Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket
Look Out Amazon, Here Comes...Rakuten?
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten announced on Tuesday it is acquiring Ebates for $1 billion.
The acquisition, which Rakuten hinted at last week, is part of the Japanese company’s push to grow its base beyond its domestic market and hopefully, become a global player. Having made some $1.2 billion acquisitions to date along these lines, this is Rakuten’s most ambitious move to date.
However, investors are dubious that the company can absorb yet another foreign acquisition, much less one the size of Ebates, despite Rakuten’s strong cash position.
Then there is the ever-present Amazon, which dominates the e-commerce market in the U.S. Few believe it will falter in the face of Chinese giant Alibaba, much less a Rakuten-Ebates combo.
Rakuten Goes Forth
Not surprisingly, Rakuten says it is undaunted. For starters, it has assembled a very interesting mix of acquisitions. There is messaging app Viber, which it purchased for $900 million in February, the Canadian ebook offering Kobo, Spanish video service Wuaki.tv, Viki, a digital content platform and Buy.com.
Now it has picked up Ebates.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikamorphy/2014/09/...ere-comes-rakuten/
As of July 2025, Rakuten TV's annual revenue reached $75M.
As of July 2025, Rakuten TV has approximately 201 employees across 3 continents, including Europe, Asia, North America.
Rakuten TV is one of the leading streaming platforms in Europe that combines TVOD (Transactional video-on-demand), AVOD (Advertising video-on-demand) and FAST channels (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) providing users with a universe of content and making the whole entertainment experience easier.
Rakuten TV is available in 43 European territories and forms part of Rakuten Group, Inc. one of the world's’ leading internet services companies, offering a wide variety of services for consumers and businesses, with a focus on e-commerce, fintech and digital content.
https://leadiq.com/c/rakuten-tv/...520revenue%2520reached%2520%2475M.
Cutting-edge agentic AI tool Rakuten AI launches today on Rakuten Link; rollout on Rakuten Ichiba planned for Autumn 2025
Rakuten AI also directly accessible through its own web app
Tokyo, July 30, 2025 - Rakuten Group, Inc. and Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced the full-scale launch of Rakuten AI, a new cutting-edge AI agent designed to enhance user experiences and streamline interactions across the Rakuten Ecosystem, as well as enrich and empower daily life. The initial rollout integrates Rakuten AI into Rakuten Link, the communication app for Rakuten Mobile subscribers, and offers Rakuten AI as a web app (beta), heralding the start of the Rakuten Agentic AI era. Rakuten AI is free of charge to use in all its forms, and rollout on Rakuten Ichiba is planned for Autumn 2025.
Rakuten AI is an essential gateway seamlessly integrated with the expansive Rakuten Ecosystem, spanning diverse sectors including shopping, lifestyle, fintech, travel, education, work, wellness and entertainment. In addition to Rakuten AI’s robust research and action capabilities, its deep Japanese Context Awareness is a key differentiator, enabling integration with local services through its comprehensive understanding of the Japanese language and culture, and delivering personalized experiences designed to foster lifelong happiness, success and fulfillment.
Moving forward, Rakuten AI will evolve into a force multiplier designed to decode intent, unify fragmented data and drive action. Users will gain instant access to the intelligence of thousands of experts to think faster, make better decisions and execute with the insight of an expert in every field.
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/0730_01.html
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/...2520ir%2520fintech
March 20, 2025
Rakuten TV, the European streaming platforms, has partnered with Audioteka Group, owner of Polish OTT platform Pilot WP, to launch a co-branded TVoD store, bringing thousands of films directly to Pilot WP users.
