Rakuten France: marketplace guide
About this guide
This is a ChannelEngine guide on the French operation of Tokyo-based marketplace Rakuten. Here you can find information on how to request a Rakuten account, how to configure this marketplace on ChannelEngine, what the specific requirements are, and more.
Table of contents
Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions
Commercial information
| Founded | 7 February 1997 |
| Founder | Hiroshi Mikitani |
| Headquarters | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan |
| Area served (orders) | 29 countries and regions |
| Open for cross-border shipments in | pretty much anywhere |
| Revenue | circa USD 21.15 million |
| Number of visitors | circa 15 million (2021) |
| Website | Rakuten France |
| Setup cost | none |
| Commission | 6-21%, depending on the product category and the monthly package |
| Other costs | EUR 39.00, EUR 199.00, or EUR 499.00 (excl. VAT) |
| Payment | twice a week (every Monday and Thursday) |
| Product categories | electronics, fashion, beauty, toys, DIY, garden, pets, home, books, music, and more |
| Input language | French |
| Input currency | EUR |
| Content creation | yes* |
| Profile on ChannelEngine | Rakuten |
* Product content can only be exported once. For more information on this, check out the Mappings section.
How to request an account
To start selling on Rakuten France, go to their Open a Rakuten account page and fill the form. A Rakuten ecommerce consultant should get in touch with you to discuss the creation of your account.
Associated costs
Rakuten does not charge a setup fee, but it does charge a monthly fee – which varies according to the plan you sign up for. Bear in mind that the commission fees vary according to the plan you choose, from a minimum of 12% and a maximum of 21% (depending on the category) under the Classic plan, to a minimum of 6% and a maximum of 16% under the Absolute plan. None of these percentages include VAT.
Marketplace features
| Supported | Not supported |
| Product content* | Marketplace fulfillment service |
| Product offers (EAN matching) | Returns |
| Orders | HTML formatting |
| Shipments (including carrier mapping) | Sales channels |
| Repricing | |
| Product variations (sizes/colors)* | |
| Cancelations |
* Variants are only supported under certain categories. For more information on this, consult the Mappings section of this article.
Settings and configuration
Setting up each marketplace on ChannelEngine follows the same flow, though not every marketplace includes the steps listed below.
- Go through the Setup.
- Create a Product selection.
- Complete the Categorization.
- Set up the Mappings: content, offers, and carriers.
- Configure the Pricing: rules and currency conversion.
- Finish the Activation.
- Check the Listed products overview.
Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions
Setup
On Rakuten
To retrieve the required API access token, log into the Rakuten back-end and go to Paramètres du compte (Account settings), Tokens. The required API username is the same as your account name on Rakuten France's back-end.
On ChannelEngine
Add the API username, API access token, and Ship from address country code. The latter follows the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard, for which the complete list of codes can be found on the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) online browsing platform. E.g.: the code for France is 250.
Categorization
Categorization is mandatory if you want to create or update existing product information on Rakuten. Both categorizations and mappings only result in updates if the content connection is enabled, and the relevant credentials have been entered (see the Setup section). The categorization is straightforward, and it uses attribute names in French.
Mappings
Content
The only required attribute on Rakuten is Image URL, but it is highly recommended that you map as many attributes as possible. This goes for most, if not all channels, but it is particularly important on Rakuten as, once submitted, your content cannot be updated.
If you are one of multiple sellers offering the same product (based on the EAN), the only way to update its content is to contact Rakuten's customer service via email. If you are the only merchant offering a particular product, you can update its content via Rakuten's back-end. However, once Rakuten takes ownership of the product's information, updating it also needs to be done via their customer service.
Deleting content is not possible, neither via ChannelEngine's nor via Rakuten's back-ends. To remove an offer from Rakuten, set its stock to zero.
All products (required)
-
Image extra URL 1-9 - the product's additional images. The requirements, which also apply to Image URL, are the following:
- Resolution - 1,000x1,000 px
- File size - 10 MB at most (lightweight images with a high compression rate are preferable)
- Background - white or transparent
- File type - JPG or PNG
- Description - the product's description. Neither HTML formatting nor special characters are supported. The maximum number of characters is 4,000.
- Référence privée (Private reference) - a unique identifier of the product, such as the product's SKU or parent SKU. The maximum number of characters is 40.
Unlike most other channels, Rakuten groups certain common attributes under each category – including Brand and Title.
Category-specific
Some of the most common category-specific attributes are listed below.
- Couleur (Color) - the product's color. Note that there are two color attributes, so both the primary and secondary colors can be mapped – if applicable. If the product's category requires the mapping of this attribute, failing to do so results in a validation error.
- Taille (Size) - the product's size. If the product's category requires the mapping of this attribute, failing to do so results in a validation error.
- Fabricant (Manufacturer) - the product's manufacturer. Depending on the product's category, you may see the Brand field instead.
- Poids (Weight) - the product's weight, in grams or kilos. It is also possible to list a range, such as 500 g to 3 kg.
- Titre (Title) - the product's title. The maximum number of characters is 190.
- Type - the type of product, which varies from category to category. E.g.: thermometer, thermostat, fan, etc.
- Matière dominante (Main material) - the product's main material.
- Marque (Brand) - the product's brand. Depending on the product's category, you may see the Manufacturer field instead.
