Rakuten Group President Hiroshi Mikitani announced the development of an "AI Store Manager" to handle customer inquiries for Rakuten Ichiba stores [1].
The initiative aims to remove human processing limits by providing constant support for merchants. This shift allows businesses to maintain high-quality customer service without the constraints of manual staffing hours.
Speaking at the Rakuten AI Optimism conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, Mikitani said the AI Store Manager will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year [1]. The tool is designed to field inquiries around the clock, ensuring that customers receive immediate responses regardless of the time of day.
Beyond basic inquiry handling, the system will incorporate advanced communication tools. Mikitani said the company will provide functions to summarize call content, and offer real-time conversation translation [1]. These features are intended to streamline the interaction between merchants and a diverse customer base.
Despite the push toward automation, Mikitani emphasized that the role of humans remains critical. He said that as AI adoption expands, the value of human interaction will actually increase [1]. The strategy positions AI as a tool to handle repetitive tasks, freeing human staff for more complex, high-value engagements.
The announcement took place during the Rakuten AI Optimism event, which continues through Aug. 7, 2026 [1]. The conference serves as a platform for the company to showcase its integration of artificial intelligence across its ecosystem of services.
“The AI Store Manager will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
Rakuten's move toward an AI-driven storefront represents a broader trend in e-commerce to reduce operational overhead while increasing accessibility. By automating the first line of customer service, the company is attempting to scale merchant support globally through real-time translation and 24/7 availability, potentially lowering the barrier for small businesses to compete in a high-volume digital marketplace.