“We are thrilled to partner with Audioteka Group to bring an outstanding selection of films from Rakuten TV’s extensive catalogue to the Pilot WP platform. This seamless integration enhances the user experience, making it easier than ever to enjoy blockbuster hits and award-winning titles at their convenience. Rakuten TV and Pilot WP are perfect business partners, as together we provide a complementary service in a streamlined and agile way. This agreement marks a significant milestone for ‘Rakuten TV Enterprise Services’, reinforcing our commitment to deliver premium entertainment experiences across Europe,” commented Karina Rompa, Partnerships and Business Development at Rakuten TV.
https://www.advanced-television.com/2025/03/20/...ilot-wps-tvod-store
At Mobile World Congress, Rakuten TV, the European streaming platform, has announced that it is positioning itself as a key enabler for telcos looking to expand their content offering in the growing FAST market. Through Rakuten TV Enterprise Services, the company provides solutions for the launch, distribution and monetisation of FAST channels.
After three years of collaboration with some of Europe’s top telcos in the TVoD and AVoD segment, Rakuten TV is now completing its business proposition for telcos via its Enterprise Services, enabling them to enhance their content offering through FAST channels distribution and monetisation. Four months after its launch at MIPCOM, Rakuten TV Enterprise Services is now opening up to telcos, providing them with the opportunity to strengthen their entertainment offering.
“For 15 years, Rakuten TV has been at the forefront of streaming, building a scalable and comprehensive platform to offer the best entertainment experience to our users. Now, via Rakuten TV Enterprise Services, we are leveraging our expertise to offer content partners a suite of high-quality, cost-effective solutions to easily launch and monetise their FAST channels and video centric Apps and, starting today, empower telcos to expand their content offer across the FAST market ensuring them access to high-quality content, greater reach, and more monetisation opportunities,” commented Cédric Dufour, CEO and President of Rakuten TV. “We have been already working with major telcos across Europe to provide them TVoD and AVoD options, and we are now ready to offer them an easy access to FAST market, which data shows being the most rapidly growing segment of entertainment landscape.”
https://www.advanced-television.com/2025/03/03/...-services-to-telcos
Content Syndication – Access to localised content tailored to regional preferences: over 18,000 TVoD titles, featuring the latest releases; 100 Owned and Operated and a selection of content partners FAST channels; and 10,000 AVoD titles, from Hollywood blockbusters and indie films to globally recognised TV series.
Monetisation – Rakuten TV Enterprise Services also provides its partners an effective monetisation solution: it relies on a team of marketers of CTV inventory in EMEA, with expert local sales teams, close links to some of Europe’s leading advertising agencies and seamless integration with the major SSP and DSP platforms.
FAST Channels & Video App Solutions – Tools for the launch, distribution and monetisation of FAST channels, as well as the development of OTT Video Apps for all major operating systems running on consumer electronic devices.
Rakuten TV already has a solid track record of partnerships with a number of European telecom operators such as Virgin Media O2 (UK), MasOrange (Spain), 1&1 (Germany) and Altibox (Norway), as well as FAST services including VIDAA, Xiaomi TV+, LG Channels, and Samsung TV Plus.
https://www.advanced-television.com/2025/03/03/...-services-to-telcos
Starting today, Rakuten AI is integrated into the Rakuten Link communication app for Rakuten Mobile subscribers. Originally launched as Rakuten Link AI in October 2024, the updated version empowers subscribers with AI chat and auto-generated prompts for effortless Rakuten Ecosystem searches. Users can conveniently input queries via text, voice-to-text conversion and image search, and choose from multiple AI-generated prompts for follow-up questions.
The Rakuten AI web app*3 is an innovative service designed to usher in a new era of humanized technology that aims to make every user feel seen, accepted and empowered in their digital interactions. Anyone with a Rakuten ID can use this version of Rakuten AI. It offers specialized AI skills, including AI chat, AI search with deep think, voice mode, translation, AI reading, coding, problem-solving and image creation. The future vision for Rakuten AI is to enable consumers to benefit from an agentic ecosystem.
Rakuten AI will roll out on Rakuten Ichiba in Autumn 2025 in the next step of the ongoing optimization and expansion of agentic AI within the Rakuten Ecosystem. Within Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten AI will leverage integrated specialized agents and insights data including user attributes, preferences and purchasing trends to offer users personalized product recommendations.
