Tokyo, October 22, 2013 – Rakuten, Inc. announced today that effective November 1, 2013 it will change the name of subsidiary Shareee, Inc. to Rakuten Coupon, Inc., and the name of the group-buying coupon service run by Shareee to RaCoupon Rakuten Coupon Service Buy Coupon. Going forward, the Rakuten Group’s coupon services will be offered under the brand name RaCoupon Rakuten Coupon Service, and will include both group-buying coupons and discount coupons.
Rakuten launched its RaCoupon Rakuten Coupon Service in September 2010 and has issued discount coupons that can be used for various Rakuten Group services offered by Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Travel, Rakuten Books, and other group companies. In 2012, Rakuten made an investment in Shareee, Japan’s third largest group-buying coupon site, and expanded its reach into group-buying coupon services. In July 2013, it deepened its relationship further by merging Shareee membership IDs with Rakuten membership IDs and accepting Rakuten Super Points on the Shareee site.
By changing the name of Shareee and its services, the Rakuten Group will be able to focus more on the coupon business. At the same time, providing group-buying coupons and discount coupons under the brand name RaCoupon Rakuten Coupon Service will enhance convenience for Rakuten members and will allow for a wider range of even more easy-to-use coupons.