Job Description

Business Overview
The Rakuten Group is a global corporation that offers a wide range of services, including finance, communications, and professional sports, with Rakuten Market, one of Japan's largest online shopping malls, at its core.

Our "consumer goods and general home appliances direct sales business" is a core business that delivers a wide range of products, from daily necessities to general home appliances, directly to customers.

Department Overview
Specifically, the company operates the general online store "Rakuten 24" as well as specialized category shops such as "Rakuten 24 Baby Shop." In recent years, it has expanded its "Rakuten 24 Express" service, which delivers products as soon as the same day after ordering, and is driving business growth as an important initiative to revolutionize the customer purchasing experience.

Position:
Why We Hire
While deepening strategic partnerships with major domestic manufacturers, who are our key business partners, we aim to transform customer purchasing behavior toward e-commerce through deep data-driven insights and innovative measures, even in areas where offline shopping is still the norm.

As a home appliance buyer in this "consumer goods and general home appliances direct sales business," you will not only be responsible for product procurement and planning, but also for developing promotional strategies, maximizing advertising effectiveness, and even developing new businesses. You will be responsible for the overall sales and profits of the business and play an important role in proactively driving the business forward.

In response to the rapid expansion and intensifying competition in the e-commerce market, and the creation of new customer experiences such as "Rakuten 24 Express," we are seeking a new home appliance buyer who can think outside the box, constantly improve the status quo, and proactively take on new challenges to lead the business.

Position Details
As the home appliance category manager in the FMCG MD Department within the Consumer Goods & General Home Appliances Direct Business, you will perform the following duties.

Major Duties
1. Planning and executing merchandising strategies
- Selecting target genres and items
- Negotiating and coordinating with manufacturers/brands
2. Planning merchandise sales plans
- Planning and executing promotion plans
- Collaborating with external vendors, including page creation
- Inventory management
3. Initiatives for revenue generation in business
- Initiative planning
- Negotiating and proposing with manufacturers/brands

As we are in the expansion phase of our business, you will have the opportunity to experience not only buyer duties but also various other tasks related to store operations. You will be responsible for how to sell purchased products and work with various departments within the Rakuten Group and Rakuten Ichiba to increase stakeholder satisfaction.
If you have experience managing the home appliance category, you may also have the discretion to take on organizational management and category management roles.

Work Environment
Organizational Structure
- FMCG MD Department: Approximately 40 people
- FMCG MD Section: Comprised of 10 sections, each focused on a different product category
- Mainly comprised of young employees in their late 20s to early 30s
- Approximately half are new graduates and half are mid-career hires

Backgrounds of Mid-Career Hires
- Our team members come from a variety of backgrounds across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, wholesale, and retail.
- Actively collaborate as a team, working to achieve our goals.
- We also focus on human resource development, providing thoughtful feedback and career development support to maximize individual growth and the organization's overall capabilities.

Mandatory Qualifications:
- Experience as an Amazon home appliance buyer or as a home appliance buyer in a home appliance retailer (either in-store or online) (3+ years)
- Experience promoting data-driven business (3+ years): Experience building data-based hypotheses, implementing them, and testing them to achieve results
- Management experience: Experience managing a category organization (KPI design and achievement management, team development, etc.)
- Ability to take ownership, not just in one's own area, but also responsible for overall business sales and profits, and proactively address problems

Desired Qualifications:
- Experience leading original product development, private brand launch, and radical improvements to existing products.
- Business development and alliance promotion experience: Experience creating business opportunities through not only home appliance buyer work, but also new business development and alliance strategy planning and execution.
- Large-scale project management: Experience and proven track record in managing large-scale projects involving multiple departments.

Other Information:
Additional information on Location
Rakuten Crimson House
1-14-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Additional information on English Qualification
TOEIC Score exceeding 800 (or similar level of English ability) or a University Degree earned in an English-speaking country.
Proof of qualifications will be required by the time of the job offer.
If no evidence is available to prove the qualifications denoted above, taking an IP test, organized by Rakuten, during selection process is required.

Rakuten Group, Inc. Homepage Link
- Benefits: https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/benefit/
- Recruitment Information: https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/information/ * Employment type is detailed
- Rakuten Culture: https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/culture/

#business #consultingsales #serviceplanner #commerce #Rakuten24