Rakuten AI is a key component of Rakuten's vision for an Agentic Ecosystem which aims to create a hyper-personalized, intelligent and interconnected experience for users across the Rakuten Ecosystem. By harnessing agentic AI, Rakuten aims to empower users with intelligent orchestration of tasks across its core services, aligned with their unique preferences.
Rakuten AI is ideally positioned to lead the future of commerce on the agentic web. By optimizing for AI agents and offering seamless access both in-browser and within Rakuten apps, Rakuten AI will serve as the premier gateway to the Rakuten Ecosystem, connecting users directly to Rakuten services and beyond.
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/0730_01.html
April 16, 2025
By Nik Roseveare
Rakuten TV, the European streaming platforms, has announced a new agreement with Mattel, the toy manufacturing and entertainment company. This partnership will bring a lineup of Mattel’s iconic children’s content across Europe. The content will be available on Rakuten TV’s Family channel and will also be accessible on-demand as part of Rakuten TV’s library of free content.
As part of the deal, Rakuten TV will offer a selection of beloved animated series and movies, featuring celebrated brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends, Monster High and more. The partnership covers key European markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal.
Marcos Milanez, Chief Content Officer at Rakuten TV, commented: “We are excited to partner with Mattel to bring their iconic brands to our European audiences through our AVoD and FAST channels. This collaboration enhances our commitment to providing a diverse range of high-quality, family-friendly content, ensuring viewers across the region can enjoy the best in entertainment, free of charge.”
https://www.advanced-television.com/2025/04/16/...-mattel-partnership
TMO Group July 11, 2025
Japan boasts one of the world’s most mature consumer markets, with eCommerce sales reaching approximately US $110 billion in 2023—and continuing to grow steadily. Fueled by high disposable incomes, a strong preference for domestic and premium goods, and near-universal internet access, Japan ranks as the fourth-largest eCommerce market globally.
Within this landscape, Rakuten remains a cornerstone of online shopping behavior. With over US $30 billion in annual transaction volume and a sprawling digital ecosystem that spans shopping, finance, travel, and mobile services, Rakuten’s loyalty-driven model makes it a strategic priority for both domestic brands and cross-border sellers aiming to expand in Japan.
For overseas brands considering market entry, refining product strategy, or monitoring local competitors, keeping up with category shifts and fast-moving trends is crucial.
These reports provide a strategic snapshot of the platform—but they’re also just the beginning. Each data pack serves as a sample of our larger data capabilities, which include long-term category monitoring, competitor benchmarking, and custom eCommerce intelligence tailored to your brand’s goals.
https://www.tmogroup.asia/insights/japan-ecommerce-sales/
The Global Open RAN Market size is expected to be worth around USD 79,379 Million by 2034, from USD 2,957 Million in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 38.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. North America dominated a 34.6% market share in 2024 and held USD 1,024.3 Million in revenue from the Open Ran Market.
The market for Open RAN is experiencing significant growth, propelled by its promise to reduce costs and increase system flexibility. With the backing of major telecom operators and the active involvement of a broad array of equipment vendors, the Open RAN ecosystem is rapidly expanding. This market evolution is driven by both technological advancements and strategic partnerships among key industry players, making Open RAN a viable alternative to traditional RAN solutions.
The main drivers of Open RAN adoption include the need for greater network flexibility, reduced vendor lock-in, and lower capital and operational expenditures. These factors are crucial as operators seek more customizable and cost-effective solutions in the face of evolving consumer demands and the ongoing rollout of 5G networks.
https://market.us/report/open-ran-market/
July 12, 2025
https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/...atam-aiming-at-ai-driven-demand
Current State of E-commerce in Japan
Japan is a key player in the Asia-Pacific e-commerce market, with 98% of its population banked—one of the highest rates globally—ensuring easy access to online payments.
