Rakuten acquires Fits.me

London - Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has acquired a 100 percent stake in virtual fit technology company Fits.me, for an undisclosed sum, as it looks to “strengthen its e-commerce offerings and marketing solutions” by providing “greater personalisation of the retail experience for shoppers”.

Fit.me, a start-up based in London, has pioneered virtual fitting room technology, used by brands including Thomas Pink, QVC and Pretty Green, by allowing online buyers to visualise how items of clothing will fit them.

Rakuten confirmed that Fits.me will continue to operate as a stand-alone business, and it will continue to “support and grow” current and future clients.

“Fits.me represents both the fun and functionality of shopping online and is a natural complement to our growing portfolio of e-commerce and marketing services,” said Rakuten founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani. “Not only does the virtual fitting room provide customers with a more realistic shopping experience, it also empowers merchants with the valuable data they need to continually improve their service.”

Fits.me CEO James B. Gambrell added: “Rakuten built its business by empowering merchants and brands to deliver authentic and engaging shopping experiences, which is exactly the vision of Fits.me.

“We are excited to join Rakuten, with its leading e-commerce marketplaces and cutting edge marketing services platform Rakuten Marketing, as we build out our ambitious product plans and accelerate our planned growth in Europe, the USA and now Asia.”