The affiliate world is a fast-changing industry. With new trends, strategies, and partners arising regularly, eCommerce brands can access a world of opportunity. Our latest blog looks at some of the trends shaping affiliate marketing in 2022 and beyond.
2022 Affiliate Marketing Trends
Increased Influencer Partnerships
Affiliate and influencer marketing go hand in hand, particularly if you’re working purely on a CPA model. Affiliate marketing bridges the gap because influencer campaigns can be hit and miss with no guaranteed ROI. With an affiliate program, brands can partner with influencers on a commission-only basis and track their performance. Once a partnership is established, and influencers begin driving sales, brands then have the option to invest in a comprehensive paid influencer strategy.
As trust is vital in both affiliate and influencer marketing, 2022 will see brands continue to work with nano and micro-influencers thanks to their engaged audiences and growth potential.
Intelligent Cross-device Tracking
As cross-device tracking provides shoppers with relevant, targeted, and customised ads based on their behaviour, it drives many conversions. Using both deterministic and probabilistic cross-device tracking will allow affiliates to integrate shoppers’ journeys from start to finish. If you’re not already using cross-device tracking, 2022 should be the year that you start.
Savvy Link Building
Every brand wants to rank on page 1 of search engines, right? Well, a quality link building strategy helps. While affiliate links don’t contribute to SEO, analysing affiliate traffic to your site will allow you to leverage it to your advantage. For example, if an affiliate drives lots of traffic to your site, you could:
- Create guest posts without affiliate links
- Collaborate on content
- Comment on articles from your website
- Invest in tenancy placements – by doing so, you’ll have control over your campaign and can choose to use standard links
A Response to Cookie Changes
Simply put, cookies fuel affiliate marketing. Cookies come in two main formats, first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies gather information from a consumer’s actions on your website, blog or app. Third-party cookies collect information from sites a consumer hasn’t visited, like analytics and advertising platforms.
Third-party cookies have been at risk for years. Through an EU court ruling in 2019, consumers must explicitly consent to all analytics cookies; otherwise, companies cannot use web tracking cookies to gather their personal data.
With Safari and Firefox eliminating their use of third-party cookies and Apple giving iOS 14.5 increased control, Google Chrome will block cookies in 2023. As advertising tracking will undoubtedly feel the impact, brands should begin to prioritise first-party cookies, nurture customer engagement and discuss the changes with affiliate partners.
In-app Tracking Becomes Increasingly Important
Consumers worldwide spent over $130 billion on apps in 2021. As a result, in-app tracking has become increasingly crucial for brands and affiliates. Thankfully, most affiliate networks like AWIN and Webgains can integrate with MMPs (mobile measurement partners) to facilitate in-app tracking and provide brands with valuable insight. So, if you currently have an app and not utilising in-app monitoring, you’re missing a trick.
As affiliate marketing develops year on year, brands are continuing to recognise the value of the somewhat overlooked channel. Whether you’re new to affiliate marketing or need to overhaul your existing strategy, Conversion Digital can help. Feel free to contact the team to find out how our bespoke management can benefit your brand and bottom line.