- 68% don't think agencies provide enough creatives for affiliate campaigns
- 70% think there are not too many UK networks
- 72% think UK networks have a problem with fraudulent traffic
- 76% think they are better digital marketers than the merchants they work with
- 66% dont think attribute modeling threatens the affiliate industry
- 28% think location based marketing offers the best opportunity for affiliates
- 32% think mobile offers the best opportunity for affiliates.
"Affiliate marketing is always best when brands work with affiliates rather than against them", said Andrew Girdwood, Media Innovations director at bigmouthmedia. "Our affiliate survey shows that affiliates are willing and very able to help push a brand's digital marketing efforts forward, but this is sometimes thwarted by a lack of resources and sometimes understanding from agencies and merchants."
Retail was revealed as the most popular affiliate vertical, cited by 46% of respondents to the survey as the vertical within which the majority of their business is done, with 24% quoting the travel sector as their industry of choice. Finance came in a distant third at 8%, with telecommunications and gaming affiliates bringing up the rear at 4% each. Interestingly however, opinion remains divided as to whether affiliates are more successful when they concentrate on just one niche or when they cover several, with a straight 50-50 split between the two.