Key e-commerce statistics for Japan (data from PCMI)
Total e-commerce volume in Japan for 2024: US$380 billion
Retail e-commerce volume in 2024 in Japan: US$121 billion
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for 2024–2027: 7%
Forecasted e-commerce market size for 2027: US$465 billion
Japan E-Commerce Payment Methods and Devices
Japan’s e-commerce market benefits from a variety of payment options and a significant mobile shopping presence. According to our PCMI’s E-commerce Data Library, the primary payment methods for online purchases in Japan, by share of volume, are:
Credit card — 63%
Digital wallet — 15%
Cash — 8%
Other — 8%
Buy Now Pay Later — 3%
Bank transfers — 2%
Debit card — 1%
https://paymentscmi.com/insights/japan-ecommerce-market-data-insights/
by: Promotexter
https://promotexter.com/insight-viber-carousel-messages/
Strategic partnerships will enhance network capabilities, simplify operations through AI-driven systems, and drive innovation for consumers and enterprises.
5G SA network cloud functions to be deployed in collaboration with Rakuten Symphony Cloud Solutions, offering Rakuten Mobile operational benefits of native cloud infrastructure.
Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2025 – Rakuten Mobile, a global leading cloud-native AI intelligent mobile network operator, today announced the selection of Cisco, Nokia and F5 as partners for the deployment of its 5G Standalone (SA) mobile network.
The strategic technology partnerships with Cisco, Nokia and F5 will significantly enhance Rakuten Mobile’s network capabilities, simplify operations through AI-driven systems, and drive innovation for enhanced consumer and enterprises mobile services across Japan.
Since its launch of full-scale commercial mobile carrier services in 2019, Rakuten Mobile has been transforming the global telecommunications landscape with affordable, high-quality mobile services powered through cloud-native technology and Open RAN standards.
"Rakuten Mobile disrupted the industry in 2019 with the world's first end-to-end cloud-native, virtualized mobile network built on Open RAN. Today, we're accelerating our evolution towards fully autonomous network operations," said Sharad Sriwastawa, co-CEO and CTO of Rakuten Mobile.
"Through the power of 5G, AI, and strategic partnerships with leading innovators like Cisco, Nokia, and F5, we are empowering customers in Japan with state-of-the-art, secure, and sustainable mobile connectivity. We are setting a new global benchmark for intelligent, cloud-native mobile networks, meeting the dynamic needs of both consumers and enterprises and solidifying our position as a leading global innovator."
https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2025/0731_03/
Thu, July 31, 2025
TORONTO, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getting paid for shopping just got a major upgrade. Rakuten.ca is thrilled to introduce Interac e-Transfer as a brand-new, faster, and more secure way for members to cash in on their Cash Back - straight to their bank accounts in minutes via email.
Interac e-Transfer is Canada’s trusted, real-time bank-to-bank digital money transfer service, allowing Rakuten members to receive their Cash Back directly into their bank account using only an email address. With over 750 retailers, such as H&M, New Balance, Sephora, Mejuri, Best Buy, Expedia, Sporting Life, Well.ca, HelloFresh and more, offering Cash Back on everything from fashion and beauty to travel, takeout, gift cards and more, Rakuten’s new Interac e-Transfer option means rewards land in bank accounts faster and more securely. Now, Canadians can enjoy the rewards of their shopping even sooner.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...id-shopping-just-got-100000571.html
July 31, 2025
Rakuten Mobile and Wolt Japan's Exciting Collaboration
In a groundbreaking development for the food industry, Rakuten Mobile and Wolt Japan have formalized a foundational agreement aimed at exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation (DX) to enhance the operational landscape of the restaurant business. This agreement was signed on July 31, 2025, marking a significant step towards the integration of advanced technologies in the food sector.
The core objective of this partnership is to combine the respective business services and assets of both companies. By harnessing their strengths, the collaboration aims to provide comprehensive support to restaurants in overcoming a diverse array of operational challenges. The ultimate goal is to improve service quality and elevate customer satisfaction levels across the board.
