With ever-increasing budgets poured into the market, affiliate marketing seems to be emerging in more and more industries by the day, creating jobs and earning opportunities worldwide.
Read on for the latest affiliate marketing statistics revealing the current state of the industry, along with details on earnings, spending, employment demographics, and more!
Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Statistics and Facts
The affiliate marketing spend worldwide is set to reach an impressive $15.7 billion by 2024.
A staggering 81% of advertisers leverage affiliate marketing.
At 900,000, Amazon Associates has the largest affiliate marketing network.
With 23.7%, fashion is the most represented affiliate category.
Almost 70% of affiliate traffic comes from mobile.
83% of advertisers recruit new affiliates within their own network or dashboards.
57.55% of affiliate marketers earn under $10,000.
57.5% of affiliate marketing managers are men.
39% of publishers in the US say they work with three affiliate networks.
At 4,500, North America has the largest number of affiliate companies in the world.
General Affiliate Marketing Facts and Figures
The affiliate marketing spend worldwide is set to reach an impressive $15.7 billion by 2024.
Estimates suggest that the global affiliate spending was $13 billion in 2022.
These figures show that the industry’s worth has been growing exponentially and at a solid pace considering back in 2017, it was worth $8.6 billion, and a little over 60% of it was spent in the US.
In 2013, when affiliate marketing was just starting to take over the digital sphere, it was only worth a modest $2.9 billion.
(Influencer Marketing Hub)
A staggering 81% of advertisers leverage affiliate marketing.
Affiliate internet marketing statistics further show that this type of digital advertising is preferred by a massive 84% of online content publishers.
(Rakuten Advertising)
20% of brand managers say affiliate marketing is their most successful advertising channel.
Another 19% rank affiliate marketing second, and a solid 15% claim it ranks third most important digital channel for acquiring new customers.
When it comes to acquisition strategies, affiliate marketing does not only rank first, with 54% of marketers claiming its importance, but it’s also prioritized over other channels.
Thanks to the excellent affiliate marketing success rate, this method is ahead of paid social, which is used by 45% of marketers, display advertising (including video and banner), and paid and organic search, each used by 42% of marketers.
Affiliate marketing is also used more than PR and influencer marketing, which is the preferred strategy of 40% of brand managers. Other channels like retail advertising and word-of-mouth referrals are used by 39% and 36% of brand marketers, respectively.
(Pepperjam)
With 900,000 affiliates, Amazon Associates has the largest affiliate marketing network.
Affiliate marketing facts reveal that ShareASale operates the second largest network with a total of 700,000 affiliates, followed by Awin with 225,000.
Rakuten and ClickBank are also big players worldwide, with 150,000 and 100,000 affiliates, each.
(Statista)
At 23.7%, fashion is the most represented affiliate category.
Sports and outdoors, with 18.16%, ranks as the second most popular category according to the number of affiliate programs.
Health and beauty come third with 13.81%, and travel and home and garden follow with 10.74% and 8.7%, respectively.
Other top niches that have a high number of affiliate programs are computers and electronics (6.65%), education and training (5.37%), business (5.12%), financial and insurance (4.35%), and high-end and luxury stores (3.83%).
(AM Navigator)
Almost 70% of affiliate traffic comes from mobile.
The latest mobile affiliate marketing statistics also reveal that a staggering 58% of affiliate purchases are made on mobile.
And considering the percentage of mobile users has increased from 35% in 2011 to a fantastic 85%, it should come as no surprise that mobile advertising of any form is now booming.
(International Research Journal, Pew Research)
SaaS-based products may pay up to 70% commission.
Nowadays, SaaS products are not only the most widespread but also the most accessible, and when it comes to affiliate marketing profits, it turns out that these products are the most profitable, with commissions starting at 20%.
Second in terms of profits are finance-related products where affiliates can earn between 35% and 40%, depending on the program.
Other lucrative sectors include beauty and health, eLearning, business, and tech.
