Rakuten and Impact Shakeup: What This Means for Your Affiliate Program
From Affiliate Nerd Out by Dustin Howes
May 30, 2026 · 24 min
About this episode
Dustin Howes and Cristen Evans discuss the implications of Rakuten's new integration with Impact following the Optimism event.
Dustin Howes and co-host Cristen Evans recap Dustin’s experience at Optimism, praising it as a selective, high-quality networking event with strong meeting scheduling, useful gifts, and standout activities, but criticizing the lack of concrete information about Rakuten’s new integration and strategic alliance with Impact. Dustin describes the CEO keynote as offering only vague, high-level remarks, frustrating attendees who came seeking clarity, and notes backlash over a private brands-only ...
People in this episode
Host: Dustin Howes
Guest: Cristen Evans
Topics covered
- affiliate marketing
- networking events
- Rakuten integration
- Impact alliance
- business strategy
Keywords
- Rakuten
- Impact
- affiliate program
- networking
- business strategy
- Optimism event
- CEO keynote
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Rakuten, Impact
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