One of the standout features of this partnership is the integration of Rakuten Mobile’s AI and DX expertise into Wolt's platform. Through this collaboration, Wolt’s affiliated restaurants will gain access to valuable operational insights and data utilization strategies that will enable them to optimize their business processes. This initiative aims to lay the groundwork for a robust AI and DX platform.
https://third-news.com/article/f5a63000-6dd3-11f0-98f3-9ca3ba0a67df
Tokyo, July 31, 2025 – Rakuten Mobile, Japan’s newest and most modern mobile network, today announced it has expanded its 5G (Sub6) network coverage area in parts of the Kyushu/Okinawa, Shikoku and Chugoku regions by up to 100% compared to December 2024, as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to improve network quality.
Starting in January 2025, Rakuten Mobile has increased radio capacity for its 5G (Sub6) base stations in areas of the Kyushu/Okinawa, Shikoku and Chugoku regions. This has resulted in 5G network coverage gains of approximately 100% in Okinawa Prefecture and 40% in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Other target areas achieved 5G coverage increases of up to 10%.
Rakuten Mobile has also strengthened indoor coverage in large commercial facilities and enhanced the use of infrastructure sharing at stadiums in the targeted regions where 5G (Sub6) coverage has been expanded. Specifically, measures aimed at improving network quality were implemented at locations such as Konoha Mall in Fukuoka City, Egao Kenko Stadium in Kumamoto City, and minamoa/Hotel Granvia Horishima South Gate in Hiroshima City.
Following the relaxation of measures preventing interference between mobile wireless networks and satellite communications in shared bandwidth frequencies, Rakuten Mobile has also been expanding coverage and improving network quality in the Kanto (which includes Tokyo), Tokai (which includes Nagoya) and Kansai (which includes Osaka) regions by increasing the radio transmission output of existing base stations. Additionally, the company has been optimizing base station parameters to enable smoother transitions between 4G and 5G.
https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2025/0731_01/
Rakuten Group Inc. launched its own AI assistant this week in a bid to fend off rivals and strengthen its position as the provider of myriad services, from e-commerce to stock trading.
The Japanese internet giant, often equated to Amazon.com Inc., unveiled a beta version of the Rakuten AI web-based app that can help users shop, listen to music, learn languages, translate and code. The plan is to keep adding more agents that serve different purposes, the company said.
The early highlight is how the adviser is linked to Rakuten’s flagship e-commerce service Ichiba. I tried it and got some good tips for affordable and attractive T-shirts, though I ran into a glitch when I kept asking for more options. The official launch of Rakuten AI on Ichiba is scheduled for a few months from now.
If the AI-Ichiba combination works smoothly and reliably, it could help Rakuten gain further advantage over Amazon in Japan. The local company’s loyalty points system is deeply ingrained in everyday habits and spending, but the AI tool could lure in less engaged shoppers like me. Speaking as a customer who almost always opts for Amazon over Rakuten, that must mean something.
I find the current Ichiba website dizzyingly busy, making me want to close the window the moment I open it. The Rakuten AI webpage, which resembles that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, is clean and simple. It works well enough in English, even though it primarily targets a Japanese-speaking customer base.
Rakuten AI has dedicated tabs you can click for shopping, fashion, music and translation among other functions. Developing agents for specific purposes helps Rakuten AI yield accurate results without having to rely on expensive, mass-scale language models, according to Ting Cai, the company’s chief of AI and data.
Rakuten can also leverage transaction data from its 44 million monthly active users in Japan to provide more customized and detailed responses to client requests. Data is the equivalent of a “goldmine” in the world of AI, which puts Rakuten at an advantage, founder Hiroshi Mikitani said in a speech at a company event introducing Rakuten AI.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/...nd-investment-assistant
July 31, 2025
Successful validation conducted at Rakuten Mobile’s Cloud Innovation Lab in Tokyo marks significant step to deliver innovative cloud-native telecom solutions and services for mobile operators and enterprise customers.
TOKYO, July 31 2025 - Rakuten Symphony Inc., today announced that its Rakuten Cloud portfolio of products and solutions have been successfully validated with Nokia’s cloud-native core networks products after extensive testing in the Rakuten Mobile Cloud Innovation Lab in Tokyo.
