The IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) and PwC’s Affiliate Marketing Study for 2017 spend was released on 10th May 2018. The study gives an overview of the affiliate industry - key take outs include:
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Spend in the channel in 2017 at £554m an increase of 15.1% YoY
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Generating £8.9 billion in sales (9.2% increase)
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£16 to every £1 spent
These are strong figures and are a great story for both the channel and organisations operating within Affiliate Marketing. But what do the figures actually mean? Well, in short, the affiliate industry is in very good health, continuing the growth from previous years, and keeping an incredibly strong ROI. Over the last 12 months awareness in the channel has continued to grow throughout marketing. More conversations are being opened with brands looking to explore the channel as part of their marketing mix. Overall more brands looking to invest in the channel and increase the footprint of their affiliate activity in the market.
One interesting point form the report was the increase in the mobile spend, from 17% in 2016 to 23% in 2017, giving an indication that consumer confidence in purchasing through mobile sites is increasing. What we also know is that brands are developing much better UX on mobile devices and more companies are ensuring their apps are transactional.
Just over half of all 2017 affiliate spend was attributed to coupon and cashback websites, with coupon sites taking 27% of spend, and cashback 25%. It will be good to see how the rise of influencers will affect the market. At iProspect we have been working closely with content and blogger sites across our key clients. I think that the ‘rise of the influencer’ will continue in the channel, and it is good news, adding additional depth the reach affiliate activity can already achieve.
It is only right to thank everyone in the industry working to continue the growth across the board, all those who contributed and compiled the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) & PwC’s Affiliate Marketing Study. This year an extremely insightful report has been produced, and strong growth reported.
