Rakuten Rewards
This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (July 2021) |
Industry | Cashback website, Coupons, Mobile applications, Browser extension |
---|---|
Founded | May 3, 1998Menlo Park, CA, United States | in
Founders | Alessandro Isolani and Paul Wasserman |
Headquarters | San Mateo, California |
Area served | United States, Canada, China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan |
Key people | Amit Patel (CEO) |
Number of employees | 760 (Worldwide, 2019) |
Parent | Rakuten |
Website | www |
Rakuten Rewards (/ˈrækətɪn/),[1] formerly known as Ebates,[2] is a cash-back and shopping rewards company.[citation needed] Rakuten Rewards' revenue comes from affiliate network links.[3] Members of the site click through affiliate links before shopping at a retailer's site. Once the member makes a purchase, Rakuten Rewards receives an affiliate commission from the retailer which is then shared with the member. The company publishes links both on their website and through a browser extension as well as mobile app.[4]
Rakuten Rewards frequently appears on lists of best cash-back sites.[5]
History[]
Rakuten Rewards was founded as Ebates in 1998 in Menlo Park, CA by two former deputy district attorneys, Alessandro Isolani and Paul Wasserman. Funded by venture capital firm Foundation Capital,[6] Ebates.com launched on May 3, 1999 offering up to 25% cash back from about 40 online retailers.[7]
In September 2014, Ebates was acquired by Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten for US$1 billion.[8] In 2019, the Ebates brand was phased out and replaced with Rakuten Rewards.[9]
Acquisitions[]
Number | Date | Company | Business | Country | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9/8/2011 | FatWallet | Comparison shopping site | United States | [10] |
2 | 8/9/2012 | BFAds | Coupons site | United States | [11] |
3 | 9/8/2012 | AnyCoupons | Coupons site | United States | [citation needed] |
4 | 6/22/2012 | OneReceipt | Receipt digitization service | United States | [12] |
5 | 10/12/2012 | PushPins | Coupons mobile site | United States | [13] |
6 | 6/25/2013,
sold 12/6/2017 |
Extrabux | Comparison shopping site | United States | [14] |
7 | 3/7/2016 | Shopular | Product discovery mobile app | United States | [15] |
8 | 1/23/2017 | Cartera Commerce | Rewards program provider | United States | [16] |
9 | 4/3/2017 | ShopStyle (and Cosmic Cart) | Fashion discovery site | United States | [17] |
Services/Tools[]
Name | Description | Website | References |
---|---|---|---|
Mobile App | Free application for Android and iOS allows users to shop and earn cash back on mobile devices | https://www.rakuten.com/mobile.htm | [18] |
Hotels | Users can book hotels to earn cash back. All hotels on this section of the site are eligible for 10% cash back | https://www.rakuten.com/hotels | [19] |
Cash Back Button | Browser extension for Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. Alerts users to cash-back possibilities on store sites and highlights offers in Google and Bing search results | https://www.rakuten.com/button.htm | [20] |
Marketplace | Formerly located at Rakuten.com, the marketplace is an e-commerce site where users can buy goods from third-party sellers | https://www.rakuten.com/shop/ | |
In-Store Cash Back | Users can earn cash back in stores by adding a credit or debit card to their accounts and using that card to pay in stores | https://www.rakuten.com/in-store.htm |
Logos[]
2017
2018
2019 (US, before renaming)
2019 (Canada, before renaming)
2019 (US and Canada, after renaming)
References[]
- ^ "Ebates is now Rakuten". Rakuten Rewards.
- ^ "Ebates is Becoming Rakuten & Super Bowl Ad (How to Pronounce Rakuten)". travelwithgrant.boardingarea.com. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- ^ "Rakuten to Acquire Ebates for $1 Billion". Business Wire (Press release). 9 September 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Rebates, Cash Back, Discount Coupons, Online Coupons". RakutenUS. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ Broida, Rick. "The 5 cash-back services you need to try". CNET. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ Kemp, Ted (17 May 1999). "ebates.com Pays Cash to Net Shoppers, Hopes to Lure Advertisers". Direct Marketing News. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ "Ebates.com launches discount rebate site". Advertising Age. Crain Communications Inc. 3 May 1999. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (9 September 2014). "Rakuten Buys Ebates For $1 Billion". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing". Dyer News. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- ^ "Backed By VCs, Ebates Buys FatWallet.com And AnyCoupons.com, Starts New Company". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Ebates acquires BFAds | Startup Ranking". StartupRanking. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Performance Marketing Brands Announces Acquisition of OneReceipt". www.businesswire.com. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Performance Marketing Brands Expands Into Grocery Retail Market with Acquisition of Pushpins". www.businesswire.com. 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Ebates Inc. Acquires Extrabux®". www.businesswire.com. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Ebates Acquires Shopular". www.businesswire.com. 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Ebates Acquires Cartera Commerce". www.businesswire.com. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Ebates Acquires ShopStyle From PopSugar Inc". www.businesswire.com. 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing". Dyer News. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
- ^ "Ebates Hotels Review: Earn 10% Cash Back". Hustler Money Blog. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
- ^ "Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing". Dyer News. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
- American companies established in 1998
- Internet properties established in 1998
- 1998 establishments in California
- Companies based in San Mateo, California
- Rakuten
- 2014 mergers and acquisitions
- American subsidiaries of foreign companies