If you sell products in Japan—or you’re helping foreign brands enter the Japanese market—this is one of the most important commerce updates to watch this year.
In February 2026, Rakuten officially announced a partnership with Google in Japan to enable shopping from Rakuten Ichiba through YouTube content. Around the same period, YouTube Japan also published its own announcement about the domestic rollout of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program in Japan, with Rakuten positioned as the first local partner. This is not a minor feature release. It is a direct bridge between one of Japan’s biggest e-commerce ecosystems and one of the strongest trust-and-discovery platforms for long-form and short-form content.
For brands, the big shift is simple: product discovery in Japan is becoming more “content-native.” Instead of relying only on marketplace search or paid ads, products can be discovered in the context of creator content, where a viewer sees a product recommendation, understands how it fits into real life, and then moves to the product page while still in a buying mindset. Rakuten’s announcement explains the viewer flow through product display elements and product detail access tied to YouTube viewing behavior, which is exactly why this matters for conversion-oriented marketers and not just branding teams.
This matters even more in Japan because purchase behavior is often trust-driven. A clean listing and a coupon can help, but in many categories, users want social proof, product context, and a reason to believe. That is where creator content and YouTube-native discovery become much more powerful than a plain marketplace tile.
At the same time, the wider market context supports this shift. According to Dentsu’s advertising expenditure reporting, internet advertising in Japan continues to grow strongly, and video advertising has become an even bigger part of the media mix. Search remains critical, but video is now too important to treat as “awareness only.” This Rakuten × YouTube Shopping development sits exactly at the intersection of those two realities: video creates demand, and commerce captures it.
And the e-commerce side is still growing too. The METI e-commerce market report release shows Japan’s B2C EC market remains very large and continues expanding, which means brands are entering a market where digital demand is already there. The question is not “Should we sell online in Japan?” It’s “How do we build a system that captures discovery and converts trust into sales?”
What changed, exactly?
The practical change is that creators in Japan can now participate in YouTube Shopping affiliate flows linked to Rakuten products. That gives brands and merchants a new route to visibility: not just marketplace ranking or paid impressions, but creator-led product exposure inside videos, Shorts, and potentially live formats.
Rakuten’s press release frames this as part of its broader push into “video commerce” and merchant growth, which is important because it signals strategic intent rather than a temporary experiment. When a platform like Rakuten publicly positions a move as part of long-term commerce evolution, brands should treat it as infrastructure—not a hack.
On the YouTube side, the official YouTube Help documentation for Shopping affiliates also clarifies the mechanics that matter to marketers: eligible creators can tag products, commissions are involved, payment flows are handled through YouTube/AdSense systems, and participating merchants define key settings like commission rates and attribution logic. In other words, brands are not passive in this system. Your offer structure and readiness directly affect whether creators want to feature your products.
Why this matters for brands entering Japan
A lot of teams still separate their channels too rigidly:
Rakuten for marketplace sales.
Google for search intent.
Meta for retargeting.
YouTube for awareness.
Influencers for “PR.”
That model is getting outdated.
This Rakuten × YouTube Shopping shift creates a stronger connection between content discovery and marketplace conversion, which means your product page quality, creator readiness, and paid media structure now affect each other more than before.
There are three major reasons this matters right now.
1) Discovery is moving from “scrolling listings” to “asking and trusting”
Shoppers do not always want to compare product pages first. They often want someone to explain what the product is, who it is for, and whether it is actually worth buying. That is exactly what creators do well when the product-category fit is strong.
This is especially relevant in Japan, where trust signals are often subtle but critical: how something is used, what problem it solves, whether the recommendation feels authentic, whether the presentation is clean, and whether the brand feels reliable. Creator content reduces friction before the user even lands on Rakuten.
2) Your Rakuten listing becomes part of your social funnel
Once a creator drives traffic, your Rakuten product page is no longer “just a marketplace page.” It becomes the conversion stage of a content funnel.
That means weak product pages become much more expensive.
