StackCommerce

What StackCommerce does

StackCommerce is a private, US-based commerce platform founded in 2011 and headquartered in Venice, California, that operates a B2B2C marketplace and affiliate network connecting consumer brands with publishers, content creators, and individual affiliates for product promotion and audience monetization. The company serves two primary customer segments: brands seeking distribution and promotional scale (Adidas, Target, Walmart, Nordstrom, Hims, Kate Spade, Old Navy, Home Chef, Nutrafol, Omaha Steaks, Rosetta Stone, Corel, Rue Gilt Groupe, The Ridge), and publishers/media companies seeking to monetize audiences through commerce content (CNET, New York Post, Mashable, Fox, USA Today, PCWorld, Entrepreneur, Popular Science, MacWorld, Future). Core product surfaces include the StackCommerce Platform (campaign management and distribution), the StackSocial consumer-facing deals marketplace, and the BrandCycle affiliate marketing program, with The Fascination DTC marketplace added via acquisition in 2022.

The business model is commission-based across multiple streams: StackCommerce earns affiliate/referral fees on sales driven through publisher partnerships, marketplace commissions on transactions through its platform, and transaction fees for brand promotion services. The company operates a partner-led go-to-market — its network of 9,300+ publishers, affiliates, and content creators serves as the primary distribution channel, supplemented by an owned blog, email newsletter, and the StackSocial marketplace (7.9M+ registered shoppers, 1.2M+ average monthly shop sessions). Reported engagement metrics include a 16% average click-out rate, 1:20 average time on page for commerce content, and $298M+ cumulative paid to partners. Growth has been driven primarily through three acquisitions (Joyus 2017, BrandCycle Jan-2022, The Fascination Apr-2022) rather than external equity, with only $800K of disclosed funding (2012 seed led by Amplify.LA). The company is privately held with 51-100 employees and no disclosed revenue, patents, or AI/ML capability.

Name

StackCommerce

Legal name

StackCommerce

Website

https://stackcommerce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

StackCommerce is a private B2B2C commerce platform founded in 2011 that connects brands with a network of 9,300+ publishers, affiliates, and content creators for product promotion and audience monetization, operating the StackSocial marketplace and BrandCycle affiliate program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affiliate Marketing Platform / Commerce Marketplace

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)

akta.pro primary industry

Vertical/Specialty Marketplaces (BPAMAGAB)

Keywords

• Affiliate marketing platform
• Commerce marketplace network
• Publisher monetization solutions
• Brand promotion services
• Deal marketplace platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Venice

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Commission / Referral Fees: StackCommerce earns commissions on sales generated through their affiliate partnerships with publishers and content creators. They manage affiliate deals on behalf of partner publications, with partners disclosing commission earnings per sale.
2. Marketplace Commission: The company operates a marketplace for deals, generating revenue through commissions on transactions facilitated through their platform. Publishers and affiliates in the network earn commissions while StackCommerce takes a share.
3. Brand & Product Promotion Services: Services for brands looking to promote products through StackCommerce's network of publishers and affiliate partners. Brands gain access to publisher audiences through the platform's existing relationships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

StackCommerce operates a native commerce platform that connects brands and merchants with a network of 9,300+ publishers, affiliates, and content creators to power product promotion and audience monetization. The company offers marketplace deal listings, commerce content creation, affiliate program management (BrandCycle), and full-service campaign management including CPC negotiations and placement. Its StackSocial marketplace delivers limited-time deals on software, hardware, and subscriptions to 7.9M+ registered shoppers.

