Driven by the societal changes of customers more strongly committed to the circular economy, a segment becoming one of the drivers of its growth, Rakuten launches Reconditioned CeRtified which ensures buyers the guarantee of new at the price of used.
Explanations with the CEO Fabien Versavau.
What is your assessment of the first half of the year?
It was a continuation of the second half of last year. We have maintained almost the same growth momentum with a 40% increase in sales volume on the platform. This half-year was also marked by an acceleration in second-hand sales, with this market growing faster than the new market - since last year.
We increased our share of the second-hand market by 15 percentage points, from 50% to 65%.
We are one of the historical players in this market, at the time of PriceMinister, and then by accentuating it during the buyout by Rakuten. We didn't wait for it to be "fashionable" to invest in the circular economy.
Finally, we continue to help retailers to go digital via click and collect.
Does the weight of second-hand goods concern all categories?
Yes. We count 50 million offers of [second-hand] products on our platform from individuals. This is one of the largest inventories in France: high-tech, home, cultural products, video games, etc.
You have launched a badge rewarding second-hand purchases, Vision'R, can you tell us more?
The name is a nod to our "Club R'" loyalty program with 10 million members, launched in 2018. By observing their behaviors and especially among the most engaged users the "Platinum" (buy at least once a week and sell more than 5 items per month on the platform) are very involved in the circular economy. We therefore wanted to go further because we believe that a loyalty program must respond and adapt to the requirements of its members on an ongoing basis. The Vision'R badge, launched on July 1, encourages and rewards the purchase of second-hand products. Buyers will receive an additional 10% in Rakuten Points, the platform's virtual currency, on top of their usual rewards, to be used the following month on their next purchases (for 2 purchases of products in this category on Rakuten for a total amount of at least 100 euros). We offer the first mission loyalty program.
Finally, we offset 75% of our carbon emissions related to the activity of new products on our platform through second hand. In our strategic plan, we want to reach 100% by 2023.
How do you see the end of the year?
We are quite optimistic. We think that our growth will continue to be quite strong even if there is some uncertainty about the recovery of consumption. On September 2, we launched "Reconditioned CeRtified", a new offer on the reconditioned market. This is one of our strategic pillars for accelerating our growth in this segment.
Nous offrons une garantie commerciale de 24 mois en cas de panne pour nos produits reconditionnés certifiés. Il n'y a pas d'équivalent sur le marché. Cette garantie sera dans un premier temps éligible sur les smartphones. En complément tous les accessoires vendus avec un produit Reconditionné CeRtifié seront neufs. Pour cela, nous avons sélectionné des partenaires industriels et marchands spécialisés dans le reconditionnement via notre programme. Une période de rétractation de 30 jours est également offerte. Pour vendre des produits éligibles à cette garantie, les vendeurs devront répondre à plusieurs critères de sélections stricts : la qualité des produits vendus, le faible taux de réclamation et la gratuité de l'envoi. Nous proposons le confort et la tranquillité du neuf avec les bénéfices prix et environnement du reconditionné, soit le meilleur des deux mondes. Par la suite, nous élargirons à d'autres familles de produits.
Comentários