In a previous article, we examined what is Affiliate Marketing, and in another one, we took a look at the history of this business model. We underlined that this specific industry is only growing since its inception, back in 1989.

Now it’s time to illustrate some statistics that will help us better understand the future of affiliate marketing. Because when you study what happened and what is happening, you can easier make predictions and define a winning strategy.

Source: Aug 28, 2017

Analysis

Every year the affiliate marketing sales are increasing

Source: Nov 25, 2016

Rakuten – Networks help drive affiliate marketing into the mainstream

conducted by Forrester Consulting, Feb 03, 2016

US Affiliate Marketing Spending, 2015-2020, Billions

Source: Sep 29, 2017

Rakuten – Networks help drive affiliate marketing into the mainstream

conducted by Forrester Consulting, Feb 03, 2016

As of 2016, 81% of brands and 84% of publishers leverage Affiliate Marketing

Source: Oct 20, 2023

MediaMakersMeet – 17Bn reasons why affiliate marketing has come to the fore

In the world’s largest affiliate market – the U.S. – affiliate marketing is responsible for 16% of all internet orders. 

Analysis

Almost every brand and publisher leverages Affiliate Marketing. 1 out of 6 internet orders in the US comes from affiliate marketing.

Source: Apr 04, 2018

Analysis

The graph is constantly increasing. Popularity by location, first 20 countries:

Bangladesh, Nigeria, St Helena, Kenya, Singapore

Netherlands, India, Ghana, Nepal, Malaysia

Pakistan, South Africa, Cyprus, Estonia, Philippines

Germany, Sri Lanka, Israel, UK, USA

Source: Apr 27, 2016

Analysis

A very important statistic showing the real power of this advertising model.

Source: AffStat, 2015

Analysis

A very important statistic showing how convenient working can be

Preferred Method to Drive Traffic

Analysis

It’s no surprise that all affiliates use the Inbound Methodology, that is attracting visitors to their properties

Analysis

There are unlimited programs to promote, if one company does not need you, simply move on and find another one

Analysis

It seems that the USA is a saturated market, but this means untapped opportunities for the rest of the world.

Europe is the 2nd in the list, with only 15%, so imagine the potential for the rest of the countries.

Source: Jan 29, 2018

Analysis

Product reviews is the main focus

Analysis

Neil Patel’s forercast aligns with the Google Trends statistics that we analyzed earlier

Analysis

A trend that all affiliates should take very seriously (including me)

Source: Aug 20, 2016

Analysis

I believe it’s an industry we should focus on

Analysis

Another huge number

Fashion, sports, beauty, travel

Analysis

People will continue to spend money in these 4 categories

Source: December, 2016

Affiliate merchants report according to AvantLink

Analysis

This statistic shows the advantages for advertised companies, that not only reduced their ad spending, but they managed to gain more customers

Source: Sep 01, 2016

Affiliate marketing now drives as many e-commerce orders in the US as email.

Analysis

This makes affiliate marketing one of the four largest sources of e-commerce orders, outperforming social commerce and display advertising.

Source: Mar 01, 2018

Content marketing costs compared to traditional marketing

Affiliate marketing generates 3X leads than traditional advertising

Analysis

As I have already analyzed in previous articles, affiliate marketing cost less, and it brings better results than traditional expensive methods

Source: June 04, 2014

In 2013, it was 30 billion

Analysis

Pay-per-call marketing is the latest ‘big’ trend. As more and more people use their phones, companies that want to get advertised will pay marketing agencies for leads and customers that call them

Source: Aug, 2016

Top 5 categories that value phone leads

Auto, cable & telecom, financial services, home services, travel

Analysis

It’s crucial for marketers to use click-to-call buttons that are displayed in the search results. This easy-to-use method saves time for mobile users.

Source

Top CPA Networks 2024

1. MaxBounty
2. DMS – Digital Media Solutions
3. Perform (formerly ClickBooth)
4. ClickDealer
5. CrakRevenue
6. ToroAdvertising
7. A4D
8. The Affiliati Network
9. Mobidea
10. iMonetizeIt
11. MaxWeb
12. AdCombo
13. My Lead
14. CPA Lead
15. Convert2Media – C2M
16. RevenueAds
17. AdWork Media
18. AdMedia
19. Admitad
20. Zeydoo
21. Dr. Cash

Source

Top CPA Networks for Advertisers and Merchants 2024

1. MaxBounty
2. DMS – Digital Media Solutions
3. Perform (formerly ClickBooth)
4. CrakRevenue
5. ClickDealer
6. ToroAdvertising
7. Global Wide Media
8. The Affiliati Network
9. RevenueAds
10. A4D

Source

Top CPA Networks for Affiliates and Publishers 2024

1. DMS – Digital Media Solutions
2. MaxBounty
3. ClickDealer
4. CrakRevenue
5. The Affiliati Network
6. Perform (formerly ClickBooth)
7. ToroAdvertising
8. A4D
9. Global Wide Media
10. Mobidea
11. AdWork Media