If your title is unclear, if the first image is bad, if the benefits are not obvious, or if the reviews look thin, you lose the momentum that the creator generated. A good video can create interest, but the listing still has to close the sale.
3) Japan is rewarding brands that connect video + performance, not brands that choose one
The Dentsu market data is a good reminder here: video is growing, but search and performance channels remain core. The winning brands in Japan are not “video-first” or “performance-first.” They are system-first. They combine video-led trust with strong conversion paths and clean retargeting.
That is exactly how Krows Digital approaches Japan growth strategy: use each channel for what it does best, then connect them.
What brands should do now (practical 2026 playbook)
If you are already on Rakuten—or planning to sell through a local partner—this is the right time to prepare. Not later, after competitors build creator relationships first.
Here is the practical playbook we would recommend.
1) Make your product pages creator-ready (not just search-ready)
Most Rakuten pages are built for marketplace browsing. That is still useful, but creator traffic behaves differently. Users arrive with context from a video. They already heard a claim. Now they want confirmation and confidence.
Your page should immediately answer:
- What is it?
- Why is it useful?
- Who is it for?
- Why this one (not a cheaper alternative)?
- Can I trust this brand?
The easiest way to improve this is to clean up four things first:
Product title structure
Use a readable, benefit-led title. Avoid overly cluttered keyword stuffing.
First 3–5 images
These matter more than most brands realize. Show function, outcome, use case, and any credibility proof quickly.
Benefit-driven copy blocks
Don’t just list specs. Frame benefits in the same language creators would naturally use.
FAQ and reviews visibility
If a user comes from creator content and still has hesitation, FAQ and reviews help close the gap.
This is one reason the Rakuten × YouTube Shopping rollout is so interesting: it forces brands to stop treating their listing pages like static catalog entries.
2) Build a creator brief before you contact anyone
A lot of brands waste time by reaching out to creators with no real structure.
If you want strong participation, prepare a simple creator package in advance:
- priority products (10–30 SKUs)
- key talking points for each product
- brand safety guidelines (what claims are okay / not okay)
- sample or gifting process
- campaign timing and seasonality
- affiliate terms and expectations
- contact person for questions
This matters because the YouTube Shopping affiliate setup documentation makes it clear that creators are working within affiliate logic and platform workflows. If your products are hard to understand or your process is slow, creators will skip them and feature easier alternatives.
3) Prioritize product categories that work in creator formats
This channel is not equally strong for every category.
It works best when a creator can naturally demonstrate, explain, compare, or review the item. In Japan, that often includes:
- beauty / skincare / fragrance
- home and lifestyle tools
- kitchen products
- fashion accessories
- hobby and enthusiast categories
- useful daily products with clear before/after value
If your product is hard to show or hard to explain, you can still test this model, but expectations should be different.
The core question is: Can a creator make this feel useful in 30–90 seconds?
If yes, the channel becomes much more powerful.
4) Don’t confuse affiliate with paid influencer campaigns
This is a big one.
Affiliate and paid influencer campaigns are not the same thing, and mixing them without strategy usually wastes budget.
Affiliate is great for testing product-market-creator fit at scale.
Paid collaborations are better when you want guaranteed deliverables, stronger storytelling, or usage rights for ads.
The smarter model for Japan is usually:
- Open the door through affiliate availability
- Watch which creators naturally drive strong traffic or sales
- Upgrade the best performers into paid creator partnerships
- Reuse top-performing assets for paid social / retargeting (with proper rights)
That approach is lower risk and more performance-friendly than paying larger creators too early.
5) Build reporting that captures assisted impact, not just direct sales
Another common mistake: brands look only at direct attributable sales and conclude the creator test failed.
But in reality, a user may:
- see a product on YouTube,
- check Rakuten later,
- search the brand on Google,
- click a retargeting ad,
- and then convert.
If you only look at one touchpoint, you miss the actual impact.
