Rakuten’s U.S. fulfillment company to accept bitcoin

E-commerce giant Ratuken’s U.S. fulfillment service, Ratuken Super Logistics, has begun to accept Internet currency Bitcoin as payment.



The company will accept payment from its customers immediately for fulfillment services and software delivery through the company BitPay.



“Many of our merchants are accepting bitcoin on their e-commerce platforms, but none of our competitors are offering the opportunity to pay for order fulfillment services with bitcoin,” Rakuten Super Logistics U.S. CEO Joseph DiSorbo said. “Accepting bitcoin payment not only sets us apart from our competitors, but allows us to move closer toward our goal of a frictionless global e-commerce marketplace.”



Part of what makes Bitcoin appealing is the lower percentage vendors pay for accepting it over credit cards. Additionally, the currency works internationally, and Rakuten Super Logistics customers overseas had asked for it to be added as an accepted form of payment.



“Selling online is highly competitive, and retailers no matter what industry they’re in have a high risk and cost of accepting payments compared to brick-and-mortar retailers,” BitPay co-founder and executive chairman Tony Gallippi said. “By accepting bitcoin from the customer and using bitcoin for logistics, fulfillment, and the supply chain, a company can multiply their savings and see a bigger impact on the bottom line.”



DiSorbo hopes that this is a first step toward making global e-commerce more readily available.



“More broadly, the bitcoin protocol, and decentralized applications have the potential to enhance service offerings across a wide range of industries including e-commerce,” he said. “We are working to apply this new technology to the benefit of market participants, especially those who can’t now easily access the global e-commerce marketplace.”