacks. CEO Wes Heddles of Prohibition Liquor, one of the SA companies to feature their products, said the e-commerce platform was the most logical option to enter the Japanese export market. “We saw Rakuten as the most premium opportunity to launch into Japan as a sophisticated alcohol market and then use the sales data as market research to present our range to more traditional retailers; bars, bottle shops and restaurants, knowing what products are most popular,” he said. This article originally appeared at The Lead South Australia