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Brief
Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising

Affiliate & Performance MarketingDivisionrakutenadvertising.com

Rakuten Advertising is an affiliate marketing service provider that operates as a leading global affiliate marketing network, helping brands understand and optimize their presence across digital marketing channels.

Last updated Oct 5, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team

Founded
2000
HQ
San Mateo, California, United States
Connections
35

AI-drafted from public sources5 sources cited

At a glance

Employees
1001-5000
Funding
$10M+
Revenue
$200M-$500M
Stock
4755.T
17integrations12competitors

About

One of the top three global affiliate marketing networks by publisher count and advertiser spend, with strong enterprise brand relationships

Rakuten Advertising is an affiliate marketing service provider that operates as a leading global affiliate marketing network, helping brands understand and optimize their presence across digital marketing channels. The company integrates third-party data into its analytics and reporting environment to give brand advertisers deeper visibility into how their content and performance surface across digital channels, with insights built on real user behavioral data designed to support more informed decision-making and customer acquisition. As AI reshapes consumer discovery, Rakuten Advertising is expanding its capabilities to help clients measure and improve visibility within generative AI platforms. The company traces its roots to Rakuten's 2005 acquisition of LinkShare for $425 million; the network was subsequently rebranded as Rakuten Affiliate Network in 2014 and then as Rakuten Advertising in 2020. Source 1: wikipedia.org — Rakuten Advertising Source 2: martechcube.com — Rakuten Advertising, Similarweb Boost LLM Visibility

Business model

Marketplace

Target market

Enterprise

What they offer

  • Affiliate Marketing Platform

    End-to-end affiliate program management including publisher recruitment, tracking, reporting, and commission management for advertisers

  • Rakuten Advertising Publisher Network

    Access to over 150,000 active publishers globally, including content sites, coupon/cashback platforms, influencers, and loyalty programs

  • Programmatic Display Advertising

    Data-driven programmatic media buying leveraging Rakuten's consumer purchase data for audience targeting and retargeting

  • Affiliate Intelligence

    AI-powered analytics and optimization tools that provide insights into publisher performance, consumer journeys, and commission strategy

  • Cross-Channel Attribution

    Multi-touch attribution modeling to measure the true contribution of affiliate and display channels across the customer journey

  • Influencer Marketing

    Managed influencer marketing solutions integrated within the affiliate ecosystem for performance-based influencer partnerships

  • Rakuten Audiences

    Proprietary audience segments built from Rakuten's first-party shopping and loyalty data for enhanced targeting precision

Key features

Global affiliate network with 150,000+ active publishersProprietary first-party consumer purchase data from Rakuten ecosystemAI-powered publisher recommendations and commission optimizationMulti-touch cross-channel attributionReal-time reporting and performance dashboardsFraud detection and brand safety toolsDedicated affiliate program management servicesGlobal compliance and tax management for publishersDeep linking and dynamic commissioning capabilitiesIntegration with major e-commerce and marketing platforms

Use cases

Enterprise affiliate program launch and managementPublisher recruitment and relationship managementPerformance-based customer acquisition for e-commerce brandsCross-border affiliate marketing for global brandsInfluencer and content creator monetizationLoyalty and cashback program partnershipsRetargeting and prospecting via programmatic displaySubscription and financial services lead generation

Customer segments

Enterprise retail and e-commerce brandsTravel and hospitality companiesFinancial services and fintech firmsSubscription box and SaaS companiesConsumer electronics brandsFashion and apparel retailersContent publishers and media companiesCoupon, cashback, and loyalty platforms

Tech & specs

Technology stack

Proprietary affiliate tracking and attribution platformMachine learning and AI for publisher optimizationProgrammatic DSP/SSP infrastructureFirst-party data management and audience segmentationReal-time bidding (RTB) technologyAPI-based integrations and webhooksCloud-based SaaS infrastructure

Security & compliance

GDPRCCPASOC 2IAB StandardsTAG Brand Safety Certified

Deployment

Cloud

API

Yes

Explore further

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