Stat
AFFILIATE MARKETING BENCHMARKS
41%
AFFILIATES ARE LIKELY TO MOVE ON WITHOUT HESITATION WHEN DENIED BY AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM EMAIL SOLICIATIONS HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON AFFILIATE ENGAGEMENT
2016 AFFILIATE MARKETING BENCMARK REPORT
RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS ON AFFILIATE MARKETERS' METHODS, PREFERENCES AND STRATEGIES. SPONSORED BY AFFILIATE SUMMIT
84%
CONTENTS DEMOGRAPHICS 5
COUNTRY AND U.S. STATE REPRESENTATION
6
GENDER, AGE, MARITAL STATUS
7
CHILDREN, WORKPLACE, AFFILIATE MARKETER SINCE...
TRENDS 8
TRAFFIC SOURCES, TYPES OF PROGRAMS, DECISION PROCESS
9
SELECTION FACTORS, PROGRAM DISCOVERY, APPLICATION PROCESS
SPOTLIGHT
THE FUTURE OF AFFILIATE MARKETING
Better, Faster & Stronger / p4
OUR NEEDS HELP US TO HELP YOU
Affiliates offer suggestions to merchants that will help them make more sales and more money / p16
10 AFFILIATE MANAGER RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNICATION METHODS AND PREFERENCES 11 SLOTTING FEES, PROMOTED CATEGORIES, VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS
HEAR US
12 TARGET MARKETS 13
AFFILIATE NETWORKS, AFFILIATE NEXUS TAX
14
PROGRAM COUNTS, ANNUAL REVENUE, PAYMENT METHODS
15
CUSTOM CREATIVES, ATTRIBUTION
YOU MAY COPY, DISTRIBUTE, DISPLAY AND/OR PERFORM VERBATIM COPIES OF THIS MATERIAL WITH ATTRIBUTION AS: "CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSED CONTENT FROM THE 2016 AFFILIATE SUMMIT AFFSTAT REPORT."
WE'VE GOT A LOT TO SAY
Affiliates share their opinions, suggestions and complaints regarding affiliate marketing / p17
CO-PUBLISHERS: MISSY WARD SHAWN COLLINS AFFSTAT.COM 2002-2016 AFFILIATE SUMMIT INC.
©
AffStat
STATE OF THE AFFILIATE MARKETING INDUSTRY
BETTER, FASTER, AND STRONGER
By Missy Ward & Shawn Collins
Affiliates, Advertisers, Networks, Vendors, our fellow Affiliate Marketers: This marks the 14th year that we've come to report on the state of affiliate marketing with the annual AffStat report. Way back when AffStat was started, the purpose was to bring together data from the burgeoning affiliate marketing space. 4
Along the way, the questions we've asked have evolved, but the final result has remained the same - a snapshot of where the industry has been for this past year.
AffStat | 2016
Take a look at the results and compare them to last year (you can still get the 2015 report at AffStat.com). How has the industry changed over the past year or two? Some results may surprise you, while others will reaffirm what you already believe to be trends in affiliate marketing. Thank you to everybody who took the time to complete the survey. Feel free to use material from the report in blog posts, presentations, etc. Just reference that the information came from the AffStat 2016 Affiliate Marketing Benchmark Report.
Netherlands 2.58% Canada 9.71%
United Kingdom 5.24% Ireland 1.79%
United States 57.44% Mexico .54%
Germany 2.97%
France 1.01% Portugal .55%
Poland .81% Ukraine .61% Switzerland .69% Spain Israel 2.09% 5.88%
China 1.37% Hong Kong .92%
India 1.85% Malaysia .62%
Singapore .91%
Brazil 1.39%
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
Australia 1.03%
AFFILIATE
U.S. STATES REPRESENTED .02%
3.51% .10% 1.46% .25%
.12%
0% 5
AffStat | 2016
DEMOGRAPHICS
AFFI
LIAT
ES MARITAL STATUS
AGE GROUP
AffStat | 2016
6
GENDER
WORKPLACE CHILDREN
AFFILIATE MARKETER SINCE...
AffStat | 2016
7
TOP TRAFFIC SOURCES:
11.2%
AFFILIATE TRENDS THE AFFILIATE PROGRAMS THAT I PROMOTE, SELL:
4.12%
3.17%
WHEN SELECTING AFFILIATE PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE: 81.16%
I am always or usually the decision maker
I am sometimes the decision maker
3.19%
I don't make or influence the decisions
I influence the decisions but not the final say
AffStat | 2016
8
.19%
12.18%
2.81%
I'm kind of new to the business
My wife makes all the decisions
.47%
TOP FACTORS DRIVING MY AFFILIATE PROGRAM SELECTIONS ARE:
I FIND OUT ABOUT NEW AFFILIATE PROGRAMS THROUGH:
Searches on Google, Yahoo, etc.
