ebates.com has launched as a shopping portal
that offers consumers cash rebates of up to 25 percent on their purchases.
The company says shoppers can receive rebates on purchases from well-known
sites such as Amazon.com, CDnow, Reel.com, Dell Computer, Beyond.com and
eToys.
ebates.com takes advantage of e-commerce affiliate programs to earn cash
rebates, which are sent to consumers on a quarterly basis. Because ebates.com
is supported by advertising and sponsorships, every cent of every rebate is
passed through to its members, the company said.
ebates.com was founded by Internet entrepreneurs Paul Wasserman, Alessandro
Isolani and John Nirenstein. ebates.com generates revenue through the sale of
ads that are displayed in a small window at the top of ebates.com pages. The
company collects demographic information to better target its ads.
“The ‘free’ trend is hot on the Internet right now, but this is even better
than free,” said Wasserman, ebates.com president and chief operating officer.
“We’re literally paying people to shop. For our members, ebates.com is like
the DiscoverCard of the Web. The benefits go beyond the consumer, however.
Our advertisers gain access to Internet shoppers with credit cards at the
ready, and our participating merchants can lower their customer acquisition
costs substantially.”
To earn rebates, members must access participating merchants through
ebates.com and use their ebates.com e-mail address when making purchases.
ebates.com also offers its members a valuable referral program, through which
members can receive additional rebates for getting other consumers to join
and use ebates.com.
The site was developed in conjunction with Roundpeg and designed by Think New Ideas, both of San Francisco.