This validation of Rakuten Cloud-Native Platform (CNP) and Rakuten Cloud-Native Storage (CNS) with Nokia Core Networks applications marks a significant step for Rakuten Symphony to deliver an end-to-end cloud-native agile operating model for traditional communication service providers looking to run 4G and 5G networks on a robust telco grade cloud platform with a high degree of programmability and low operating cost.
Partha Seetala, President, Cloud Business Unit, Rakuten Symphony, said, “The successful validation of our award-winning CNP and CNS products with Nokia is a testament to Rakuten Symphony’s commitment to deliver communication service providers with a secure telco-grade cloud platform to deploy modern, flexible and easily programmable network infrastructure built for a 4G and 5G cloud-native core.”
Marcelo Cheminn Madruga, Head of Technology and Platforms, Cloud and Network Services, Nokia, said, “This integration underscores how Nokia's robust multi-cloud strategy helps customers accelerate network transformation on their terms, in a seamless, agile fashion. Leveraging our industry-leading suite of cloud-native products, Rakuten Symphony’s customers can automate, customize and monetize their core networks with total confidence.”
Rakuten Symphony’s validation work with Nokia further underscores ongoing trusted collaboration in support of Rakuten Mobile’s operations in Japan. Nokia has been a core partner supplying a mix of hardware, software and services for the radio, core and optical transport elements of Rakuten Mobile’s network.
Rakuten Cloud Native Platform delivers a high-performance, CNCF-certified horizontal cloud platform that supports diverse workloads across IT and network functions, offering ease-of-use automation with industry-leading features, including Day 0/1/2 automation, data security, and compliance enforcement in cloud-native environments. Rakuten Cloud provides industry-leading cloud-native platform and software-defined storage solutions designed for automation and AI. Rakuten Cloud-Native Storage offers high-performance capabilities at scale for diverse applications and use cases including AI/ML, retail, IoT, and gaming.
https://symphony.rakuten.com/newsroom/...native-core-network-products
The new agentic AI assistant is free to use and will expand to Rakuten Ichiba, the company’s flagship e-commerce marketplace, later this year
In sum – what you need to know:
Live on Link and web app Rakuten – AI is now integrated into the Rakuten Link app and accessible as a standalone web app for all Rakuten ID users.
Built for Japan-first experiences – The AI features deep Japanese language and cultural awareness, delivering context-rich, personalized assistance across Rakuten’s digital services.
Ichiba launch this autumn – Rakuten AI will expand to Rakuten Ichiba later in 2025, offering shoppers tailored recommendations using behavioral insights and AI agents.
Japanese giant Rakuten Group and its communications arm Rakuten Mobile have officially launched Rakuten AI, a next-generation agentic artificial intelligence (AI) platform.
In a release, the company noted that the new agentic AI offering is now available on the Rakuten Link app and via a standalone web app, which is in a beta phase. The new AI assistant is free to use and will expand to Rakuten Ichiba, the company’s flagship e-commerce marketplace, later this year.
The new agentic AI tool was designed to enhance user experiences across Rakuten’s expansive digital services ecosystem, offering deeply personalized interactions. It integrates with sectors including e-commerce, fintech, travel, education, wellness, and entertainment, the Japanese company said.
https://www.rcrwireless.com/20250730/...astructure/rakuten-agentic-ai
by Laurie Sullivan , Yesterday
Rakuten Group, a Japanese technology conglomerate with businesses primarily focused on ecommerce, fintech, digital content, and communications, has begun building an AI agentic network to integrate Rakuten AI into a wide range of its tools across the company.
AI chat, AI search with deep think, voice mode, translation, AI reading, coding, problem-solving and image creation are some of the tools the plan will support across affiliate advertising for publishers and consumers.
“When we say affiliate intelligence it’s us tripling down on a hard tech approach to solving the toughest problems in affiliate marketing,” Ben Cox, vice president of AI strategies and operations at Rakuten Advertising, said in a video interview. “We are born from Rakuten, so we are a technology company at the core. There’s no other affiliate network training and building LLMs from scratch.”
