NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rakuten Marketing’s affiliate, display and search marketing channels report continued, strong growth for the second quarter of 2014. The global, digital marketing division of Rakuten attributes its double- and triple-digit quarterly growth to global expansion, increased investments by existing clients in the company’s technology tools and services, and the addition of new advertisers and publishers.
Highlights for the quarter include:
Meteoric rise in mobile commerce. As consumers continue to shop and buy more on their smartphones and tablets, Rakuten Marketing reports year-over-year (YoY) mobile phone orders in the affiliate channel have increased 87 percent in the U.S., 117 percent in the U.K., 197 percent in Canada, 32 percent in Japan, and 28 percent in Australia. The YoY increase for tablet orders is: 21 percent in the U.S., 37 percent in the U.K., 157 percent in Canada, and 55 percent in Japan.
Advertisers invest more in display and retargeting. In the past year, Rakuten Marketing’s display and retargeting group realized 87 percent growth in its global client base. Specifically, the company reports 40 percent YoY growth in the U.S. and 147 percent growth in the U.K. Having entered Japan and Brazil in 2013, the company continues to make inroads in new countries with 804 percent YOY growth in its customer base in Japan and 667 percent YOY increase in its customer base in Brazil. Additionally, same-store sales increased 45.2 percent YoY.
Affiliate Marketing continues to demonstrate value of pay-for-performance model. The company’s global affiliate channel reports the following year-over-year (YoY) same-store sales growth: a 25 percent increase in the U.S., 17 percent increase in the U.K., and a 28 percent increase in Canada. The Australian network, launched in 2012, continues to thrive with same-store sales for the quarter up 845 percent.
Outsourced search engine marketing boosts sales, conversions and ROAS for advertisers. Rakuten Search, the company’s full service search engine marketing agency reports that its clients realized a 12 percent YOY increase in same-store sales while conversion rates increased by nine percent and the overall return on ad spend (ROAS) increased eight percent.
“Having run a successful affiliate program through Rakuten LinkShare for more than six years, we’ve recently expanded our efforts to include Rakuten MediaForge,” said Matt Lynch, online affiliate and direct marketing manager, Pearson. “By working with multiple channels under the same company, we’re able to streamline our efforts and increase the value of our marketing spend. This has resulted in increased traffic, engagements and conversions.”
New clients, or existing clients that have added additional Rakuten Marketing channels this quarter include affiliate advertisers: Talbots, Rhapsody Music, Maidenform, and Capezio in the U.S.; Ernest Jones & H.Samuel and in the U.K., and Europe; and Coco Ribbon, Bio Elixia, RunStopShop, Jeans West, and Hotel Club in Australia.
The following advertisers have recently started working with the display and retargeting group of Rakuten Marketing: Joseph in the U.S. and France, Monica Vinader in the U.S. and U.K., and Amara in the U.S., U.K., and Japan.
“There are many factors behind the success of Rakuten Marketing. These include global expansion, strategic acquisitions, and our continued investments in the technology and resources that enable clients to win,” said Tony Zito, president, Rakuten Marketing. “The reality is, we wouldn’t have achieved any of these milestones without the true partnerships that we’ve formed with our growing advertiser and publisher community. We’re committed to their success, which means our interests align perfectly with theirs.”
About Rakuten Marketing
Rakuten Marketing provides
advertisers and marketers with expert technology and services for
affiliate marketing, retargeting, display, mobile, omni-channel
attribution, search marketing, lead generation and automated product
feeds. The company is headquartered in New York City and has offices in
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and throughout the
United States. Rakuten Marketing includes Rakuten LinkShare the #1
ranked performance marketing network, Rakuten MediaForge, a leader in
retargeting and display recognized for its pay-for-performance consumer
engagement business model, Rakuten DC Storm, experts in omni-channel
measurement and attribution, Rakuten Search a full service search engine
marketing company, and Rakuten PopShops, a data analytics engine and
product feed and deals content aggregator.