Affiliate or CPA Network website
WHEN AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM DENIES MY APPLICATION, I TYPICALLY:
Affiliate Manager reaches out to me directly
Word of mouth
My competitors websites
ESS C C A IED N E D
Searching affiliate sites
Affiliate Manager website
9
AffStat | 2016
Affiliate information on the merchant's website
Conferences
MY BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH AFFILIATE MANGERS ARE: Somewhat valuable. I sometimes join, promote, and terminate programs because of the affiliate manager. Crucial to my business. I typically join, promote, and terminate programs because of the affiliate manager. Irrelevant. I almost never consider joining, promoting or terminating programs because of the affiliate manager.
INFORMATION FROM MY AFFILIATE MANAGER TYPICALLY ARRIVES VIA:
Facebook Affiliate network email
Mass email
Blog/company website updates
AffStat | 2016
10
I'D PREFER THAT AFFILIATE MANAGERS CONTACT ME VIA:
Phone, Instant Messenger & Email
Instant Messenger
Phone
Personal email or call
Skype
I CHARGE FEES TO LIST ADVERTISERS ON MY SITE(S):
AVERAGE AGE OF MY SITE VISITORS:
62. 32%
37. 68%
Yes No
TOP FIVE CATEGORIES THAT I PROMOTE:
AffStat | 2016
11
MY PRIMARY TARGET MARKET IS:
Canada: 3.47% United Kingdom: 4.46%
USA: 63.83%
Central America: .23%
MY SECONDARY TARGET MARKET IS:
Canada: 14.29%
12
AffStat | 2016
USA: 22.68% Central America: 2.06%
THE AFFILIATE NETWORKS THAT I WORK WITH ARE:
"AFFILIATE NEXUS TAX" HAS HAD THIS IMPACT ON MY BUSINESS:
IRRELEVANT I’ve been fired from some affiliate programs but I’ve found replacements and/or I’ve not been fired from any programs..)
13
AffStat | 2016
CRUSHED MY BUSINESS (I've lost significant revenue because I've been fired from affiliate programs.)
LIMITED IMPACT (I’ve lost a minor amount of revenue because I’ve been fired from affiliate programs)
NUMBER OF AFFILIATE PROGRAMS I'M CURRENTLY PROMOTING:
ANNUAL REVENUE DERIVED FROM AFFILIATE MARKETING EFFORTS:
14
AffStat | 2016
PREFERRED COMMISSION PAYMENT METHOD:
PROGRAMS I'M PROMOTING OFFERING CUSTOM CREATIVES:
None
26% - 50%
1% - 25%
51% - 99%
100%
PERCENTAGE OF AFFILIATE PROGRAMS I'M PROMOTING THAT UTILIZE AN ATTRIBUTION MODEL FOR COMMISSION TRACKING:
AffStat | 2016
15
AFFILIATES WERE ASKED, "WHAT WOULD HELP YOU GENERATE MORE BUSINESS FOR YOUR MERCHANTS AND SUBSEQUENTLY, YOU?" YOU WILL FIND THEIR RESPONSES BELOW. The larger the term, the more times it was mentioned.)
(
AffStat | 2016
16
AFFILIATES WERE ASKED TO SHARE THEIR OPINIONS, SUGGESTIONS, AND COMPLAINTS REGARDING AFFILIATE MARKETING. BELOW ARE THE RESPONSES, VERBATIM. I left CJ because they have continually dropped me because I have not generated the required commissions. It would nice if they communicated a WARNING BEFORE dropping me forcing me to reapply. NO other of my companies have that policy."
I don't use Amazon because their outdated payment method does not fit with my portable/ nomad business. When is Amazon going to introduce Paypal? BUT, I like how Amazon pays commission to affiliates on all purchases through the aff link...whether the purchase relates to the blog topic or not. I wish Shareasale and Rakuten and Clickbank would use the Amazon system."
"
"
Lack of real training. I could use some." "
"Kindly [notify] if some merchant is organically on top, don't just delete it from index as it costs much time, effort regarding content and SEO techniques. It just demotivates a lot."
Optimize your campaigns!!"
"
My biggest pet peeve is affiliate networks that charge affiliates to receive payment. It's a business expense that should be included in the network's advertiser fees or other source of revenue. Affiliate marketers make money for networks and shouldn't have to pay to receive the money they've earned. There is no other sector in which that would be acceptable." "
Please create videos to help us get on board faster."
"
Serious multiple attribution accounting." "
Partnership is more important in the USA than in my home country, The Netherlands. I appreciate that very much.." "
17
AffStat | 2016
More long term promotions. Products these days are short term, mainly focused on "new releases"." "