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Rakuten users skew enthusiastic
One striking divide emerged not in age or gender, but in familiarity with the Rakuten Ecosystem. The survey grouped respondents by whether they actively used Rakuten services, were merely aware of them, or were completely unfamiliar.
Among those engaged with the Rakuten Ecosystem, 62.5% said they were not averse to AI, compared with just 43.6% of those unfamiliar with Rakuten. Half of regular Rakuten users reported having already used some form of AI, while fewer than 20% of non-users responded the same.
The gap widened even further for advanced use cases. Nearly 30% of Rakuten users indicated they would let AI agents handle entire transactions, compared to only 8.6% of non-users. A similar divide appeared around personal data use, with 37.4% of Rakuten users comfortable with AI leveraging personal information versus 10.3% of non-users.
Tellingly, among those not engaged with Rakuten, the most common reason given for disliking AI was “no particular reason,” suggesting less of an active aversion than a lack of engagement.
Fitting AI into shopping and travel
When asked about online shopping, respondents highlighted several frustrations that AI could potentially help solve: unreliable reviews, difficulty comparing products, and uncertainty over fit or suitability. Many hope for AI that can compare prices across sites, track price drops, and help find items using vague or natural language queries.
These are precisely the pain points Rakuten Ichiba is targeting with the recent launch of its AI concierge. Shoppers can now describe their budgets, preferences and usage scenarios through text, voice and images to get the most relevant possible suggestions from Rakuten Ichiba’s approximately 500 million items.
Travel planning, meanwhile, presents its own challenges. Many respondents expressed that they felt overwhelmed by information, struggling to compare options, assemble complete itineraries, and identify the best timing. AI could help predict prices and crowds, suggest destinations based on preferences, and build end-to-end travel plans.
In September 2025, Rakuten Travel launched its AI Travel Search, a free AI agent that leverages data from the platform’s reviews, trend insights, and diverse hotel plans to provide tailored recommendations. Understanding natural language, the agent provides a user-friendly display, allowing travelers to easily compare multiple relevant options that suit their destination, length of stay, budget, and many other preferences.
rakuten.today/blog/japanese-consumers-embracing-ai-survey.html
One striking divide emerged not in age or gender, but in familiarity with the Rakuten Ecosystem. The survey grouped respondents by whether they actively used Rakuten services, were merely aware of them, or were completely unfamiliar.
Among those engaged with the Rakuten Ecosystem, 62.5% said they were not averse to AI, compared with just 43.6% of those unfamiliar with Rakuten. Half of regular Rakuten users reported having already used some form of AI, while fewer than 20% of non-users responded the same.
The gap widened even further for advanced use cases. Nearly 30% of Rakuten users indicated they would let AI agents handle entire transactions, compared to only 8.6% of non-users. A similar divide appeared around personal data use, with 37.4% of Rakuten users comfortable with AI leveraging personal information versus 10.3% of non-users.
Tellingly, among those not engaged with Rakuten, the most common reason given for disliking AI was “no particular reason,” suggesting less of an active aversion than a lack of engagement.
Fitting AI into shopping and travel
When asked about online shopping, respondents highlighted several frustrations that AI could potentially help solve: unreliable reviews, difficulty comparing products, and uncertainty over fit or suitability. Many hope for AI that can compare prices across sites, track price drops, and help find items using vague or natural language queries.
These are precisely the pain points Rakuten Ichiba is targeting with the recent launch of its AI concierge. Shoppers can now describe their budgets, preferences and usage scenarios through text, voice and images to get the most relevant possible suggestions from Rakuten Ichiba’s approximately 500 million items.
Travel planning, meanwhile, presents its own challenges. Many respondents expressed that they felt overwhelmed by information, struggling to compare options, assemble complete itineraries, and identify the best timing. AI could help predict prices and crowds, suggest destinations based on preferences, and build end-to-end travel plans.
In September 2025, Rakuten Travel launched its AI Travel Search, a free AI agent that leverages data from the platform’s reviews, trend insights, and diverse hotel plans to provide tailored recommendations. Understanding natural language, the agent provides a user-friendly display, allowing travelers to easily compare multiple relevant options that suit their destination, length of stay, budget, and many other preferences.
rakuten.today/blog/japanese-consumers-embracing-ai-survey.html
