VALUE COMMERCE

ValueCommerce Co., Ltd., (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and CEO: Jin Kagawa; hereinafter, “ValueCommerce”) a performance marketing company announces that it concluded an agreement for an alliance in the affiliate business on May 16, 2022, with BuzzFeed Japan Corporation, an advanced, independent digital media company (hereinafter “BuzzFeed Japan”). Details are as follows.

1. Purpose of the Affiliate Business Alliance
ValueCommerce and BuzzFeed Japan decided to enter into a business alliance to expand the two companies’ businesses in the affiliate field and maximize profits through mutual cooperation, based on a capital tie-up under which ValueCommerce has shares in BuzzFeed Japan.

2. Details of the Business Alliance
With an eye on media services provided on websites or social media accounts under such names as BuzzFeed Japan and HuffPost Japan, BuzzFeed creates affiliate article content to promote the goods and services of advertisers who work with VC by ValueCommerce, and posts the articles, wherein the ValueCommerce affiliate link is installed, on media services provided by BuzzFeed Japan. If users purchase goods and services by way of the ValueCommerce affiliate link, ValueCommerce pays an affiliate commission to BuzzFeed Japan.

3. Background of the Business Alliance
With the differentiation of media networks becoming a resource for business expansion in the affiliate space, there is a growing need to strengthen alliances with media service providers through a range of means including the joint development of unique and exclusive content. BuzzFeed Japan (MUV*¹: 35 million) became one of Japan’s leading digital media companies and grew to further expand its reach through a merger with Huffington Post Japan (MUV: 24 million). The business alliance will combine this strength with ValueCommere’s.
*1, MUV: Monthly unique visitors, or the number of individuals who visit the relevant website or account

4. Effects Expected to be Produced due to the Business Alliance
By introducing excellent advertisers and campaigns, ValueCommerce will ensure that more enhanced measures, such as the provision of a broader range of content and inclusion of more affiliate links by way of ValueCommerce such as ones to Yahoo! Shopping, are implemented to facilitate media monetization. ValueCommerce believes that it will be able to provide a new commerce experience to readers of Buzzfeed Japan’s media by allowing them to have access to the offering of a wider range of goods and services.

<ValueCommerce Co., Ltd.>
ValueCommerce offers solutions to the two key issues faced by e-commerce business operators—attracting and maintaining customers—and proposes solutions to issues in the marketing field through its affiliate network, which is one of the largest in Japan.

<BuzzFeed Japan Corporation>
BuzzFeed Japan launched in January, 2016. Aiming to spread joy and truth on the internet, it offers news, entertainment, shopping, and other content through articles, video, and social media posts. The number of monthly unique visitors exceeded 35 million (December 2020) and the majority of the audience comes from the Gen Z and Millennial demographic groups. The company merged with HuffPost Japan in May 2021 and today operates five vertical media services: BuzzFeed Japan, BuzzFeed Japan News, HuffPost Japan, BuzzFeed Kawaii, and Tasty Japan.