Rakuten, Japanese e-commerce company, releases live streaming service "Rakuten LIVE" (Image via: Broadband TV News)

Rakuten Goes Viral with Live Video Service

TOKYO - YouTube did it, Instagram did it, now Rakuten did it. Known as “Rakuten LIVE”, Rakuten -- an e-commerce and internet company in Japan – now offers a live video service for its users, especially the artists, celebrities, or public figures. Same as live video in nutshell, the viewers and the streamers can communicate on the live streaming video through comments.

In addition, viewers can send something such as gift to the streamers. It is somehow almost identical to Singaporean app, Bigo Live, that offers a live streaming experience and live communication with gift to its streamers. On Rakuten, they call this gift as “Medal” which, indeed, has to be purchased in order to be given to their favorite streamers.

However, of course Rakuten releases this service with its own characteristics still. One of its distinct features is that streamers can now highlight a product which can be purchased through Rakuten’s website. Thus, this improvement eases access for all the streamers to promote their stuffs, and at the same time, it eases access for all viewers to be redirected to the purchase site.

For this “next-gen” e-commerce experience, Rakuten includes its subsidiary companies, such as Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Books, and Rakuten Tickets.

Beginning with Twitter releasing live streaming service "Periscope", now live video is a means of 2-way communications. As the interest in live video is inclining, surely Rakuten does not want to miss the party. By releasing Rakuten LIVE, Rakuten aims to enter the entertainment market while being the market itself.