101 Interesting Affiliate Marketing Stats (Updated 2020)
1. Fast growth with no signs of stopping!
(Source: Business Insider)
Since 2015, revenue from affiliate marketing programs grows by 10% annually. The projections are this impressive trend to continue at least until 2021.
2. Affiliate marketing is a global industry worth well over $12 billion.
(Source: IAB)
Not only AM is growing fast, but it is already a massive global industry. The statistics for 2018 are yet to come out, but in 2017 it was worth over $12 billion, with the US and the EU leading the way. Little surprise there, as these are the markets with the most online trade.
3. AM catches up with email marketing.
(Source: Business Insider)
Email campaigns were the undisputed king of digital marketing but affiliate marketing stats show that the tables are turning. AM generates at least as much as email marketing, contributing to about 15% of the total revenue made through digital marketing efforts. Mind you, these numbers are to be updated soon and it is very likely that in 2019 affiliate marketing already overtook email.
4. PeerFly boasts over a quarter of a million publisher accounts.
(Source: PeerFly)
PeerFly is the largest affiliate marketing network in the world. It has 75,000 active publisher accounts around the globe and over 250,000 accounts in total that are responsible for more than 1 billion clicks and the impressive 8 million transactions. Not too shabby, eh?
5. Awin affiliates earned over $700 million last year.
(Source: Awin)
Awin recently acquired ShareASale, another major network in the affiliate field. Boasting impressive portfolio and history, the network distributed $734 million among its contributors. Who are no less than 100,000. Other top affiliate programs include Amazon Affiliates, eBay Partner Network, Rakuten Linkshare, Clickbank, and many more.
6. 81% of brands rely on affiliate programs.
(Source: Mediakix)
Affiliate marketing is popular among brands and publishers alike because it involves very small investment. It is a performance-based form of marketing, meaning that advertisers pay only what they get for, while better performing publishers are incentivized by increased income.
7. Some of the best affiliate programs are to be found in web hosting.
(Source: Hosting Tribunal)
Web hosting is an incredibly competitive field for a number of reasons: there are many high-quality service providers who compete online for an entirely digital product. Some of the best paying affiliate programs can be found there because a few years ago HostGator showcased the AM potential.
This practically changed the way the hosts marketed themselves. Nowadays, practically all hosting – even those with very cheap plans or with narrow specialization – providers offer lucrative affiliate deals. The Bluehost affiliate partners received over $5 million in 2018 alone.
8. Still, fashion rules supreme
(Source: AM Navigator)
A study from 2015 revealed that 18.70% of all affiliate marketers promote fashion products and services. Sports and outdoor activities follow with 14.60%, while health and wellness marketers account for 11.10%.
Correspondingly, the affiliate networks focus primarily on those three categories.
9. Over 5 billion clicks and more than 170 million transactions
(Source: IAB)
The power of well-presented affiliate links can be illustrated best with some hard numbers from 2017.
Users clicked more than 5 billion times and the affiliate marketing networks carried out more than 170 million transactions worldwide.
10. Affiliate marketing is suitable for all ages
(Source: Statista)
A 2016 Statista survey reveals that the largest segment of affiliates falls within the 25-54 range. 81.82% of all affiliates work on their side (or main, for some) income in the most active years of their lives. The biggest share, 31.86% are aged 35-44, while nearly 12% of all affiliate marketers are aged 55 and above.
In all likelihood, these marketing platforms will see greater adoption rates among elderly, as the technically-savvy young and middle-aged users of today grow older.
11. Reality check – affiliate marketing statistics reveal a 1% conversion rate.
(Source: Cospot)
That’s largely true. On average, the affiliate conversion rate hovers around 1%. Now, this percent is an average estimate rather than a proven fact because many affiliates keep personal rates to themselves.
Given the fierce competition in most marketing niches, you can imagine that reaching 2% or 3% conversion is a valuable knowledge that is deemed best when guarded well.
12. $7 million for the champion!
(Source: Medium)
1% conversion rate might be the average, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t excel with ingenious strategy and persistence. In less than two years, Jason Stone generated over $7 million in affiliate sales, harnessing the marketing potential of Instagram.
Now, Mr. Stone is not the average marketer because he has vast experience in visual media. However, the key the stunning figures @Millionair_Mentor commands lies in his strategic approach.
He promotes only to people who are statistically likely to be interested in the product he has to offer. That’s why it is crucial to join affiliate marketing platforms that match the interestS of your audience.
13. 94% of publishers use more than one network.
(Source: Rakuten)
If you are wondering how to start your affiliate marketing journey, make sure to subscribe to more than one network. A survey done by Forrester on behalf of Rakuten Marketing reveals that 94% of publishers use two or more affiliate programs.
It makes a lot of sense, as not all AM platforms are made equal. 39% rely on three separate networks to procure products and earn commissions, while the hefty 20% work with five or more affiliate marketing companies.
14. Optimize your website – organic search is ideal for conversions.
(Source: MOZ)
Organic search drives sales like nothing else. Research by MOZ states that organic visitors are 5.66 times more likely to convert than those driven by paid traffic.
Being number one in paid search means that you have the biggest bankroll; achieving the top spot naturally means that the content you offer is of great value.
Customers seem to be well aware of these dynamics and that’s one of the main reasons why the affiliate programs for bloggers are such a promising proposition. Quality blog posts can attract throngs of organic visitors.
15. Mobile optimization can be a massive conversion boost!
(Source: QuickSprout)
51% of surfers stated they are likely to purchase from a site that is specifically optimized for mobile devices. Providing smooth mobile navigation makes sense on many levels, as Google indexes mobile sites first for some time now.
Bonus fact: ad blockers don’t affect affiliate marketing done right.
(Source: Commissionfactory)
Ad blockers are growing in popularity. So much so that Google Chrome already sports a native extension to tackle pesky pop-ups and other elements that ruin the user experience. This being said, if you provide quality content and avoid cheap tricks that rely on the misguided users’ clicks, you have nothing to worry about.
These are only 15 interesting facts about the massive AM industry. To get the full picture and learn everything there is about it, check out the extensive infographic.
