Rakuten Rewards ,[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
Services/tools
Logos
References
- Ebates is now Rakuten Rakuten Rewards^
- Ebates is Becoming Rakuten & Super Bowl Ad (How to Pronounce Rakuten) Travel with Grant, retrieved 2 May 2019^
- Jasmin Suknanan. The Rakuten shopping portal gives you cash back for purchases you were already planning to make CNBC, 16 March 2022, retrieved 2024-04-02^
- Rakuten to Acquire Ebates for $1 Billion Business Wire, 9 September 2014, retrieved 2 April 2015^
- Foundation Capital. Remembering a Scrappy Little Startup Called Ebates Foundation Capital, 2014-09-11, retrieved 2024-04-02^
- Ted Kemp. ebates.com Pays Cash to Net Shoppers, Hopes to Lure Advertisers Direct Marketing News, 17 May 1999, retrieved 25 March 2015^
- Ebates.com launches discount rebate site Advertising Age, Crain Communications Inc., 3 May 1999, retrieved 25 March 2015^
- Sarah Perez. Rakuten Buys Ebates For $1 Billion TechCrunch, 9 September 2014, retrieved 2 April 2015^
- Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing Dyer News, 8 March 2019, retrieved 2 May 2019^
- Backed By VCs, Ebates Buys FatWallet.com And AnyCoupons.com, Starts New Company TechCrunch, 9 September 2011, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Ebates acquires BFAds StartupRanking, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Performance Marketing Brands Announces Acquisition of OneReceipt Businesswire, 6 September 2012, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Performance Marketing Brands Expands Into Grocery Retail Market with Acquisition of Pushpins Businesswire, 22 January 2013, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Ebates Inc. Acquires Extrabux® Businesswire, 17 March 2014, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Ebates Acquires Shopular Businesswire, 24 March 2016, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Ebates Acquires Cartera Commerce Businesswire, 27 January 2017, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Ebates Acquires ShopStyle From PopSugar Inc. Businesswire, 24 February 2017, retrieved 6 March 2019^
- Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing Dyer News, 8 March 2019, retrieved 25 April 2019^
- Ebates Hotels Review: Earn 10% Cash Back Hustler Money Blog, 22 August 2018, retrieved 25 April 2019^
- Rakuten Review: Rakuten vs. Ebates - What is Changing Dyer News, 8 March 2019, retrieved 25 April 2019^