Top Affiliate Marketing Statistics for 2023

As a blogger, you probably know that affiliate marketing is one of the most popular methods of monetization.

Affiliate marketing enables brands and content creators to reach a wider audience, grow brand awareness and drive more sales.

Seems pretty straightforward, right?

Affiliate marketing has rapidly evolved over the past decade. Although it first began in the ‘90s, it has become increasingly competitive and diverse since its expansion in the 2000s.

This is precisely why it’s essential to do solid research before embarking on your affiliate marketing journey.

In this article, I’ll share the most interesting affiliate marketing statistics every blogger should be aware of in 2023.

1. What we know about affiliate marketing so far

Affiliate marketing is the process through which an affiliate marketer earns a commission by promoting someone else’s products or services.

As an affiliate marketer, you choose a product or service that interests you, advertise it, and then receive a percentage of the sales revenue.

Its main advantage is its far-reach and versatility, providing affiliate marketers with tons of possibilities.

Let’s take a look at some general affiliate marketing statistics to gain a better understanding of the industry, now that we’ve covered the basics:

• Google searches for the term “affiliate marketing” have risen significantly over the last five years. The search interest has increased by over 200% between 2015 and 2020. (Google Trends)
• “How to Create Content Marketing” is one of the most asked questions on Google. (Semrush, “The State of Content Marketing, 2019”)
• Affiliate marketing has proven to be extremely valuable for customer acquisition. (Forrester, “Affiliate Marketing Ranks As A Primary Channel For Customer Acquisition And Revenue Growth”)
• The total revenue generated by affiliate marketing in 2019 was $6.4 billion. (eMarketer)

Credit source: Google Trends

2. Global affiliate marketing statistics

To ensure you stay ahead of the game, it’s essential to be aware of what is happening globally in this industry.

Let’s take a closer look at the top global stats and figures.

• Around 80% of brands have affiliate partnerships. 
• Affiliate marketing generates 15% of the total revenue for the digital media sector. (Business Insider)
• ShareASale is the most trusted affiliated network globally, leading the market share with 55.7%. (Webinar Care)
• Awin, one of the largest affiliate networks, earned over $1.3 billion in total commissions in 2021.

3. Affiliate marketing industry statistics

Now that you’ve got a clearer idea of what this strategy involves and what is happening around the globe, it’s time to delve deeper.

To determine if an affiliate marketing program is worth the investment, here are the most important stats from the industry.

• The affiliate marketing industry is worth around $12 billion. (BloggingX)
• With a 39% market share, America is the dominant nation in the world of affiliate marketing. 
• The fashion industry is one of the top niches that use affiliate marketing, making up a quarter of all affiliate programs. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• Health and wellness industries are the most profitable in terms of affiliate marketing, worth over $4 trillion. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• 16% of global eCommerce sales come from affiliate marketing. (Business Insider)

4. Affiliate marketing statistics: the top methods

In any marketing strategy, the channels you decide to focus your attention on need to be chosen very carefully. 

Since not all strategies for affiliate marketing are equal, you need to explore all possibilities when talking about affiliate marketing channels. 

Here are the most important stats on the top affiliate marketing methods:

• More than 50% of affiliate-referred traffic comes from mobile devices. (IAB UK)
• The majority of affiliate marketers use blogs to enhance their online traffic. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• When it comes to generating income for publishers, affiliate marketing is only slightly behind Google AdSense. (Viglink)
• SEO is considered a top traffic source by over 69% of affiliate marketers. (BloggingX)
• Organic channels have a 53% traffic share on average across industries. (BrightEdge)

Credit source: Brightedge Research

5. Affiliate marketing trends

Trends are integral to affiliate marketing since they reveal new approaches marketers should follow.

Below, you’ll find some data highlighting the hottest affiliate marketing trends you need to pay attention to. These will help you understand the direction the industry is going in. 

• 81% of advertisers and 84% of publishers include affiliate marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. (Forrester via DocPlayer)
• If you want to be successful in affiliate marketing, you need to use a full-funnel affiliate strategy. (Rakuten Advertising)
• According to Forbes, brand affinity is extremely important for an affiliate program.
• 83% of affiliate marketers pursue customers when they are in the discovery and awareness stage. (Forrester via DocPlayer)

Credit source: Forrester

6. Consumer behavior affiliate marketing statistics  

In the affiliate marketing system, we have the seller, affiliate, and consumer. Affiliate marketing works only if the consumer clicks on the affiliate link and purchases the product.

