AI content detectors scan text to identify language patterns associated with AI-generated text, helping to protect the authenticity of your brand. Affiliate marketing is a type of partnership where influencers promote products and services and receive a commission in return. This strategy offers a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional up-front marketing strategies. It can help ecommerce businesses reduce their customer acquisition costs, reach niche consumer groups, and increase conversion rates. Affiliate marketing can also help solve online marketing problems related to your industry or product. For example, John Murphy, an affiliate marketing expert and owner of The Cold Plunge Store , switched to an affiliate marketing strategy after he learned that major digital advertising companies were banning advertising electric bikes (his main product at the time).

John said, “I was banned from Facebook and Google ads,” so I started listening to affiliate marketing podcasts to figure out how to get organic traffic. By copying the techniques of successful affiliate marketers, John eventually started his own affiliate program and was able to effectively promote products without paid advertising. These affiliate marketing statistics show how business owners can leverage the unique benefits of affiliate marketing to reach and convert the right consumers.

Affiliate Marketing Statistics

Affiliate marketing is on the rise. Here are some of the most relevant statistics you need to know:

The global affiliate marketing industry is worth approximately $16 billion

The affiliate marketing industry has grown 83% since 2017, and Influencer Marketing Hub projects that global affiliate marketing spend will reach $15.7 billion by the end of 2024.

The US dollar accounts for more than half of all affiliate marketing industry spending

In 2017, U.S. affiliate advertisers accounted for 62.7% of the affiliate marketing industry’s spending , and experts predict that U.S. companies will spend about $10 billion by 2024, representing about 60% of the projected global spending for that year.

Experts predict continued growth in the affiliate marketing industry

Analysts expect the affiliate marketing industry to reach a value of nearly $40 billion by the end of the forecast period, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.86% from 2023 to 2032.

More than 4 in 5 marketers use affiliate marketing strategies

In 2023, Forbes reported that 83% of marketers will use affiliate marketing programs to increase brand awareness.

Affiliate marketing campaigns are becoming more important to marketing teams.

By 2022, 80% of marketers said affiliate marketing strategies will become more important.

Retail generates more affiliate marketing revenue than any other industry

Retailers generate 44% of all affiliate marketing revenue . Telecommunications and media comes in second at 25%, and travel and leisure companies come in third at 16%.

Fashion is the most popular affiliate marketing sector

The fashion industry accounts for 23.27% of all affiliate marketing programs , with sports and outdoor activities being the second most popular with 18.6% market share.

Flat fee is the most common affiliate marketing program payment structure.

Nearly half (48.9%) of affiliate programs offer a flat fee payment . Only 42.4% pay a percentage commission, and less than 5% of programs use other types of incentives.

Most affiliate marketers make less than $10,000 per year from affiliate partnerships.

While successful affiliate marketers can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, the average affiliate marketer makes much less. Research shows that 57.6% of affiliate marketers make less than $10,000 a year in affiliate revenue .

Marketers believe that affiliate marketing programs have unique strengths.

According to a 2024 survey , 28% of marketers believe that providing clear, incremental value is a unique strength of affiliate marketing, while 24% say the opportunity to partner with a variety of marketing partners sets this strategy apart. Other commonly cited differentiators include simplicity, transparency, and trustworthiness.

More than half of US marketers use affiliate marketing for pre-purchase outreach

Affiliate marketing is the most popular pre-purchase tactic, used by 56% of marketers during the awareness stage, 58% during the consideration stage, and 50% during the conversion stage. In the post-purchase retention stage, 32% of marketers report using affiliate marketing.

More than half of brand marketers rate affiliate marketing as one of their primary customer acquisition channels

Affiliate marketing is one of the top three customer acquisition channels for 54% of marketers , and 20% rate it as their most successful channel.

Most affiliate advertisers say that affiliate programs account for between 21% and 60% of their total marketing spend.

According to a 2022 survey , 26% of marketers allocate between 21% and 40% of their overall marketing budget to affiliate marketing, while 25% allocate between 41% and 60%.

Affiliate marketing fraud costs businesses billions of dollars each year

Fraud is a big problem in the affiliate marketing world. Cybersecurity firm CHEQ reported that in 2022, ad fraud will account for 17% of all affiliate traffic , resulting in $3.4 billion in losses that year alone. Analysts expect losses to increase as affiliate marketing gains popularity. To avoid affiliate fraud, be on the lookout for affiliates with much lower conversion rates than usual. They may be sending fake traffic to your store.

Amazon Associates is the largest affiliate network

Amazon Associates has the most affiliate programs and advertisers of any network. The network has 21.65% of the affiliate market and has nearly one million affiliates and partners worldwide.

Most affiliate advertisers say that affiliate marketing provides high quality leads.

According to Forrester Research , 52% of marketers believe that affiliate programs provide high-quality leads. More than half of marketers also say that these programs increase customer loyalty and improve performance transparency.

More than half of consumers have purchased a product from an affiliate website

Major coupon affiliate websites (sites that share discounts and offers on behalf of companies) like Groupon can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue each year , and 56% of online consumers have purchased something through an affiliate site like Wirecutter, a site that reviews products and earns money when readers buy those products.

The average salary for an affiliate manager in the United States is $67,562 per year.

Affiliate managers in the United States earn between $51,000 and $91,000 per year in base salary, with total compensation ranging from $83,000 to $152,000.