Source

Top 20 Affiliate (CPS) Networks 2023

1. Rakuten
2. Impact
3. Awin US Group
4. CJ Affiliate
5. FlexOffers
6. LinkConnector
7. Partnerize
8. WebGains/AdPepperMedia
9. AvanGate
10. AvantLink
11. TradeDoubler
12. TradeTracker
13. AdMedia
14. SkimLinks
15. ClickBank
16. TravelPayouts
17. AffiliateFuture

Source

Best Cost-Per-Sale Networks

1. Rakuten
2. Impact
3. Awin US Group
4. CJ
5. FlexOffers
6. LinkConnector
7. Parrtnerize
8. WebGains
9. Avangate
10. AvantLink
11. TradeDoubler
12. TradeTracker
13. AdMedia
14. SkimLinks
15. Clickbank
16. TravelPayouts
17. Affiliate Future

Source

Best Pay-Per-Call Networks

1. AragonAdvertising
2. Digital Media Solutions
3. Marketcall Inc
4. CJ Affiliate
5. PALO
6. Lead Smart Inc
7. GlobalWideMedia
8. Perform (formerly Clickbooth)
9. HyperTargetMarketing
10. CallX
11. RingPartner
12. PX
13. AstoriaCompany
14. InterG Media
15. Visiqua
16. ClickDealer
17. RexConnects, by Rex Direct Net
18. CallerReady
19. WeCall

Source

Top 15 European & Asian Cost-Per-Acquisition CPA Networks 2023

1. ClickDealer
2. ToroAdvertising
3. AdCombo
4. Admitad
5. MyLead
6. MaxWeb
7. CPAmatica
8. PropellerAds
9. Mobidea
10. Gasmobi
11. Leadbit Group
12. affmy
13. Everad
14. ExoticLead
15. Dynu in Media

Source

Company coverage: Amazon, Alibaba, EBay, Rakuten, AWIN, Shopify, CJ Affiliate, Bluehost, StudioPress (WPEngine), Tradedoubler, Admitad, ShareASale, Clickbank, Leadpages.

Market regional analysis: North America, Europe, China, Japan, Middle East & Africa, India, South America, Others.

Analysis

CAGR stands for the Compound Annual Growth Rate, a business and investing specific term for the geometric progression ratio that provides a constant rate of return over the time period.

This percentage shows the incredible growth rate of the affiliate industry.

Analysis

That’s 16 billion. I believe there is room for everyone.

Source

Dublin, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE).

The global affiliate marketing platform market held a market value of USD 19,217.4 million in 2021 and is estimated to reach USD 36,902.1 million by the year 2030. The market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period.

Companies Mentioned: Admitad, Affiliatly, Alibaba, Amazon, AWIN, Bluehost, CJ Affiliate, Clickbank, Converting Team, CrakRevenue, eBay, Everflow.io, iDevAffiliate, LeadDyno, Leadpages, Omnistar Affiliate, Post Affiliate Pro, Rakuten, Referral Rock, ReferralCandy, Refersion, ShareASale, Shopify, StudioPress, Tapfiliate, Targeleon, Tradedoubler, CFD Broker List of Companies, XM Global Limited, BDSwiss Group, eToro, FxPro Group Limited, ForexTime Limited, IC Markets, IG Group plc, IronFX, Pepperstone Group Limited, XTB, VantageFX, Plus500, MultiBank, AvaTrade, ActivTrades, Eightcap Affiliates, Libertex Affiliates, Blackbull Affiliates, FP Markets.

Analysis

CAGR stands for the Compound Annual Growth Rate, a business and investing-specific term for the geometric progression ratio that provides a constant rate of return over a time period.

This percentage shows the steady growth rate of the affiliate industry.

Analysis

The market is expected to grow rapidly, 2x between 2021 and 2030. Is this the future of marketing?

Source

Publishers still generate the bulk of their revenue from advertising, but affiliate marketing is growing faster, per our sources. In an effort to balance editorial integrity and revenue needs, publishers are taking a more native approach to affiliate marketing by embedding product links within organic content and it seems to be working. Approximately 15% of the digital media industry’s revenue now comes from affiliate marketing.

Analysis

Basically, this means that affiliate marketing’s size and contribution are huge. 15% is almost 1 out of 7, so this source is easily compared to email marketing, content marketing, paid media and advertising, video marketing, and others.

That’s why, the future is only bright.

Source

Generation of income and employment through affiliate marketing business models. Affiliates can have a large audience of potential followers to whom they can market. Affiliate payment typically depends upon industries, however, with increasing digitalization, the industry is seeing potential buyers and other stakeholders having a keen interest in the same.

Moreover, the income generated is also a crucial factor for the industry’s growth. For instance, according to the Affiliate Marketing Benchmark Report, 16.21% of the surveyed affiliates made an annual affiliate income between USD 10,000 to USD 50,000. Thus, such measures aid the industry growth.

The retail and e-commerce segment held the largest share of nearly 25% in 2021. Moreover, the consumer goods segment holds an opportunity of more than USD 2,000 million from 2022 to 2030.