Just like in any other marketing industry, you need to understand consumer behavior in order to optimize your results.

Check out these relevant consumer behavior stats that will help you use affiliate marketing more effectively.

• 83% of shoppers say that the primary motivator for purchasing a product during shopping trips is coupons. (Inmar Intelligence)
• 50% of customers use digital coupons when they make in-store purchases. (Inmar Intelligence)
• 74% of U.S. online shoppers visit many affiliate websites before making a decision. (CyberCash Global)
• 88% of consumers said that an influencer’s recommendations had motivated them to make a purchase. (Rakuten Marketing, “Influencer Marketing Global Survey Consumers 2019”)
• Before making a purchase, 85% of online customers use Google to research their options. (Kenshoo, “Amazon: The Big E-Commerce Marketing Opportunity For Brands”)

7. Statistics on entrepreneurs using affiliate marketing

In addition to global affiliate marketing statistics and industry trends, it’s equally important to examine affiliate marketing statistics for entrepreneurs.

• 73% of retailers believe their revenue objectives are met by affiliate marketing programs. (Fetch Profits)
• The success and dependability of affiliate marketing are highlighted by the fact that approximately 90% of publishers anticipate seeing considerable growth in their affiliate earnings. (Fetch Profits)

8. Affiliate marketing earnings statistics

The affiliate marketing industry is extremely profitable, and is worth billions of dollars. Consequently, affiliate marketers can make a pretty good income if they know how to do it properly.

Read on to discover essential affiliate marketing revenue statistics.

• Affiliate advertising is a top revenue source for 31% of U.S. publishers. (Lotame, “Beyond the Cookie: The Future of Advertising for Marketers & Publishers”)
• On average, affiliate marketers make $78,429 per year. (Glassdoor)
• 65% of merchants state that their annual affiliate marketing revenue is between 5% and 20%. (BloggingX)
• Affiliate marketing spending has drastically increased over the past years, reaching $6.8 million in 2020. (Forrester via DocPlayer)

Credit source: Forrester

9. Affiliate marketing lead stats

Developing a marketing strategy takes time and money, and affiliate marketing is no exception.

You’ve created a website, begun advertising it widely, received some traffic, and got your first conversion. That’s great news!

But beyond that, you need to look at which conversion turned into a lead. Ultimately, affiliate marketing is all about conversions.

Let’s explore some crucial affiliate marketing lead stats:

• The conversion rate for affiliate marketing typically ranges from 0.5% to 1%. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• The average affiliate commission can range from 5% to 30%. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• SEO traffic converts 7x more than other methods. (Webtribunal)

10. Affiliate marketing success stats

If you’re still not convinced of the power of this industry, the following affiliate marketing growth stats will paint a clearer picture of its success.

• U.S. affiliate marketing spending is expected to reach $8.2 billion by 2022. (Statista)
• Spending on affiliate marketing is increasing by more than 10% annually. (eMarketer)
• 42% of affiliate marketers consider affiliate programs “successful.” (Forrester, “Affiliate Marketing Ranks As A Primary Channel For Customer Acquisition And Revenue Growth”)
• Affiliate marketing is the most successful marketing channel for 20% of marketers. (Forrester, “Affiliate Marketing Ranks As A Primary Channel For Customer Acquisition And Revenue Growth”)

11. Potential results that affiliate marketing programs can offer brands

As proven in this article, affiliate marketing programs can bring incredible results to those who use them properly. 

Check out these interesting stats that illustrate the impressive results affiliate marketing can offer brands:

• 40% of marketers consider affiliate marketing a crucial skill for their careers. (BloggingX)
• The typical marketer’s revenue increases by 58% thanks to affiliate marketing activities. (Conversantmedia)
• 15% of all digital media revenue is earned through affiliate marketing schemes. (Cheq)

Final thoughts

Affiliate marketing is one of the most powerful ways to earn money online. Due to its adaptability and versatility, it is suitable for beginners as well as experts.

When done correctly, affiliate marketing can be extremely beneficial for the vendor, promoter, and consumer alike.

The publisher makes money by adding value through testing and offering their expert opinion, the merchant profits from expanding their company, and the consumer benefits from great deals and well-informed purchasing.

In most cases, it is a win-win-win scenario for everyone.

Hopefully, this list of statistics on affiliate marketing has proven the immense benefits it can bring to your organization. 

Knowing these affiliate marketing industry statistics will also give you a solid foundation if you’re planning to give this strategy a try.