Hints and tips:
...Rakuten, the company Mikitani founded in 1997 and built into Japan’s largest online retailer, has taken stakes in messaging app Viber and US coupon and cashback site Ebates....
...With its domestic market showing signs of saturation, the group has been on a broader acquisition spree that includes messaging service Viber, the US coupon and cashback site Ebates, and stakes in scrapbooking...
...The group has been on an acquisition spree that includes messaging service Viber, the US coupon and cashback site Ebates and digital book lending platform Overdrive....
...Rakuten, which competes with Amazon and Yahoo, has been on a broader acquisition spree that includes messaging service Viber, the US coupon and cashback site Ebates, and stakes in scrapbooking site Pinterest...
...Last year, its members spent more than $1.6bn through Ebates’ websites and shopping programs, according to the company. Ebates could not immediately be reached for comment....
...It has spent billions acquiring tech businesses including Ebates and Viber to fuel international expansion and compete with rivals Amazon, eBay and Alibaba....
...“By combining the business models of Ebates and Rakuten, we want to create a new kind of shopping mall,” he said at a press conference in Tokyo....
...Hitting back at critics of his dealmaking, which most recently included the $1bn purchase of Ebates, the US coupon and cashback site, Mr Mikitani said: “If it’s very straightforward and everyone understands...
...International growth was 9 per cent – excluding September’s $1bn acquisition of the US based internet coupon and rebate company Ebates....
...Kevin Johnson, chief executive of Ebates, which offers coupons and cash rebates for online shopping, said he had received termination notices from over a dozen retailers....
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