Product overview

StackCommerce operates as a unified commerce platform offering brand/product promotion and audience monetization solutions. The core StackCommerce Platform powers marketplace, content, and distribution services, with StackSocial serving as the consumer-facing deals marketplace featuring limited-time offers on software and subscriptions. BrandCycle provides affiliate marketing capabilities for brands to manage promotional campaigns. The company connects publishers (including Entrepreneur, PCWorld, CNET, New York Post, Mashable) with brands (including Adidas, Target, Walmart, Nordstrom, Hims) to facilitate promotional and monetization initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• StackCommerce Platform Core commerce platform enabling publishers and brands to promote products and monetize audiences through marketplace deals, commerce content, and distribution solutions. Combines marketplace listings, content creation, affiliate deal management, and publisher placement in a single platform with 9,300+ publishers and affiliates.
• StackSocial Marketplace Consumer-facing marketplace/deals platform operated by StackCommerce that offers limited-time deals on software, hardware, and subscriptions, often featuring lifetime deals and steep discounts. Serves 7.9M+ registered shoppers with 1.2M+ average monthly shop sessions.
• Brand & Product Promotion Solutions for brands looking to promote products and reach audiences through StackCommerce's network of 9,300+ publishers, affiliates, and content creators. Includes full-service campaign management with content creation, CPC negotiations with publishers, and placement.
• Audience Monetization Solutions enabling publishers, creators, and content producers to monetize their audiences through commerce partnerships, affiliate programs, and performance media content. Provides access to brand deals and revenue share on resulting transactions.
• BrandCycle Affiliate Program Affiliate marketing program within StackCommerce (acquired January 2022) that helps brands unlock profitable search campaigns and offers affiliates increased earnings with transparent pricing. Reports 50% increased earnings for participants compared to other affiliate programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brands increased their entire search budget by 20% and reduced their CAC by 30-40%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• The FascinationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStackCommerce acquired The Fascination, a direct-to-consumer marketplace founded in 2020, in April 2022. The acquisition enabled The Ridge (a partner of The Fascination) to unlock profitable incremental search campaigns, increasing search budget by 20% and reducing CAC by 30-40%.
• Rosetta StoneflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRosetta Stone has partnered with StackCommerce since 2016 on a regular basis for promotional opportunities. The partnership has delivered spectacular results for lifetime language learning software deals through publisher networks.
• Popular Science (Bonnier Corp)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPopular Science, part of Bonnier Corp, partners with StackCommerce as a revenue partner. StackCommerce provides quality content and product selection with a super-responsive team for seamless audience monetization.
• Rue Gilt GroupecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRue Gilt Groupe partners with StackCommerce's BrandCycle for affiliate and influencer marketing. StackCommerce provides exceptional communication, prompt feedback, and transparent pricing for positive ROI on advertising investments.
• CorelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorel has worked with StackCommerce as a valuable partner for many years, gaining access to publisher audiences that traditional marketing vehicles cannot address.
• CNETflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCNET is one of the major publishers in StackCommerce's partner network, featuring deal promotions and product reviews through the platform.
• New York PostflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew York Post is a flagship publisher partner in StackCommerce's network, promoting deals through their content partnership including products like refurbished MacBooks and Wi-Fi extenders.
• MashableflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMashable is listed as a flagship publisher voice in StackCommerce's partner network, featuring deal content and product promotions.
• BleepingComputerflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBleepingComputer.com is a key affiliate partner featuring numerous deal promotions through StackCommerce including cybersecurity courses, language learning, and software subscriptions. The partnership includes commission disclosure.
• TargetmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTarget is one of the major brands in StackCommerce's partner network for product promotion and promotional campaigns.
• WalmartmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerWalmart is listed among the major brands in StackCommerce's partner network for promotional initiatives.
• NordstrommajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNordstrom is a brand partner in StackCommerce's network, collaborating on promotional campaigns and product promotions.
• HimscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHims is a brand partner working with StackCommerce for promotional campaigns through publisher partnerships.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• PartnerStack: Partnership management platform focused on B2B SaaS affiliate, referral, and reseller programs. Adjacent peer with similar technology underpinnings and commission-based revenue model serving brands and partners.
• Awin: Global affiliate marketing network with a large publisher base and brand roster. Direct overlap with StackCommerce's affiliate and marketplace commission model and similar two-sided marketplace structure.
• Sovrn: Publisher monetization platform providing affiliate, commerce, and ad tools to independent publishers. Closely aligned with StackCommerce on the publisher-monetization side of the marketplace and product offering.
• Skimlinks: Commerce content monetization platform for publishers, automatically converting editorial content into affiliate links. Comparable to StackCommerce in serving the publisher-side monetization use case and leveraging affiliate commissions.
• Impact: Partnership management and affiliate platform serving brands, agencies, and publishers. Highly comparable on technology, revenue model (affiliate/commission), and customer base (enterprise brands and large publishers).
• ShareASale: Long-standing affiliate network (now part of Awin) that connects merchants with affiliates and content creators. Directly comparable to BrandCycle on technology and business model.
• Rakuten Advertising: Affiliate and performance marketing network owned by Rakuten. Comparable to StackCommerce as a brand-publisher intermediary earning commissions on commerce-driven traffic, with similar enterprise brand focus.
• CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction): One of the largest global affiliate marketing networks connecting brands with publishers and creators. Directly comparable to StackCommerce's BrandCycle and core platform given overlapping affiliate/commission business model, publisher network, and brand roster.

Broad incumbents

• Taboola: Large content-discovery and native advertising platform serving many of the same publisher partners as StackCommerce (e.g., major media outlets). Comparable in publisher-side distribution and as a competing monetization surface for commerce content.
• Amazon Associates: Amazon's affiliate program is the largest reference point for affiliate commission economics and publisher monetization. While not a platform comparable in scope, it sets commission rate benchmarks StackCommerce must compete against.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stackcommerce
• Facebookfacebook.com/220449001487225
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stackcommerceinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about StackCommerce