Segment overview: The global affiliate marketing platform market is segmented into product, application, industry, and channel.

The cost-per-click segment is estimated to cross the mark of USD 5,000 million in revenue by 2027. Moreover, the cost-per-sale is estimated to hold the highest CAGR of 8.1% over the anticipated period.

The virtual products segment held the largest market share of more than 65% in 2021.

The direct sales segment is estimated to hold the highest growth rate of 8% over the forecast period.

Regional Overview: By region, the global affiliate marketing platform market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America.

The North American market for affiliate marketing platforms held the largest market share of more than 40% in 2021. In addition to that, the Asia Pacific industry for affiliate marketing platforms is likely to grow at the highest growth rate of 8.8%.

The European region is predicted to grow at a steady rate owing to the rising product launches. The Middle East and Africa region is growing due to the increasing demand for cutting-edge advancements in affiliate marketing platforms.

Analysis

The affiliate marketing model keeps offering tremendous opportunities for all affiliates, these numbers are significant.

Analysis

This shows how correct my predictions were at that time when I was recommending information products as a revenue stream.

Source

Affiliate Marketing Software Market with analysis of such parameters i.e. industry growth drivers, supply and demand, risks, market attractiveness, annual growth comparison, BPS analysis, SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces model. Affiliate Marketing Software Market report gives inside and out audit of the Expansion Drivers, Potential Challenges, Distinctive Trends, and Opportunities for Market Players. Our Research experts have carried out detailed checks of the critical environment and have predicted the methodological structure used by market participants. The primary goal of the Affiliate Marketing Software business report is to supply key insights on competition positioning, current scope, market potential, growth rates, and alternative relevant statistics.

List of Top Key Players in Affiliate Marketing Software Market Report Are: The survey describes the qualities of the entire company based on industry-wide analysis.

• CJ Affiliate
• Everflow
• Alibaba
• AWIN
• Bluehost
• Shopify
• Leadpages
• Admitad
• eBay
• Clickbank
• Tradedoubler
• StudioPress (WPEngine)
• Amazon
• Rakuten

Source

55.7% of the surveyed influencers said they make money from affiliate marketing income.

Other interesting and very related statistics:

• 81.8% of survey respondents said sponsored content is their main source of income.
• 32.8% said they make money from paid advertising revenue.
• Full-time creators are more likely to make $2K-$4K/month, whereas part-time creators are more likely to make less than $500 per month.
• 15.7% of creators generate income from subscription services.
• Instagram Reels generate the highest rates for sponsored content. 
• Over 40% of creators earned more income and brand deals this year (2023).

Analysis

Affiliates and influencers are interrelated and deeply connected.

Let’s quickly recap the statistics:

• Every year the retail eCommerce sales generated by Affiliate Marketing are increasing
• Every year in the US the affiliate marketing spending increases
• 81% of brands and 84% of publishers leverage affiliate marketing
• The number of searches for the term “Affiliate Marketing” is constantly increasing the last 5 years
• Almost 40% of marketers mention affiliate marketing as their preferred method to acquire new customers
• 55% of affiliates are working from home
• The top 4 preferred methods to bring traffic are SEO, social media, blogging, email
• Over 50% of affiliates move on when denied by an affiliate program
• USA is the primary target market for affiliate business
• Affiliates will continue to write product reviews
• Affiliate marketing will expand to developing countries in 2018
• Affiliates will be using messengers more often
• 15% of the digital media industry’s revenue comes from affiliate marketing
• Only on ShareaSale are 1M registered affiliates
• The top affiliate programs categories are fashion, sports, beauty, and travel
• 45% of affiliate merchants increased their customer-base
• Affiliate marketing now drives as many e-commerce orders in the US as email
• Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing
• Content marketing generates 3X leads than traditional advertising
• Phone calls from mobile search will top 73B in 2018
• 70% of mobile searcher calls a business directly from search results
• Top 5 categories that value phone leads are auto, cable & telecom, financial services, home services, and travel

What can we learn from these statistics? What is the future of Affiliate Marketing?

Sales are increasing, the ad spending increases, almost every brand uses this model. Companies use this method to reduce their costs and to increase their customer base. Affiliate marketing is now so strong that can be compared to email marketing.

It’s a convenient method and most of the affiliates are working from home.

Categories that will thrive are digital media, fashion, sports, beauty, and travel.

The mobile-first world indicates that pay-per-call affiliate marketing is the new ‘Hot’ trend. Mobile searchers use their phone immediately to call a business from the search results pages.

I believe that the number of affiliates will continue to increase, and I really hope that more affiliates from developing countries will enter the market.

There are unlimited opportunities everywhere for all the affiliates and companies. People continue to spend money on their favorite products and services, and online sales are increasing year after year.

The future of business is online, but…

…still, there are some pieces of the puzzle missing.

PS I will continue adding new statistics to this thread in an attempt to cover all the possible questions. What do you think? What is your resume from these statistics? I would love to hear from you.