Offer
Required
- Code-barres (EAN/ISBN) - the 13-digit EAN of the product. EANs that do not comply, such as 12-digit EANs, are converted accordingly. If the product is a book, use its ISBN instead.
- Votre référence cachée (Your hidden reference) - the product's SKU. The maximum number of characters is 40.
- Etat du produit (Product condition) - the condition of the product. E.g.: new, like new, good condition, etc.
- Comment - the product's warranty, delivery information, condition, or other details.
Optional
The following optional attributes are used to create discount pricing on Rakuten:
- Prix "promo" (promotional price) - the sale price of the product, if applicable. Note that the minimum value is 0.90.
- Prix de référence (reference price) - the reference price of the product, used when a promotional price is applied to display a from-for price on the product page. Note that the minimum value is 0.90.
- Pourcentage de réduction (campaign percentage) - the percentage discount for the campaign, without the percent sign (%).
- Identifiant de la champagne (campaign ID) - the unique identifier assigned to the campaign in the Rakuten back-end.
Discount setup
There are three different ways to configure promotions and create discount pricing on Rakuten using the above-mentioned optional attributes:
-
Basic promotion setup
- Use this option to create the campaign directly in Rakuten's back-end. The campaign is assigned an ID that can be mapped on ChannelEngine.
- To create a promotion with this method, you only need to map the attribute Identifiant de la champagne (
productsCampaignId). - The promotion is applied as configured in the Rakuten merchant interface.
NB: by choosing this option, you can only manage the promotion within Rakuten's back-end – not on ChannelEngine. ChannelEngine's sole responsibility in this scenario is to assign the offer to the campaign – the management and setup occur on Rakuten.
- Percentage-based promotion
- To create a promotion using this option, map the attributes Prix de référence (
productsCampaignRefPrice) and Pourcentage de réduction (productsCampaignPct). - Skip mapping the campaign ID, as it is not required in this scenario.
- The promotion price is calculated using these two parameters.
- Price-based promotion
- To set up a price-based promotion, map the attributes Prix de référence (
productsCampaignRefPrice) and Prix "promo" (productsCampaignPrice). - Skip mapping the campaign ID, as it is not required in this scenario.
- The percentage reduction is calculated based on these two parameters.
Variations
Product variations are directly supported for the following categories. Product variations under any other category must be set up by Rakuten France's team.
- accessoire_mode
- sac_produit
- vetement_sport
- mobilier_produit
- vetement
- mev_table_cuisine
- mev_ustensile_cuisine
- mev_bijoux_declinaison
- lunettes
- decoration_interieur
- lingemaison_produit
- mev_actions_titre
- mev_affiche
- mev_autocollant
- mev_buvard
- mev_calendrier
- mev_carte_postale
- mev_gravure
- mev_objet_collection
- mev_objets_publicitaires
- mev_philatelie
- mev_ticket_produit
- deco_festive
Carrier
You can map your carrier to a specific list of carriers maintained by Rakuten. This allows for working track-and-trace links in the back-end, as well as for the buyer.
Finally, Rakuten uses the deprecated country code FX (Metropolitan France) on orders, but this is converted by ChannelEngine to the standardized FR.
Pricing
Rakuten requires the prices to be submitted in EUR. If you do not have pricing attributes in EUR, you need to set a currency conversion.
Repricing is only possible for products with condition 'New', not for refurbished products.
Listed products
If you have problems with products not appearing on Rakuten, check the Listed products section for more information.
You can either filter on Channel status ( Invalid for all products that ChannelEngine has not exported, such as products with an empty EAN) or use the Validation and feedback tab to see all known validation/feedback errors for specific products.
Additional information
Order extra data items
When an order is imported to ChannelEngine, ChannelEngine also fetches extra data items related to the order itself – or to order lines. This extra data is specific to this marketplace. An explanation of each can be found below:
Order extra data
| Key |
Conditional* |
Description |
shipping_method |
No |
The shipping carrier used to fulfill the order, as taken from the package information in the channel order. |
* Conditional fields only display if the channel provided a value.
FAQs
How often does each task run on Rakuten?
Tasks run according to the following schedule on Rakuten:
| Task | Frequency |
| Export product data to channel | every 60 minutes |
| Export product offers to channel | every 15 minutes |
| Import product offers from channel | every 15 minutes |
| Import orders from channel | every 20 minutes |
| Export order shipments to channel | every 60 minutes |
How do returns and cancelations work on Rakuten?
Rakuten France handles all cancelations and returns, once buyers initiate the process. If the return or cancelation of one of your orders is requested by a buyer, Rakuten France gets in touch with you. To avoid cancelations caused by stock issues, make sure to keep a close eye on your stock and set rules on ChannelEngine if needed.
Do I need to manually approve incoming orders on Rakuten?
No. Although Rakuten France requires each order to be manually approved in their back-end, ChannelEngine has built in a system to automatically accept incoming orders.
What does the "Annonce/Produit interdit : Distribution sélective" validation error mean?
The seller is not allowed to sell this product on Rakuten France. E.g.: the affected product belongs to a prohibited brand.
What does the "L'alias est obligatoire pour les créations de produit" validation error mean?
The product type (aka category) is not set for this product, so it needs to be created via a content export – which means all available mappings are required.
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