Viber is one of the top five most downloaded smartphone phone call and messaging apps, and counts the United States, Russia and Australia among its biggest markets. “Sharing similar aspirations with Rakuten, our vision is to be the world’s number one communications platform and our combination with Rakuten is an important step in that direction.” “This combination presents an amazing opportunity for Viber to enhance our rapid user growth in both existing and new markets,” said Marco in a statement. In 2012, it made a large investment in website Pinterest. The company has acquired e-commerce providers from Brazil to Germany, as well as Toronto-based eReader business Kobo and online video providers of Spain and Viki of Singapore. Rakuten has spent big in recent years on a variety of overseas purchases to broaden its businesses and reach under what Mikitani calls its “Rakuten Ecosystem” strategy. Last year, Mikitani told Reuters this personal touch will give Rakuten the edge over rivals like eBay and Amazon in Europe, where recession-hit retailers are struggling to tempt clients to spend. The company puts a premium on its ability to communicate with customers. Rakuten’s e-commerce platform, Rakuten Ichiba, is the sixth largest in the world by sales. “This acquisition … will take Rakuten to a different level … Developing this messaging system on our own would have been impossible,” said Mikitani, who is also the company’s chief executive, adding that Rakuten users could, for example, use Viber’s instant messages to contact an online store while considering a purchase. Privately held Viber, run from Cyprus by the Israeli entrepreneur Talmon Marco, will add 300 million users to Rakuten’s existing 200 million users, Mikitani told reporters in Tokyo. In the face of a shrinking population and weak consumer spending at home, however, Mikitani is trying to re-invent Rakuten as a one-stop-site for a global audience.
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