Partnerize works with some of the industry’s most successful and influential publisher partners. Our Partner Perspective series sets out to learn from the best of the best and pick up a few secrets to their success along the way. In this installment, we sat down with Rakuten Rewards’ Chief Revenue Officer, Julie Van Ullen, and here’s what she had to say.
Partnerize: Share a little about your company.
Julie Van Ullen: Rakuten is a free, membership-based, omni-channel shopping platform that connects millions of eager shoppers with the widest selection of brands, products, and services across every category. We exist to create the most rewarding place to shop, offering Cash Back, deals, and unique experiences that keep members coming back for more. For shoppers, this means more brands and better Cash Back through exclusive promotions. For merchants, this means building performance programs that respond to business, consumers, and the market.
Partnerize: Please describe a typical day in your office.
Julie Van Ullen: A typical day in our offices starts with early email catchup followed by as many client calls and meetings as possible. We are a very client-centric organization, defining clients as retailers, brands, agencies, and networks. Our collective success in using cashback as an incredibly malleable lever to achieve any and all objectives is the first and last thing on our minds every day.
Partnerize: What types of programs is your team looking to partner with?
Julie Van Ullen: We are eager to partner with all brands and retailers across all categories who believe cashback can serve as a “permission to buy” that could benefit their sales/acquisition and/or engagement/loyalty. We believe Rakuten should be a place that any shopper can find their favorite new or historical favorite brands, regardless of size, and enjoy cash back as a motivator to buy more goods, more often.
Partnerize: Can you share a success highlight from your partnership with Partnerize that really stands out to you?
Julie Van Ullen: This year, the numbers speak for themselves! We started Q1 in a sales decline and now 10 months later we are seeing a +17% growth in gross sales YoY with Partnerize advertisers.
Partnerize: What Partnerize technology innovation has had the greatest impact on your team?
Julie Van Ullen: Watertight tracking is key to our success, particularly since we rely on it to provide cashback to our members. Partnerize’s mobile tracking solution supports our need to have persistent tracking with our advertisers so that we can further optimize and grow their programs.
Partnerize: What sets your company apart from others or makes it unique?
Julie Van Ullen: Scale: Rakuten offers Cash Back, deals and shopping rewards on the largest selection of products and services. To date, our 17M members have earned over $4.6B in Cash Back at their favorite stores.
Customer & Market Intelligence: Our expertise lays in unlocking insights for advertisers. We find the connections in category, consumer, CRM, and our proprietary data to drive actions with insights.
Personalization & Targeting Solutions: Our program creates awareness and intent with the most likely buyers. We activate targeted Cash Back rates across audience engagement points to reach the right in-market audience and effectively influence purchase.
Member-Centric Experiences: Fueled by curiosity about our audience and a passion for data and technology, we elevate member experiences by closely aligning their wants and needs and effectively connecting them to brands they love.
Partnerize: What do you attribute your company’s success to with Partnerize?
Julie Van Ullen: Communication has been the key to the success of this partnership. We are aligned more than ever and our approach at all levels has been very strategic.
Partnerize: What is one thing people should know about your company?
Julie Van Ullen: 72% of shoppers stay with Rakuten. This loyalty translates into repeat business for the merchants on our platform, allowing them to tap into this loyal shopper base and drive retention by partnering with us.
Partnerize: What’s on the roadmap for your company?
Julie Van Ullen: Personalization & Targeting: In 2025, we will continue to invest in developing Goal-based Solutions that leverage our first-party data to refine our targeting strategies, providing more personalized experiences for our members while driving results for our merchants. This includes the introduction of more goal-based solutions, like our Personalized Rewards tool, that utilize our first-party data, combined with AI, to effectively meet merchant objectives.
Rakuten+: Building on the successful launch of Rakuten+ in September 2024, we will continue to invest in the platform to expand our merchant and member base and deliver value to both audiences in this unique time for the luxury space.
Geographical Expansion: Following our recent launch in the UK, we are excited to continue our geographical expansion. We are focused on entering and growing in new markets, enabling us to reach more shoppers and strengthen our global presence, making Rakuten the most rewarding place to shop in every region.
Partnerize: Three words that best describe your company…go!
Julie Van Ullen: Scale, Malleability, Performance.
To learn more about Rakuten Rewards, watch their on-demand Partner Perspective webinar right here.
