Affiliate marketing has proven to be one of the most adaptable channels available to marketers. Affiliate marketing statistics show that nearly half of U.S. executive-level marketers say they have greater control over their ad spend and better ROI with affiliate marketing compared to other digital channels.
With more pressure to prove measurable ROI, marketers are increasingly relying on the performance-based affiliate channel. In the United States alone, affiliate marketing is set to grow 10.8 percent this year. What is driving this consistent growth?
The simple answer – value.
Here are some key affiliate marketing statistics that reveal just how big the channel is expected to be in 2022, the opportunity for marketers, and trends impacting the industry.
Affiliate marketing statistics – Ad spend
- U.S. affiliate marketing ad spend is projected to reach 8.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, up from 5.4 billion recorded in 2017. (Statista)
- In 2020, affiliate marketing ad spend in the UK amounted to 627 million pounds. (Statista)
- In 2020, 258 million pounds were spent on affiliate marketing in the UK via smartphones, whereas the non-smartphone spending reached 369 million pounds. (Statista)
Affiliate marketing statistics – Industry valuation and growth
- The current global market size of affiliate marketing is valued at over 17 billion U.S. dollars. (Mohjhos Research)
- The U.S. market accounts for 39 percent of the global affiliate marketing industry at 4.5 billion U.S. dollars, followed by the UK and Germany which account for 15 percent and 11 percent respectively. (SaaS Scout)
- Since 2015, revenue from affiliate marketing programs has grown by 10 percent annually. This growth is expected to continue through 2022. (Statista)
Affiliate marketing statistics – Affiliate programs
- 90 percent of advertisers believe affiliate programs are essential to their marketing strategy. (Forrester)
- 94 percent of publishers join two or more affiliate programs, while 39 percent of publishers use three or more programs. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- Affiliate marketing programs generate 15-30 percent of all sales for advertisers. (Authority Hacker)
- The affiliate marketing industry has 96,660 affiliate networks worldwide. (Datanyze)
- Amazon’s affiliate marketing program, Amazon Associates, has more than 900,000 global affiliates. (Amazon)
- The vast majority of advertisers – 83 percent – leverage affiliate networks to secure deals with publishers. (Forrester Group)
- The average annual earnings for an affiliate marketer is $65,800. (Glassdoor)
- 83 percent of affiliate recruiters search for new affiliates through affiliate network dashboards. 79 percent attend events hosted by affiliate networks. 71 percent use a “join network” button on their website. 56 percent host their own events to find new affiliates. (Forrester)
Affiliate marketing statistics – Channel
- Nearly 90 percent of advertisers say affiliate marketing programs are essential to their overall marketing strategy. (Inc.)
- 40 percent of U.S. retailers say affiliate marketing is a leading customer acquisition channel. (Inc.)
- Affiliate marketing has become an important strategy to almost 9 out of 10 publishers, accounting for 20 percent of their annual revenue. (RubyGarage)
- Affiliate marketing is the most important customer acquisition channel for 20 percent of brand marketers. 54 percent rank it among their top three channels. (Forrester)
- Marketers use affiliate marketing to boost conversion rates and online purchases. Additionally, 83 percent of marketers use affiliate marketing to increase brand awareness, and 79 percent use the channel to engage existing customers. (Rakuten)
- An IAB survey reveals that 56 percent of UK respondents recorded increased affiliate channel revenue through the COVID-19 lockdown. (IAB)
- More than 50 percent of affiliate-referred traffic comes from mobile devices. (SaaS Scout)
- The retail industry contributes 43 percent of the total affiliate marketing revenue followed by telecom and media, and the travel and leisure sector contributes 24 percent and 16 percent respectively. (SaaS Scout)
- 24.5 percent of affiliate marketers learn about affiliate programs directly on a merchant’s website. (BlogginX)
- 56 percent of UK affiliate advertisers and agencies increased their affiliate channel revenue starting in late March 2020. (IAB)
Other content you might be interested in:
- Blog: Affiliate Marketing Trends 2022: A Look Forward
- Blog: CAKE – Affiliate Marketing Success Stories
- Blog: Affiliate Marketing: An Ultimate Guide for 2021, Part 1
