Company:Rakuten Rewards
| Industry | Cashback website |
|---|---|
| Founded | Script error: No such module "Date time". in Menlo Park, California, United States |
| 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/ RAK-ə-tin),[1] formerly known as Ebates,[2] is a cash-back and shopping rewards company.[3] Its revenue comes from affiliate network links.[4] Members of the site click through affiliate links before shopping at a retailer's site.
History
Rakuten Rewards was founded as Ebates in 1998 in Menlo Park, California, by two former deputy district attorneys, Alessandro Isolani and Paul Wasserman.[5] Funded by the venture capital firm Foundation Capital,[6] Ebates.com was launched on 3 May 1999, offering up to 25% cash back from about 40 online retailers.[7]
In September 2014, Ebates was acquired by the 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
| Date | Company | Business | Country | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2011 | FatWallet | Comparison shopping site | United States | [10] |
| 9 August 2012 | BFAds | Coupons site | United States | [11] |
| 8 September 2012 | AnyCoupons | Coupons site | United States | [citation needed] |
| 22 June 2012 | OneReceipt | Receipt digitization service | United States | [12] |
| 10/12/2012 | PushPins | Coupons mobile site | United States | [13] |
| 25 June 2013 sold 6 December 2017 |
Extrabux | Comparison shopping site | United States | [14] |
| 7 March 2016 | Shopular | Product discovery mobile app | United States | [15] |
| 23 January 2017 | Cartera Commerce | Rewards program provider | United States | [16] |
| 3 April 2017 | ShopStyle (and Cosmic Cart) | Fashion discovery site | United States | [17] |
Services/tools
| Name | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Free application for Android and iOS allows users to shop and earn cash back on mobile devices. | [18] |
| Hotels | Users can book hotels to earn cash back. | [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. | [20] |
| Marketplace | Formerly located at Rakuten.com, the marketplace is an e-commerce site where users can buy goods from third-party sellers. | |
| 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. |
Logos
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2017
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2018
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2019 (US, before renaming)
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2019 (Canada, before renaming)
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2019 (US and Canada, after renaming)
References
- ↑ "Ebates is now Rakuten". Rakuten Rewards. https://www.rakuten.ca/new-brand.
- ↑ "Ebates is Becoming Rakuten & Super Bowl Ad (How to Pronounce Rakuten)". https://travelwithgrant.com/2019/02/04/ebates-is-becoming-rakuten-super-bowl-ad-how-to-pronounce-rakuten/.
- ↑ Suknanan, Jasmin (16 March 2022). "The Rakuten shopping portal gives you cash back for purchases you were already planning to make" (in en). https://www.cnbc.com/select/rakuten-review-2022-cash-back-earnings-perks-and-more/.
- ↑ "Rakuten to Acquire Ebates for $1 Billion". Business Wire (Press release). 9 September 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ Capital, Foundation (2014-09-11). "Remembering a Scrappy Little Startup Called Ebates" (in en-US). https://foundationcapital.com/remembering-a-scrappy-little-startup-called-ebates/.
- ↑ Kemp, Ted (17 May 1999). "ebates.com Pays Cash to Net Shoppers, Hopes to Lure Advertisers". http://www.dmnews.com/ebatescom-pays-cash-to-net-shoppers-hopes-to-lure-advertisers/article/61906/. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Ebates.com launches discount rebate site". Crain Communications Inc.. 3 May 1999. http://adage.com/article/news/ebates-launches-discount-rebate-site/6965. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ Perez, Sarah (9 September 2014). "Rakuten Buys Ebates For $1 Billion". https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/09/rakuten-buys-ebates-for-1-billion/. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ "Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing". 8 March 2019. https://dyernews.com/rakuten-vs-ebates-whats-changing-with-the-cashback-tool/.
- ↑ "Backed By VCs, Ebates Buys FatWallet.com And AnyCoupons.com, Starts New Company". 9 September 2011. https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/09/backed-by-vcs-ebates-buys-fatwallet-com-and-anycoupons-com-starts-new-company/.
- ↑ "Ebates acquires BFAds". https://www.startupranking.com/acquisition/ebates-acquires-bfads-5257.
- ↑ "Performance Marketing Brands Announces Acquisition of OneReceipt". 6 September 2012. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120906005645/en/Performance-Marketing-Brands-Announces-Acquisition-OneReceipt.
- ↑ "Performance Marketing Brands Expands Into Grocery Retail Market with Acquisition of Pushpins". 22 January 2013. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130122005627/en/Performance-Marketing-Brands-Expands-Grocery-Retail-Market.
- ↑ "Ebates Inc. Acquires Extrabux®". 17 March 2014. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140317005209/en/Ebates-Acquires-Extrabux%C2%AE.
- ↑ "Ebates Acquires Shopular". 24 March 2016. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160324005136/en/Ebates-Acquires-Shopular.
- ↑ "Ebates Acquires Cartera Commerce". 27 January 2017. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005099/en/Ebates-Acquires-Cartera-Commerce.
- ↑ "Ebates Acquires ShopStyle From PopSugar Inc.". 24 February 2017. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170223006470/en/Ebates-Acquires-ShopStyle-PopSugar.
- ↑ "Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing". 8 March 2019. https://dyernews.com/rakuten-vs-ebates-whats-changing-with-the-cashback-tool/.
- ↑ "Ebates Hotels Review: Earn 10% Cash Back". 22 August 2018. https://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/ebates-hotels-review/.
- ↑ "Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing". 8 March 2019. https://dyernews.com/rakuten-vs-ebates-whats-changing-with-the-cashback-tool/.
