Press Release
Leading Japanese Online Retailer Rakuten Builds Super-Database for Marketing and Customer Management on Teradata - 10/21/2009
Scalable information infrastructure will leverage speed, power for maximum group synergy
TOKYO,JAPAN and WASHINGTON — Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC), the global leader in enterprise data warehousing, announced today that Rakuten, Inc., Japan’s largest online shopping mall with multiple business units, headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, has deployed the Teradata Active Enterprise Data Warehouse platform to serve as the information infrastructure for the “Rakuten Super-Database.” The system will integrate marketing data from each of its affiliated companies for centralized analysis and utilization in an integrated, holistic way across the group enterprise, which is led by Hiroshi Mikitani, chairman and president.
By building the database, Rakuten has been able to enhance its Rakuten Super-Points program, a group-wide point service initiative. The program targets the most appropriate and preferred merchandise and services in different categories to Rakuten member customers in order to promote interest in multiple offerings. The system also conducts detailed, accurate analysis to target advertising based on customer attributes and predicted buying behavior, among other unique comprehensive marketing activities. The business group manages and markets to a substantial member base with millions of Rakuten customers.
Rakuten is pushing ahead with its diversified internet business, including Rakuten Market as its electronic commerce business, Rakuten Travel as its travel agency business and Infoseek as its portal business. To maximize group synergy, the company needed to build an information infrastructure for the entire group that could integrate large quantities of relevant data on Rakuten members (including what they purchased and the points they earned) generated daily in each service – and analyze that data quickly to better understand and serve individual customers.
In 2006, Rakuten started to benchmark a number of database systems. The business leaders eventually made a decision to select and install the Teradata database and platform because it led in the benchmarks, proving its superior ability to deliver excellent and stable performance in processing huge volumes of data. The database, which went into initial operation in 2008, is now rated highly not only for its high-speed analytics but for its scalability. It can be expanded to grow quickly with increases in data volume as Rakuten’s business grows.
The information managed by the Rakuten Market, Rakuten Travel and other systems is integrated into the Rakuten Super-Database at appropriate intervals, according to the business requirements and characteristics of the data. This data is used and analyzed by marketing staff for the entire group to make a proper recommendation to each member customer and to provide personalized service. This marketing approach has proven to be highly responsive to each member customer, and has brought about a 6.8 percentage-point increase in the cross-use rate that represents the use of two or more services by a member customer; from 31.4 percent two years ago to 38.2 percent in June 2009.
In May 2009, Rakuten started a new Teradata-driven marketing program called Rakuten Database Targeted Advertising. This service has increased the response (clicks and purchases) rate by multiple digits because data analysis on the Teradata database platform makes it possible to design more informed and effective advertising campaigns.
Teradata will continue in the months and years ahead to support Rakuten in improving customer service through data warehouse system expansion and growth. The collaboration between Teradata and Rakuten has been launched and managed by Teradata Japan, Ltd., headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, led by Yukihiko Yoshikawa, president.
About Rakuten
Rakuten Inc. is Japan’s largest online shopping mall, with an enormous array of merchandise and services across a broad spectrum of product categories, and serves multiple millions of customers. This one-of-a-kind business offers far-reaching product assortments ranging from clothing, jewelry, supermarket foods, home improvement and appliances to travel services, casino services, music, books, sporting goods and furniture. For details, click here.
About Teradata
Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) is the world’s largest company solely focused on raising intelligence through data warehousing, data warehouse appliances, consulting services and enterprise analytics. Teradata is in more than 60 countries and on the Web at www.teradata.com.
Teradata is a trademark or registered trademark of Teradata Corporation in the United States and other countries.
