rakutenadvertising.io

What It Is

Rakuten Advertising Attribution SDK is a mobile attribution SDK provided by Rakuten Advertising for advertisers. It is mainly used to track conversion events in affiliate marketing programs, such as app installs, deep link opens, and in-app purchases. It is not positioned as a traditional SEO tool or a full advertising campaign management backend, but rather as an attribution layer connecting affiliate links to in-app actions.

Core Capabilities and Data

Based on the documentation, the SDK supports both iOS and Android. On iOS, it can be integrated via CocoaPods or Swift Package Manager; on Android, it is integrated via Gradle/Maven Central. Its features include automatically recording first installs as INSTALL events, resolving deep links, and sending PURCHASE events. Purchase events can include transaction ID, currency, revenue, shipping, tax, SKU, product name, quantity, price, and custom fields. The SDK also collects device information, app version, bundle/application ID, session data, and link information for event validation and attribution through the Rakuten attribution backend.

Integration, Platforms, and Support

Integration complexity is medium to high. Developers need to generate an RSA public/private key pair. The SDK uses the private key to sign JWTs, while the public key must be submitted to Rakuten for server-side verification. On iOS, integration also involves IDFA, ATT user authorization, and Info.plist configuration; if user consent is not obtained, the SDK will ignore events. On Android, developers need to configure intent filters, schemes, and deep link parsing logic. The documentation mentions an Implementation Specialist, Rakuten technical contact, and engineering support, which is helpful for enterprise onboarding.

Pricing and Trial

The captured content does not disclose any pricing, billing model, payment methods, or free trial information, so its standalone purchase cost cannot be determined. Given that this SDK is tied to the Rakuten Advertising affiliate program, actual usage requirements may need to be confirmed through a Rakuten business or technical contact.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

Its main advantage is that it covers the key mobile attribution journey end to end: installs, opens, purchase events, and product-level data can all be reported. It also provides sample apps, debug logs, and API documentation. The downside is that the documentation is heavily engineering-oriented and lacks explanations of reporting analytics, attribution windows, deduplication logic, data scale, and backend capabilities. It is not especially friendly for marketers without a mobile development team. It is best suited for ecommerce, retail, or brand advertisers already using Rakuten Advertising who need to extend affiliate traffic conversion tracking into their apps.

Access from China and Alternatives

The source content does not describe access from mainland China. Domain and API reachability, access to SDK dependency repositories, and payment methods all need to be tested, so its China accessibility is rated as “unknown.” If a team needs a more general-purpose mobile attribution platform, it may compare AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Singular, or Firebase Analytics. If the focus is local advertising and attribution in China, domestic ad platforms and compliant data solutions should also be evaluated.