The History of Rakuten

Back in 2014, Rakuten (Canada and the U.S.) partnered with Rakuten, one of the world’s largest companies. Our goal was to have access to as many new and exciting opportunities as possible for our members – approximately 1.2 billion globally.

Exciting Changes Ahead

We’ve been hard at work behind-the-scenes to ensure our members have the smoothest transition, so you can keep shopping and keep earning Cash Back though you’ll notice we have a new logo and colours, deep down we’re still the same Rakuten Canada you know and love.

(Pssst… if you’re not yet a member, now’s the time to join.)

What Is Ebates?

Pronounced RACK-uh-ten.

In Canada, the name Rakuten is somewhat new, but the brand is home to a variety of companies in many different industries, such as banking, sports, culture, and ecommerce. Rakuten is also the official partner and sponsor of the Golden State Warriors (basketball), FC Barcelona (soccer), and Spartan Race (obstacle races around the world). Here are just a few of the companies under the Rakuten name:

E-Commerce

Rakuten Global: Online shopping mall for overseas customers

Rakuten: Online shopping in Canada and the U.S.

Rakuten Slice: Consumer-focused online purchasing data analysis service in the U.S.

Communications

Rakuten Viber: Global mobile messaging service

Digital Content

Rakuten VIKI: Global video-on-demand service providing content translated by a volunteer community of fans

Rakuten Kobo: Global e-reading service

Rakuten OverDrive: Provider of digital library services to libraries and education facilities

Ads & Media

Rakuten Marketing: Online marketing solutions specializing in the areas of search (SEM), lead generation and affiliate marketing

A Brief History of Rakuten

Ebates started in Japan in 1997 as Rakuten Ichiba, a marketplace with 13 merchants and six employees. By 2002, it reached 6,000 merchants. In the years since, the Rakuten Corporation has continued building recognition and customer loyalty with ventures in professional sports, credit cards and travel. In 2012, Rakuten acquired Kobo Inc in Canada entering into the ebook business. And two years later, Rakuten and Rakuten merged so that members could take advantage of their worldwide reach and get the best possible deals when shopping online (and offline) for Cash Back.

More About Rakuten

There is so much more to this worldwide brand, and you can find additional details here. If you have questions about our new name or about your account, check out our Help page.

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