Curbside, a Silicon Valley startup that takes the friction out of the mobile order-ahead experience for thousands of stores and restaurants, unveiled it is now Rakuten Ready, taking on a new name one year after it became part of the Rakuten, Inc.
Rakuten Ready empowers stores and restaurants to deliver rewarding online-to-offline experiences that give time back to their customers. The company’s predictive arrival technology streamlines order fulfillment and enables merchants to scale their order-ahead programs and deliver products to customers at the exact moment they’re ready for them.
The new name reflects the brand’s promise to reward consumers with the speed and convenience of online shopping, and the instant gratification of getting what they want right now.
“We know that now more than ever, minutes matter to consumers in their everyday lives,” says Rakuten Ready CEO Jaron Waldman, Curbside co-founder. “As Rakuten Ready, we’ll be enabling great mobile experiences on an even bigger scale.”
Rakuten, a global leader in innovation headquartered in Tokyo, acquired Curbside in June 2018. Rakuten Ready’s proprietary location technology is a holistic answer to how brick-and-mortar commerce competes in today’s on-demand economy – improving sales, increasing margins, and rewarding customers with a more seamless experience.
“Rakuten Ready is the customer experience leader for brick and mortar merchants, empowering them to reach customers in surprising and delightful new ways,” adds Mickey Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten. “It has been exciting to watch Jaron and his team at Rakuten Ready as they work to reward merchants with the ability to reward their customers with time back.”
