Rakuten Opens the Door to Japan for U.S. Online Merchants - Access Technology Solutions Powers Buy.com's New Easy International Forwarding Service

    PROVO, UT, March 23, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The next chapter of "borderless commerce" has begun. Rakuten's new cross-border e-commerce site, Buy.com, is making online shopping a lot easier -- and a lot cheaper -- for Japanese consumers that love buying from U.S. brands. Access Technology Solutions has partnered with Buy.com and Rakuten to power the cross-border logistics, and by doing so, to provide low-cost, international express shipping into Japan for U.S. online retailers.

Rakuten's launch of Buy.com's cross-border marketplace coincides with the debut of its new Easy International Forwarding service, which empowers the 2,500 online merchants that sell through the Buy.com e-marketplace to ship to online shoppers in Japan. Japan is the first of numerous cross-border international markets to which Rakuten's "Borderless Commerce" initiative will open access for U.S. e-commerce merchants in the coming months and years. Access provides consolidated shipping services, an innovative approach to clearing customs and proven partnerships with local delivery firms and agents.

"We are pleased to be able to directly support Rakuten and Buy.com's shared vision of borderless commerce," commented Chris Boyle, Access CEO. "We've built our business so that international shoppers can have easy access to practical and dependable ways to buy online from merchants of all shapes and sizes all around the world. Teaming up on this cross-border initiative lets us use our experience in e-commerce and global logistics to continue serving online shoppers and to help Rakuten and Buy.com innovate as the program expands throughout Asia and Europe."

e-Commerce is a fast-growing channel in Japan, especially among younger, more affluent shoppers. The JP Morgan/Goldman Sachs' Nothing But Net 2011 report estimates the size of the Japanese B2C e-Commerce market to be 4.5T ($5.5 billion), which is approximately 3.3% of a domestic retail market valued at 135.0T ($165 billion). Within the key 30-to-40 age group in Japan, Internet shopping now dominates non-store retail channels (e.g. catalog mail order, television and phone), accounting for approximately 60% market share.

In recent years, Access has established itself as the leading facilitator of international expansion into Asia for online merchants and direct-to-consumer online brands. Access' dock-to-doorstep logistical service handles all outbound U.S. logistics (including pre-ship screening for restricted items and order item accuracy), bypasses customs-clearing bottlenecks and coordinates final-mile delivery for its clients.

In addition to providing shipping and logistics to Asia, Europe and other fast-growing e-commerce markets, Access delivers partners and clients a web-services software solution. The company's international e-commerce platform called Global Access converts U.S. prices into local currencies around the world, harmonizes product information, localizes the online shopping experience and guarantees the precise landed costs (e.g. all customs fees, taxes and shipping charges) necessary to get orders from the seller's dock to the customer's doorstep.

Rakuten is by far the most popular shopping site visited by Japanese online shoppers -- drawing almost three times more online shoppers than does Amazon Japan, according to the Nothing But Net 2011 report. Rakuten also offers more than twice as many products as Amazon Japan.

For additional information about the Rakuten/Buy.com/Access initiative, see Internet Retailer's article titled The Opening of (digital) Japan. To learn more about extending the reach of your online brand into Asia, throughout the Pacific Rim and across Europe, contact Tom McGurran at 877-811-8108.

Access Technology Solutions is a leading international commerce technology and logistics provider for retail and consumer brands, e-commerce and multichannel companies and direct selling firms.

Access helps leading U.S. brands export products all over the world. Access' low international shipping rates coupled with its currency converter, secure payment system and landed costing engine can significantly increase international online conversion. Access' international e-commerce solution automatically converts U.S. dollars into local currencies and calculates the total cost for delivery to international shoppers' doorstep. This "total landed cost" includes the cost of international shipping plus customs fees and all taxes.

Access' international commerce platform and logistics solution offers companies a simple, low risk way to sell profitably into international markets at significantly lower costs. Online retailers and e-commerce brands can quickly integrate Access' web services and secure, risk-free local payment options into existing websites, commerce systems and call centers. Access provides dock-to-doorstop global logistics, native language customer service and operates online marketplace platforms throughout Asia and Europe.

Access has been included in the top 10 of Utah's 50 fastest-growing companies since 2007. Access was also featured in the prestigious 2009 Inc.500 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. two years in a row.

For more information about extending e-commerce operations into Japan, please contact Tom McGurran [email protected].

Access Technology Solutions is the leading company providing technology solutions for international logistics for U.S. direct sales and eCommerce companies expanding overseas.

Website: http://www.accessts.com

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