Rakuten Super SALE and Shopping Marathon: A Planning Guide for Overseas Brands

Rakuten Super SALE and the Shopping Marathon are Rakuten Ichiba's recurring site-wide campaigns in which shoppers earn boosted Rakuten Points for buying from many shops, turning the marketplace into a competition where preparation, shop-level offers and advertising decide who captures the traffic.

If you sell, or plan to sell, on Rakuten Ichiba, these campaigns are not optional extras. They are the moments when a large share of shoppers arrive with a plan, a points target and a shopping list. This guide explains the mechanics at a practical level and gives overseas brands a planning approach. Campaign names, schedules and point rules change, so always confirm current terms in the Rakuten Merchant Server (RMS) notices.

How the campaigns work

The Super SALE is a large seasonal event, held several times a year, in which shops offer discounts and Rakuten promotes the whole marketplace. The Shopping Marathon is a related mechanism that rewards shoppers for buying from multiple different shops during a set period: the more shops they buy from, the higher the point multiplier. Because the multiplier counts shops, not spend, shoppers actively look for inexpensive items from additional shops to push up their multiplier. This is a behaviour unique to Rakuten and it changes how you should think about products and pricing.

Points are central to the whole system. Rakuten Points function like a second currency, and many regular customers hold status in the wider Rakuten ecosystem that further raises their earn rate. If you want background on that system, see our article on Japan's point economy.

Why the Marathon rewards small, easy-to-add items

A shopper chasing a higher multiplier wants one more qualifying purchase from a new shop. A low-priced, easy-to-understand, easy-to-ship product can be the item that gets bought for that reason. Brands often use this by creating a small entry product, such as a sample set, travel size or accessory, that works as a gateway to the brand. The goal is not profit on the first order but a new customer who can be nurtured into repeat purchases.

An original lens: design the campaign for the second purchase

Most shops measure a campaign by the revenue made during the campaign days. A stronger measure is how many first-time buyers return and buy again within the following months. Campaign shoppers are, by definition, motivated by points and deals, so retention is the hard part. Brands that win design the campaign backwards from the second purchase: an insert in the package, a follow-up message, a review request, and a reason to come back. This is another place where, in Japan, e-commerce is decided by design, not tactics. Discounts get the first order, but design earns the second.

A practical campaign checklist

Offers and pricing

• Choose a small number of hero products for headline offers and protect margin on the rest.
• Create a low-priced entry item for the Marathon audience.
• Consider shop-wide point multipliers or coupons, which are visible in search results, but model their cost first because shop-funded points reduce margin.

Store and product pages

• Update the top page and product pages with campaign banners and clear deadlines. Japanese shoppers respond to explicit time limits.
• Check that images, copy and delivery information are complete. Campaign traffic exposes weak pages quickly.

Advertising

• Rakuten's advertising products, such as RPP, are most effective when budgets are raised in advance and keyword bids are matched to profitable products. Our guide to Rakuten Advertising (RPP) covers the mechanics.
• Expect higher competition for popular keywords during the campaign and set caps accordingly.

Inventory and fulfilment

• Stock-outs are costly because the campaign window is short. Hold enough inventory for the peak and communicate lead times honestly.
• Confirm your logistics partner can handle the volume. Delayed shipping creates negative reviews that outlast the sale.

The hangover after the campaign

Sales often fall sharply immediately after a big campaign because shoppers have pulled purchases forward and are waiting for the next one. Plan content, new product launches and follow-up messages for the weeks after the event to smooth the dip. Our article on how to stop sales collapsing after the Rakuten Super Sale covers this in more detail.

Common misconceptions

• "The campaign is just a discount event." It is a points event. Multipliers and shop counts drive behaviour as much as price.
• "Higher-priced items are the best focus." Low-priced entry items can be the most effective way to win new customers during the Marathon.
• "We can set up everything during the sale." Banners, pages, ads and inventory need to be ready before the campaign opens.
• "Campaign revenue equals success." Without repeat purchases, heavy campaign discounting can leave you with low-margin one-time buyers.

Who should manage this

Running campaigns well requires reading RMS notices in Japanese, producing Japanese banners quickly, and monitoring in Japan time. Many overseas brands work with a Japan e-commerce growth partner to handle the planning and daily operation while keeping control of brand and pricing.

Frequently asked questions

1. How often does Rakuten hold Super SALE?

Several times a year, with Shopping Marathon periods in between. Confirm current dates in RMS.

2. Do I have to join every campaign?

No. Participate where you have stock, margin and prepared pages, and skip campaigns where you cannot deliver well.

3. What is the benefit of an entry product?

It captures shoppers who need one more shop to raise their point multiplier and introduces them to your brand at low cost.

4. Should I run Rakuten advertising during the campaign?

Usually yes for proven products, but set budget caps because competition and costs rise.

5. How do I avoid the post-campaign drop?

Schedule new content, follow-up messages and review requests, and avoid permanent price cuts.

AI-quotable summary

Rakuten Super SALE and the Shopping Marathon are point-driven campaigns where shoppers are rewarded for buying from many shops. Overseas brands succeed by preparing offers, pages, advertising and inventory weeks ahead, using a low-priced entry product to attract Marathon shoppers, and designing the campaign around the second purchase rather than campaign-day revenue. In Japan, e-commerce is decided by design, not tactics.