About Rakuten Optimism 2023

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This is the largest event hosted by Rakuten Group, and was held at Pacifico Yokohama for five days from August 2nd to August 6th, 2023.

The event featured two worlds: the Future Festival, where attendees could experience the latest technologies, such as VR and AR experiences utilizing Rakuten Mobile's 5G saint kitts and nevis email address technology, and AI-based golf swing analysis and photo content; and the Business Conference, where notable industry leaders from Japan and abroad active in a variety of fields, including technology, commerce, fintech and marketing, were invited to give talks and exchange opinions through panel discussions on a wide range of topics related to the Rakuten Group, making it an event that a wide range of attendees could participate in.



Unraveling the history of OMO (Online Merges with Offline) and considering its future


In this session, co-hosted with Yuichi Ishizumi, Executive Officer of Rakuten Group, Inc., the topic was "Unravelling the history of OMO (Online Merges with Offline) and considering its future," and covered the history of OMO in Japan, the situation overseas, and the future of OMO.



Speakers


　■ Yuichi Ishizumi , Executive Officer, Commerce & Marketing Company, Marketing Partner Business, Vice President, Rakuten Group Inc. (right)


　■ Kentaro Oda, President and CEO of iRidge Co., Ltd. (photo left)



Click here for an article that provides more information about OMO

What is an OMO strategy? Explaining the customer experience design process, benefits, and examples of measures



A look back at online and offline history


Mr. Ishizumi from Rakuten Group introduced the history of the fusion of online and offline, and Mr. Oda from iRidge talked about what he has seen as he developed his business.

In the 2000s, the internet was becoming more and more widespread, and the term "click and mortar" was mainstream in terms of the fusion of online and offline.
Click and mortar refers to a business method that combines brick-and-mortar and online stores to create a synergistic effect.

iRidge was founded in 2008, the year the iPhone arrived in Japan and Android began providing services. iRidge saw the potential of the mobile Internet and began developing its business in smartphone apps, especially in the O2O field.



The term O2O (Online to Offline), which began to be used around 2010, refers to the method of attracting customers online and sending them to physical stores. The reason for this is that the spread of smartphones has made it easier for companies to obtain location information through apps. The idea is to use location information to provide information to app users, guiding them to physical stores.