Content monetization platform and performance marketing network Viglink just released findings of its "State of Affiliate Marketing" survey and all signs point to increased usage for both publishers and merchants.
The results indicate just how well affiliate-related services have been performing over the past few years, and how publishers and merchants are planning to increase their usage and spending in the future.
Highlights from the study include:
- Seventy-seven percent of publishers acknowledged that revenue generated from affiliate marketing programs from 2015 to 2016 increased or stayed consistent.
+ One-third of publishers reported that revenue generated from affiliate marketing met their expectations. However, 73 percent of merchants (more than double the publishers) reported that revenue generated from using affiliate marketing programs met their expectations.
- Eighty-six percent of publishers expect their affiliate marketing revenue to increase or stay consistent in the future, and a staggering 91 percent of merchants plan to increase or keep their affiliate marketing budgets the same in the future.
"With ad-blockers on the rise and ecommerce shifting to mobile we'll continue to see a fundamental change in how content is rendered, delivered, tracked, and monetized - thus leading to further utilization of affiliate marketing," said Oliver Roup, Founder and CEO of VigLink.
Data from the Viglink survey revealed that the most profitable digital marketing strategies (ranked by revenue generated) were Google AdSense, affiliate marketing, display advertising, brand partnerships/sponsorships, paid product reviews and native advertising.