ACAN- E-commerce Canada Fair Maintenance on Rakuten Ichiba in Japan

Background: The Canada Brand was launched in 2006 by AAFC and has supported the success of Canadian agri-food businesses and associations in global markets by building recognition for the quality of Canadian products worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increased consumer presence online, supporting the need for an updated Canada Brand. In 2023, AAFC launched the refreshed Canada Brand equipping industry, partners and AAFC with new graphics and tools optimized for today’s digital environment. To leverage the refreshed Canada Brand, AAFC has undertaken a 12-month targeted consumer campaign in Japan that features a Canada Fair showcase on the country’s largest e-commerce platform to drive consumer demand by showcasing Canadian products and creating purchase opportunities in a high-traffic digital space. The campaign is supported by social media collaborations, digital marketing and a consumer-facing website. The campaign concludes February 29, 2024. Rakuten was awarded the contract for the design and execution of the e-commerce Canada Fair showcase. AAFC seeks to continue operating the showcase on Rakuten in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 with an updated scope and deliverables. Objective: For Rakuten Group Inc. to host, maintain and update, as needed, the Canada Fair e-commerce marketplace on the Rakuten platform through February 28, 2025. Scope of Work: Rakuten will provide the following: ? Host (and update, as needed) the Canada Fair showcase page comprising Canada Brand content to increase Canada Brand recognition and awareness of Canadian food in Japan; ? Maintain (and update, as needed) the availability of Canadian food on the Canada Fair showcase; ? Aid in increasing the number of Canadian food products and vendors/sellers of Canadian food products in the Canada Fair showcase; and ? Drive product purchases and recognition of a variety of Canadian food. Potential Metrics: ? Showcase Capability – Rakuten is widely available to Japanese consumers and is capable of showcasing (and updating, as needed) the curated list of Canadian food (frozen, fresh and shelf-stable). ? Integrated Promotional Tools – Including but not limited to emails, coupons and points. These must be able to effectively drive traffic to the Canada Fair showcase, particularly during scheduled seasonal promotions. ? Performance Data – Ability to provide the Project Authority with bimonthly detailed performance reports, including statistics demonstrating baseline sales, increased sales, traffic etc.