Rakuten Marketing Customers Report Double-Digit Growth Following Migration to Rakuten Affiliate Network

More than half see revenues increase over 34 percent in the first year

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Oct 28, 2014, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Marketing (http://marketing.rakuten.com), the global leader in omnichannel marketing, today released the report results of a new customer migration study conducted by its Rakuten Affiliate Network (formerly LinkShare). The report revealed that a majority of advertisers who have transitioned over to the Rakuten Affiliate Network have doubled their year-over-year revenue growth, with more than half of advertisers reporting a growth increase of at least 34 percent.

"We developed a migration solution for advertisers that not only promises a seamless transition without any loss in revenue, but one that is actually proven to accelerate performance beyond previous affiliate programs," said Melissa Feemster, General Manager, SVP at Rakuten Affiliate Network. "Advertising partners that have made the move to Rakuten Affiliate Network have demonstrated incredible success, with a staggering 84 percent showing positive YOY growth. This is a testament to our expert account teams who skillfully identify the best potential publishers and tailor service levels to drive optimum results."

The Rakuten Affiliate Network manages everything including the technical implementation, the migration of publishers, and the management of marketing assets. The step-by-step migration plan can be implemented in as little as two weeks. Subsequently, the account team will strategically assess the performance of a client's previous affiliate program to provide strategies that will grow their affiliate programs even further.

Recent partners that have outperformed previous affiliate programs include:

Department Stores: up 41 percent YOY after migration – on average two to three times higher than previous network growth rates
Footwear: up 34 percent YOY after migration – on average two times higher than previous network growth rates
Apparel: up 28 percent YOY after migration – on average two times higher than previous network growth rates

Rakuten Affiliate Network client ShoeMall migrated in September 2012 after seeking out a more robust affiliate program with access to greater tools, technology and publisher partners. Within six months revenue increased by 13 percent and now, two years after launch, the program continues to sustain double-digit YOY growth. ShoeMall expects this trend to continue and plans to see their biggest quarter yet this year.

"It was shocking how fast and easy the implementation process with Rakuten Affiliate Network was, and I am blown away by how much time and effort the account team put into finding solutions and helping improve our program," said Laura Hauser, ShoeMall Internet Marketing Specialist. "Since migrating, we have seen tangible improvement in performance – our ROI increased substantially within the first three months."

About Rakuten Marketing
Rakuten Marketing is the global leader in omnichannel marketing and driving the omni experience. Offering an integrated strategy that combines consumer centric insights with e-commerce expertise, Rakuten Marketing aims to inspire better marketing. Rakuten Marketing's omnichannel services include Rakuten Affiliate Network (formerly Rakuten LinkShare), the number one ranked affiliate marketing service, creating profitable and innovative partnerships; Rakuten Display (formerly MediaForge), enabling one-to-one marketing across devices through precise targeting, custom dynamic creative, and engagement measurement; Rakuten Attribution (formerly DC Storm), measurement and attribution solutions that allow marketers to uncover the true performance of their campaigns with an unbiased, transparent view into each media channel; and Rakuten Search, a full service paid search agency that specializes in boosting sales and brand authority across devices.

Operating as a division of Rakuten, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world's leading Internet service companies, Rakuten Marketing is headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. Follow us on Twitter or learn more at http://www.rakutenmarketing.com.

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