Rakuten Group, best known in the U.S. for its cash-back, affiliate and advertising programs, created a suite of AI-powered tools for advertisers and marketers. Affiliate Intelligence is based around a full-funnel global network, AI, and data—the program spearheaded by Cox.
Through the integration, consumers can input queries via text, voice-to-text conversion and image search, and choose from multiple AI-generated prompts for follow-up questions.
Rakuten Advertising Detect, released in late May, identifies ad fraud from usual performance patterns, as well as monitors financial products and competitive rankings such as spikes and dips across a variety of metrics. It is built into the company’s advertising services. Another model can identify advertising in context and determine whether something has gone wrong.
Rakuten, a division of Rakuten Group, is offered in the U.S. as a cash back program with discount codes for online and in-store purchases. It has a presence with more than 2,500 brands on its website.
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/...ns-for-full-fu.html
July 16, 2025
Back in May, Rakuten held its annual Optimism event in Carlsbad, California. It brought together 1,000 marketers across retail, finance, and travel to network and learn by beautiful West Coast beaches. I, tragically, was unable to attend.
I recently caught up with Adam Rostan, Rakuten Advertising’s SVP Product & Technology, to learn more about the platform’s wider roadmap concerning AI.
Here’s what Rostan had to say:
Sol Wilkinson: You just launched Detect, Storefronts, and Prompt. In simple terms, what do they do for your clients?
Adam Rostan: Detect gives brands the visibility they’ve long needed, identifying programme compliance issues, monitoring affiliate behaviour, and helping partnerships operate at their full potential.
Storefronts empowers creators and influencers to curate products in a way that drives authentic engagement and performance, and also helps streamline the customer experience and path to purchase.
Prompt, our newest reporting tool, applies our AI to simplify ad hoc report requests, surfacing actionable insights on performance, audiences, and trends to help marketers make faster, smarter decisions quickly and in plain language.
SW: What sets Rakuten Advertising’s AI apart from what other platforms are doing right now?
AR: What sets us apart is how deeply our AI is rooted in affiliate expertise. We’re not just applying generic models; we’ve built Affiliate Intelligence to reflect decades of network data, partner behaviours, and performance trends. This is all built on the data flywheel concept, where the continuous collection of insights from our network fuels new cycles of customer value and product iterations.
SW: Do you see AI becoming the core engine of affiliate marketing? How will that change the game for advertisers and affiliates?
AR: Absolutely, but it’s not just affiliate, AI is transforming the digital marketing landscape as a whole. What makes Rakuten unique is that we’ve made deliberate investments to be at the forefront of that change.
AI and large language models (LLMs) go beyond abstract potential — they provide the scalability and automation needed to unlock opportunities that were previously impractical, especially across large, complex networks of bespoke partnerships. With emerging capabilities like agentic reasoning, we're beginning to orchestrate proactive, context-aware decision-making support at scale, reshaping how affiliate programmes are managed and optimised.
We have the largest data science team in the industry dedicated specifically to affiliate marketing, and we've invested heavily in the infrastructure to operationalise AI across our platform. Our models are not generic — they’re purpose-built and trained on affiliate-specific, global use cases, giving Rakuten Advertising a significant uniqueness and leadership in the affiliate marketing industry.
At Rakuten, AI is foundational to our culture. It’s not just a layer of technology — it’s embedded in how we think, how we operate, and how we solve challenges for the affiliate ecosystem. We view AI as a driver of industry transformation, reshaping not only our internal processes but also the way our customers engage with our solutions.
With AI, we’re moving beyond traditional optimisation into real-time intelligence, enabling automated recommendations, proactive campaign management, and dynamic performance tuning at scale. This fundamentally changes how advertisers approach partnerships, measurement, and growth. We’re not simply responding to the AI era — we’re helping lead it.
https://hellopartner.com/2025/07/16/...dvertising-talks-new-ai-tools/