At minimum, track:
- product page conversion rate changes
- SKU-level sales lift
- branded search volume trends
- retargeting audience growth
- creator-by-creator performance
- top products by creator traffic quality
This is where agencies can add real value in Japan: not just creator outreach, but proper measurement logic across channels.
6) Use YouTube-native formats, not just “sponsored review” content
The opportunity is bigger than paid review videos.
Even Japanese media coverage such as Impress Watch’s coverage of YouTube Shopping affiliate features in Japan highlights how the workflow is built around YouTube-native content behavior, including tagging logic and creator-side operation. That means brands should think about recurring content formats, not only one-off placements.
Formats that tend to work better:
- “Top 5 things I actually use”
- seasonal recommendations (rainy season, gifting, spring refresh, travel prep)
- comparison videos
- routine-based content
- Shorts cut from longer product usage videos
- live shopping moments for high-fit categories
If your product can fit naturally into content people already watch, your odds go up dramatically.
7) This does not replace Google Ads, Meta, or Rakuten Ads — it makes them work better
This is probably the most important strategic point.
Rakuten × YouTube Shopping should not replace your paid media stack. It should improve it.
A strong Japan commerce funnel still usually looks like this:
- Search (Google / Yahoo): capture active intent
- Marketplace optimization (Rakuten): convert high-intent traffic
- Creator/YouTube Shopping: build trust and discovery
- Retargeting (Meta / YouTube / display): recover visitors and close
- Owned channels (email / LINE): improve repeat purchase and retention
The Dentsu advertising trend data supports this blended approach. Video is growing, but performance channels remain essential. The winners in Japan will be the brands that connect channels, not treat them as isolated teams.
A simple 90-day rollout plan (practical version)
If you want to move without overcomplicating it, this is a smart first 90-day structure.
Month 1: Foundations
Clean up your top product pages on Rakuten. Focus on titles, images, benefits, and FAQ blocks. Decide which SKUs are best suited for creator-led discovery.
Month 1–2: Creator readiness
Prepare your creator brief, sample process, response workflow, and affiliate terms. Make it easy for creators to understand and feature your products.
Month 2: Pilot activation
Start with a small, category-relevant creator group. Don’t chase only follower count. In Japan, category trust and tone fit often matter more than reach.
Month 2–3: Measurement and optimization
Track which products and creators produce quality traffic and actual sales movement. Cut weak combinations quickly.
Month 3: Paid amplification
Support winning products with paid search and retargeting. Use creator insights to improve ad copy and landing messages.
This is the fastest way to build a channel that is not just trendy, but operationally useful.
FAQ
Is this only for big brands?
No. Smaller and mid-size brands can benefit a lot because creator-led recommendations can generate trust without requiring a huge top-of-funnel ad budget. What matters most is product-page quality and a clear creator offer, not brand size.
Can foreign brands use this if they are selling into Japan?
Yes. If you are selling through Rakuten Ichiba directly or through a local partner, this is highly relevant. It is especially strong for products that need storytelling, demonstration, or trust-building in Japanese and bilingual audiences.
What should I fix first: creators or product pages?
Product pages first. If creators send traffic to weak listings, conversion will underperform and you will think the creator channel “doesn’t work” when the real issue is the page experience.
Does this replace Google Ads and other paid media?
No. Treat this as a discovery + trust layer. The strongest setup is still a connected funnel that includes search intent capture, retargeting, and marketplace optimization.
Conclusion
Rakuten × YouTube Shopping is one of the most important commerce shifts in Japan right now because it brings creator discovery and marketplace conversion much closer together.
For brands, this is not just about “trying influencer marketing.” It is about building a smarter Japan acquisition system: creator-ready products, stronger Rakuten pages, better reporting, and a paid media mix that supports conversion after discovery.
At Krows Digital, we help foreign brands and local teams build Japan-specific growth systems across Google, Yahoo! JAPAN / LINE, Meta, YouTube, and marketplace ecosystems like Rakuten. If you want help preparing your product pages, creator strategy, and performance funnel for Japan, contact us and we can build a rollout plan that fits your budget and category.
