E-commerce cashback service Ebates has exited US-based brand review portal Influenster in an acquisition of undisclosed size by investment firm Marlin Equity Partners.
Founded in 2010, Influenster runs an online platform that enables users to review consumer goods. Brands can officially endorse their Influenster pages as a way of engaging customers and can license favourable reviews to display on their e-commerce sites.
Merlin will merge Influenster with one of its portfolio companies, digital marketing software provider Bazaarvoice, in a bid to increase their presence in the customer review segment and the number of product categories their reviews cover.
Ebates, a subsidiary of e-commerce firm Rakuten, provided $8m of series A funding for Influenster in 2016. The company had not disclosed details of any additional funding.
Nathan Pingelton, a principal at Marlin, said: “The acquisition of Influenster enhances Bazaarvoice’s core value proposition and significantly improves the product suite we can offer our customers.”