Rakuten Advertising

What is Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising is a global affiliate marketing network that connects advertisers (brands and retailers) with publishers (content creators, influencers, and website owners). Its core purpose is to facilitate performance-based marketing, where publishers earn commissions for driving sales or leads to advertisers. Part of the larger Rakuten Group, a Japanese tech conglomerate, Rakuten Advertising has been a pioneer in the industry for over 25 years. The company leverages a vast dataset and artificial intelligence, which it calls Affiliate Intelligence, to help users discover new partners, predict campaign outcomes, and optimize performance. It operates globally, with its headquarters in San Mateo, California, serving thousands of top brands and publishers around the world.

Rakuten Advertising Features

• Affiliate Intelligence: Utilizes AI and a large dataset to help advertisers find the best publisher partners, including emerging influencers. It also provides tools for forecasting and benchmarking campaign performance.
• Global Publisher Network: Offers access to a massive, curated network of premium publishers across various channels, from traditional content sites and bloggers to loyalty programs and social media influencers.
• Full-Funnel Solutions: Supports marketing goals across the entire customer journey, including brand awareness, user engagement, sales conversion, and customer loyalty.
• Advanced Reporting and Analytics: Provides comprehensive dashboards and reporting tools to track clicks, conversions, commissions, and overall campaign value in real-time.
• Strategic Expertise: Users get access to experienced account management and support teams who provide strategic guidance to help optimize programs and achieve better results.
• Personalized Solutions: The platform allows for the creation of custom, large-scale affiliate programs tailored to specific business goals, verticals, or geographic regions.
• Enterprise-Grade Technology: Built to support the needs of large, global brands with sophisticated technology for tracking, payments, and program management on a massive scale.

Rakuten Advertising Pricing Plans

Rakuten Advertising operates on a performance-based model rather than standard subscription tiers. For advertisers, the pricing structure typically includes a one-time setup fee to launch their program on the network, a recurring monthly platform fee, and a network override fee, which is a percentage of the commissions paid to publishers. This model is designed for businesses committed to investing in their affiliate channel. For publishers, joining the Rakuten Advertising network is completely free. They earn money through commissions from the advertiser programs they promote.

Rakuten Advertising Free Plan

For publishers, Rakuten Advertising is a free platform. Publishers can sign up, apply to advertiser programs, and use the platform's tools to generate links and track earnings without any cost. For advertisers, there is no free plan or free trial available. Launching an affiliate program on the network requires an initial investment, including setup and platform fees, as it is a premium service for brands seeking to scale their affiliate marketing efforts.

How to use Rakuten Advertising

Getting started with Rakuten Advertising depends on whether you are an advertiser or a publisher.

For Advertisers (Brands):

1. Apply to the Network: Submit an application detailing your business and marketing goals. The network reviews applications to ensure quality.
2. Program Setup: Once approved, work with the Rakuten team to set up your affiliate program. This includes defining commission rates, terms and conditions, and uploading creative assets like banners and text links.
3. Recruit Publishers: Use the platform's discovery tools to find and invite relevant publishers to join your program, or review applications from publishers who want to promote your brand.
4. Launch and Optimize: Once publishers are active, monitor your dashboard to track performance, analyze results, and optimize your program for better outcomes.

For Publishers (Content Creators):

1. Sign Up: Create a free publisher account by providing information about your website, blog, or social media channels.
2. Find Advertisers: After approval, browse the network's directory of advertisers. You can filter by category, commission rates, and other criteria.
3. Apply to Programs: Apply to the affiliate programs of brands you wish to promote. Each advertiser will review your application.
4. Promote and Earn: Once approved by an advertiser, access their affiliate links and creative assets. Place these on your website or content. When your audience clicks these links and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.

Pros and Cons of Rakuten Advertising

Pros:

• Access to Premium Brands: The network is known for hosting many of the world's top retail and service brands.
• Global Reach: It is a truly global network, providing opportunities to partner with brands and publishers from all over the world.
• Advanced Technology: The use of AI and data science in its 'Affiliate Intelligence' tools offers powerful insights for optimization.
• Reliable Payments: Publishers benefit from a consistent and reliable payment system.
• Strong Support: Both advertisers and publishers often have access to dedicated account managers and support teams.

Cons:

• High Barrier to Entry: Rakuten Advertising can be very selective, making it difficult for new or smaller websites and brands to get accepted.
• Complex Platform: The interface can have a steeper learning curve for beginners compared to some other networks.
• High Competition: Due to the presence of top brands, competition among publishers for promotion can be intense.

Rakuten Advertising integrations

Rakuten Advertising provides robust tracking solutions that integrate with major e-commerce platforms and marketing tools. This is typically done by placing a tracking pixel or tag on the advertiser's website.

• Shopify integration: Advertisers on Shopify can integrate Rakuten's tracking to automatically monitor sales and commissions.
• Magento integration: There are extensions and guides available for integrating the affiliate tracking with Magento stores.
• WooCommerce integration: The platform can be integrated with WordPress-based e-commerce sites using plugins or manual code placement.
• BigCommerce integration: Rakuten provides instructions for adding its tracking tags to BigCommerce stores.
• Google Tag Manager: Advertisers can use Google Tag Manager to deploy and manage Rakuten's tracking pixels without editing site code directly.

Rakuten Advertising Alternatives

• CJ Affiliate: One of the largest and oldest affiliate networks, CJ (formerly Commission Junction) offers a vast selection of advertisers and robust reporting tools, making it a direct competitor.
• ShareASale: Now part of Awin, ShareASale is very popular among small to medium-sized businesses and bloggers due to its user-friendly interface and large number of niche merchants.
• Awin: A massive global affiliate network with a strong presence in Europe and North America. It offers a diverse range of advertisers and a straightforward platform.
• Impact.com: A modern partnership automation platform that supports affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, and other business partnerships. It is known for its flexible technology and direct contracting capabilities.
• PartnerStack: Focuses primarily on promoting B2B SaaS products, making it the leading choice for businesses looking to build affiliate and referral programs in the software industry.

Rakuten Advertising API

Yes, Rakuten Advertising provides a comprehensive set of APIs for both advertisers and publishers. These APIs allow developers to programmatically access data and automate various tasks, such as retrieving transaction reports, managing links, and accessing product catalogs.

To get API access, you must first have an active advertiser or publisher account. You can then request API credentials through your account dashboard or by contacting support. The documentation is available on the Rakuten Advertising developer portal.

Example API Request (Conceptual - Python):

import requests

# This is a conceptual example. Actual endpoint and parameters will vary.
api_url = "https://api.rakutenadvertising.com/v1/reports/transactions"

headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN",
    "Accept": "application/json"
}

params = {
    'start_date': '2023-01-01',
    'end_date': '2023-01-31'
}

response = requests.get(api_url, headers=headers, params=params)

if response.status_code == 200:
    transactions = response.json()
    print(transactions)
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")

Rakuten Advertising Affiliate Program

Rakuten Advertising is an affiliate network itself; it does not have a traditional affiliate program to promote its own services. Its business model is to host and manage the affiliate programs of other companies (the advertisers). Publishers join the network to partner with these brands. However, Rakuten Advertising may offer a referral program for introducing new advertisers or high-value publishers to the network. The terms of such programs are not publicly listed and are typically handled on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in a partnership or referral opportunity, it is best to contact their business development or support team directly through their official website.