RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot, Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Cashback website, Online coupons
Founded	October 27, 2006 (2006-10-27) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Founder	Cotter Cunningham
Headquarters	Austin, Texas , U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Services	Online services
Revenue	Increase US$ 249.1 million (2015)
Number of employees	~500 (2015)
Parent	Ziff Davis
Website	www.retailmenot.com/corp/

RetailMeNot, Inc.—previously known as Whaleshark Media—is a U.S.-based multinational corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company manages a collection of coupon websites. Founded by Cotter Cunningham, its portfolio includes RetailMeNot.com and VoucherCodes.co.uk, alongside other coupon platforms and third-party software acquisitions.

RetailMeNot compiles discount codes and promotional offers spanning numerous retail sectors such as accessories, automotive, baby products, beauty, apparel, electronics, furniture, health, home and garden, jewelry, pet supplies, photography, toys, and travel.

History

Established in 2006 by Australian entrepreneurs Guy King and Bevan Clark—who had previously created BugMeNot and a content management system—the company was acquired by Whaleshark Media in 2010. Whaleshark Media secured $300 million in funding from investors including Austin Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Adams Street Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, JP Morgan, and Google Ventures. After purchasing the well-known RetailMeNot.com from Australia, Whaleshark Media adopted the RetailMeNot name in 2013.

During its time as Whaleshark Media, the firm expanded through acquiring coupon websites across the United States and Europe. Post-rebranding in 2013, RetailMeNot filed for an initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq aiming to raise $230 million under the ticker symbol SALE.

In April 2017, Harland Clarke Holdings (HCH), a company specializing in payment and marketing services, acquired RetailMeNot for $630 million. HCH later rebranded itself as Vericast in February 2020.

RetailMeNot introduced National Cashback Day in November to provide consumers with up to 20% cashback at approximately 300 major retailers such as Banana Republic, Bloomingdale's, Estée Lauder, Gap, and Macy's.

By September 2020, RetailMeNot was considering options to sell with an anticipated valuation between $500 million and $600 million. On September 29 of that year, J2 Global announced plans to acquire RetailMeNot from Vericast for roughly $420 million; the transaction was finalized in October 2020.

Legal issues

Mary Kay Cosmetics initiated legal action against affiliate website RetailMeNot for continuing to display coupons after requests to remove them. The company argued that this practice deceived customers and damaged its relationships with independent sales consultants. The dispute was resolved through a confidential settlement following several months of litigation.

In June 2018, RetailMeNot filed a patent infringement lawsuit against competitor Honey Science Corporation, concerning certain computer-related technologies. As of June 2020, this legal matter remains unresolved.

Acquisitions

Key acquisitions by RetailMeNot include:

• RetailMeNot.com – a prominent digital coupon platform in the U.S.
• eConversions – operator of Gutschein-Codes.de (Germany) and VoucherCodes (UK)
• Ma-Reduc.com and Poulpeo.com – French coupon and cashback websites
• ZenDeals.com – North American coupon site acquired in October 2013
• Giftcard Zen Inc – North American gift card exchange platform purchased in April 2016
• LowestMed – prescription drug price comparison service in North America acquired in May 2018