(Influence Marketing Hub)
Marketers capture 83% of their customers during the discovery and awareness phase.
They further say they capture 79% of their targeted customers during the conversion or purchase process, while another 79% do so during an ongoing customer engagement phase.
(Forrester via DocPlayer)
83% of advertisers recruit new affiliates within their own network or dashboards.
Affiliate marketing trends also reveal 79% of marketers attract new affiliates by attending events hosted by networks, and 71% incorporate a ‘join network’ CTA on their websites.
In addition, 56% of advertisers said they host their own events in their endeavors to expand their network.
(Forrester via DocPlayer)
Affiliate marketing software platforms earned a fantastic $303.4 million in 2021.
Impact, one of the preferred platforms for affiliate marketers, managed to make a total of $150 million. Partnerize raised $50 million together with Accel-KKR, while Affise’s earnings, although lower, are still solid at $8 million.
(Influencer Marketing Hub)
Statistics on Affiliate Marketing in the US
The industry of affiliate marketing in the US is currently worth $8.2 billion.
The above figure represents a 10% increase compared to 2021, when US advertisers had spent $7.4 billion on affiliate marketing, while in 2020, affiliate spending in the US was $6.8 billion.
Data shows that affiliate marketing spending in the US has more than tripled in the past ten years, considering it stood at $2.5 billion in 2012.
(Statista)
57.55% of affiliate marketers earn under $10,000.
It may sound discouraging, but according to affiliate marketing revenue statistics, only 3.78% of marketers report earnings higher than $150,000.
16.21% report an annual affiliate revenue ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, and 5.15% say they make between $50,000 and $100,000.
Another 7.94% make between $100,000 and $150,000 annually.
Data reveals that most of the marketers who report lower earnings are beginners still working on developing their leads.
(Influencer Marketing Hub)
57.5% of affiliate marketing managers are men.
Despite the fact that the industry is dominated by men, and women make up 42.5% of affiliate marketing managers in the US, it’s important to note that the percentage of women has increased significantly since 2017 when it was only 27.14%.
However, affiliate marketing earnings statistics also point to a wage gap of around 5% in regard to annual income. In fact, male affiliate marketing managers earn an average of $85,411 a year, while the earnings of female managers amount to $81,619.
(Zippia)
39% of publishers in the US say they work with three affiliate networks.
In fact, the majority of publishers (71%) prefer to work with three or more networks.
The latest affiliate marketing stats reveal 20% work with five or more networks, and 12% rely on four as a way to optimize their chances of connecting with more advertisers.
Another 23% of publishers say they are leveraging two networks, while only 6% are focused on just one.
(Forrester via DocPlayer)
At 4,500, North America has the largest number of affiliate companies in the world.
Of the total of 9,600 affiliate services and companies, a little under 50% are based in North America.
Moreover, affiliate marketing industry statistics reveal this type of advertising is least represented in Africa, where there are only 900 companies, followed by Europe with 1,900.
With 2,300 of them, the Asia Pacific region is home to the second-largest network of affiliate companies.
(Influencer Marketing Hub)
Content and blogs account for 40% of all affiliate commissions in the US.
Successful affiliate marketers report a remarkable 240% increase in revenue just because of producing relevant content.
The fact that content produced by affiliates has increased by a whopping 175% over the past few years only verifies the above further.
(Awin)
The Summary
Considering the above affiliate marketing statistics, it’s more than obvious that this form of marketing is not only an incredibly effective tool for businesses looking to bolster their online presence, but it’s also a pillar of modern commerce.
And while there are certainly challenges involved in mastering successful affiliate marketing techniques and strategies, with proper research and analysis, it’s easy to navigate through potential pitfalls and come out on the winning side.
Affiliate Marketing FAQ
Are affiliate programs worth it?
What percentage of affiliate marketers are successful?
How big is the affiliate marketing industry?
Sources:
