Press Release


NEW YORK CITY – November 27, 2012 – Rakuten LinkShare today announced significant growth for its performance marketing network in the third quarter of 2012. The company reported same-store sales in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan while also launching services in Australia. The growth of the network reflects the profitable partnerships advertisers and publishers have put in place in anticipation of record-breaking online sales expected this holiday season.

In the United States, overall same-store sales in the Rakuten LinkShare network increased by 36 percent year-over-year (YoY) for the third quarter. That compares to an overall increase for online retail of 15 percent according to comScore.

The company also signed more than 125 leading and emerging brands across a wide range of categories in the third quarter in the US, UK, Canada, and Japan offering publishers in the Rakuten LinkShare network new opportunities to earn commissions.

“We offer consumers entertaining, dynamic shopping experiences and our ability to provide targeted, valuable offers from today’s best brands is key to our success,” said Julian Frachtman, founder of Jutera Labs. “The Rakuten LinkShare network continues to deliver when it comes to finding and establishing long-term profitable partnerships with great advertisers.”

The Rakuten LinkShare network in the UK also delivered strong performance as overall same-store sales in Q3 increased 28 percent year-over-year outpacing overall e-commerce growth. This compares to an overall industry increase of 16 percent in UK retail sales for the quarter according to the Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.

“The continued, global growth of the Rakuten LinkShare network speaks to how affiliate marketing is aligned with today’s online shopper,” said Yaz Iida, chief executive officer, Rakuten LinkShare. “The Rakuten LinkShare network is uniquely positioned to help advertisers reach consumers in major markets around the world by creating partnerships with the industry’s most innovative publishers who are driving unprecedented traffic to retailer sites and boosting sales across a wide range of product categories.”

The continued growth reported by Rakuten LinkShare further validates industry research findings on the rise of performance marketing. A June 2012 research report sponsored by the company and conducted by Forrester Consulting forecast the affiliate marketing industry will reach $4.5 billion by 2016[1].

The Rakuten LinkShare network currently operates in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan and Australia with plans to expand further internationally.

About Rakuten LinkShare Corporation
Rakuten LinkShare provides online retailers and other businesses with expert online marketing services and solutions. Rakuten LinkShare’s affiliate marketing network, search marketing services, lead generation campaigns and retargeting solutions can acquire new customers, increase revenue and drive overall results while achieving target return on ad spend. Rakuten LinkShare clients are Fortune 500 and other prominent companies doing business online, including J.C. Penney, 1-800-Flowers.com, American Express and Avon Products. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, Tampa, London, Tokyo and Sydney. For more information, please visit: www.linkshare.com.

[1] “Affiliate Marketing – The Direct and Indirect Value that Affiliates Deliver to Advertisers.” Forrester Consulting, June 2012.