by Mohan Raj Last updated: May 17, 2023

28+ Interesting Affiliate Marketing Statistics 2023

Are you tired of working rotational shifts? I am damn sure you might have thought about it earlier. Just give a break to it! Time to try out the most effective way to earn passive income.

Of course, you might have thought about starting affiliate marketing too. But, are you aware of the complete picture of it?

Probably, No!

This piece of content ( a little long) will help you understand the importance of affiliate marketing in various industries.

So, what’s in it?

The blog contains the affiliate marketing statistics of both general and specific categories to understand how well affiliate marketing improves your income. A little or no investment, good writing skills, and your own blog are all enough to start affiliate marketing.

Before that, let us deeply look into the affiliate marketing statistics.

Table of contents

The Interesting Affiliate Marketing Statistics in 2023 are

Instead of piling all the affiliate marketing statistics into a listicle, let us focus on the affiliate marketing statistics separately.

The enlisted statistics are the affiliate marketing statistics based on the industry. Let us start now.

1. Affiliate marketing reached a $6.4 billion turnover in 2019 – Digital Global

As a known fact, affiliate marketing turnover has increased year on year. And the affiliate marketing report confirms it. Since 2015, Affiliate marketing revenue has increased by 52 percent. The market is expected to reach $6.8 billion by the end of 2020. Affiliate marketing revenue is growing at a 10% yearly rate, with merchants accounting for 25% of the total.

2. Affiliate marketing’s estimated revenue worth $12 billion globally – SaasScout

According to global affiliate marketing statistics, the sector is currently estimated at $12 billion. Another indication of affiliate marketing growth in the worldwide industry is that the digital marketing industry is willing to devote 15% of its revenue.

When it comes to affiliate marketing by country, the United States has the highest rank in the global market. The United Kingdom comes in second with 15%, and Germany ranks the top three with 11%.

The top affiliate marketers have a significant preference for ShareASale, with 55.7 percent of the market share. According to affiliate marketing statistics, Rakuten LinkShare is the second-most popular affiliate network among marketers, with a 40.64 percent market share, followed by Avangate (31.08%) and eBay Network (30.32%).

5. Affiliate marketing is the reason behind 16% of online orders – Uniquodo

Although the percentage may appear little compared to the rates of other marketing tactics, it is pretty substantial. Paid searches, for example, account for 20% of all online orders, which is similar to orders generated through other methods such as email marketing.

6. Affiliate Marketing is responsible for 16% of global eCommerce sales – Fetch Profits

According to statistics, affiliate marketing accounts for roughly 16% of all ecommerce sales worldwide. As a result, successful affiliate marketers are responsible for one out of every ten ecommerce sales worldwide.

Now, let us discuss affiliate marketing social media statistics.

The fact that 67.32 percent of affiliate marketers rely on social media as their major client acquisition channel in 2021 demonstrates the necessity of having a strong online presence. It is also the most cost-effective way to start affiliate marketing, so it is no surprise that most new marketers start on social networking networks.

Affiliate marketing on Facebook is becoming increasingly popular. Despite being overtaken by some of the newer platforms, Facebook has about 2.5 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social media site for product advertising. The platform’s low charges, along with the valuable information it gives, make it the best option for prospective affiliate marketers.

9. Instagram has 1 billion active users – Statista

According to affiliate marketing statistics, Instagram is another excellent medium for promoting products and services. Instagrammers with a huge following join affiliate programs and utilize their profiles to educate their followers about different products and services. Influencers can direct their followers to affiliate links, especially with the swipe-up feature for Instagram stories.

10. YouTube, a fantastic channel for affiliate marketing, has six billion hours of views every month – Arxiv

YouTube affiliate marketing is at its peak, and it's rapidly transforming the landscape of the industry. YouTube influencers and video content creators are reaching superstar status, so it's no surprise that they use their big audience for advertising things. YouTubers do instructional product reviews or seek sponsorship for their regular video content.

Next, let us focus on the affiliate marketing revenue and earnings statistics.

11. 73% of merchants believe that affiliate marketing programs meet their revenue goals – Fetch Profit

According to data, the majority of merchants get massive results from their affiliate marketing initiatives. This is more than double the number of publishers satisfied with affiliate marketing revenue.

12. 65% of merchants report annual revenue of 20% out of affiliate marketing – Investopedia

Affiliates have evolved into a useful tool for merchants. Around 65 percent say they are satisfied with their investment results, and affiliate marketing statistics show that their annual revenue ranges from 5% to 20%. More good news: 60 percent of large merchants made $5 million or more in affiliate marketing earnings by investing wisely in the appropriate affiliates.

13. 86% of publishers expect affiliate marketing revenue to increase or stay consistent in future years – Fetch Profit

According to affiliate marketing statistics, approximately 90% of publishers foresee a continuous flow or a considerable growth in affiliate revenue, demonstrating the effectiveness and dependability of affiliate marketing. Meanwhile, according to research by Viglink, 91 percent of merchants aim to preserve or raise their affiliate marketing budgets.

14. Almost 9% of affiliate marketers earn more than $50,000 a year- Investopedia

The earnings from affiliate marketing vary significantly depending on the marketer. According to affiliate marketing statistics, those who earn more than $50,000 per year make up as low as 9% of all professionals in the sector. Then there are the top affiliate marketers, who earn a considerable sum of money, often in the millions.

Focusing on the World Affiliate Marketing Statistics, let us elaborate on our article.

15. Google Trends indicates that the global interest in affiliate marketing has been increased to 200% – Google Trends

During 2015–2020, the rise in Google search interest was consistent. Affiliate marketing growth figures indicate that the epidemic has only heightened interest. People are spending more time online, and affiliate programs appear to be an excellent opportunity to earn some much-needed extra revenue, especially considering the economy and employment situation.

16. Affiliate marketing expenditure is worth $835 million by 2025 – Financial Express

According to statistics, Flipkart is the most significant player in the affiliate marketing network in India. Its commissions range from 1 to 15% of the purchase price. The travel and tourist business was the first to use affiliate marketing and affiliate programs.

17. Affiliate marketing statistics in the UK show that the companies there spent over £1.6 billion – Internet Advertising Bureau

This is around 2.21 billion dollars. At the same time, global affiliate expenditure is expected to reach $14.27 billion, representing a continuous 10.1 percent annual growth in affiliate marketing, reflecting the growing trust that marketers around the world place in this strategy to increase sales.

18. US affiliate marketing has been projected to reach $6.8 billion by 2020 – Inc.

By hitting this milestone, affiliate marketing expenditure increased by more than 34% from 2017, when advertisers spent $5.4 billion on the tactic. Given that only $2.5 billion was finished in 2012, the aggregate increase will be about 70% over the previous decade.

Getting towards the general stats about affiliate marketing.

19. 81% of brands have affiliate programs – Forrester

Brands around the world have become dependent on affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is viral among both publishers and brands because it takes little to no effort. Advertisers only pay for what they receive because it is a performance-based marketing model. It results in increased affiliate marketing passive income, on the other hand, incentivizes those publishers (84 percent) who do better.

20. Around 94% of publishers use more than one affiliate marketing network – Datanyze

Successful affiliate marketers and publishers may have started their journey by only joining one network. Still, according to the latest affiliate marketing trends, they should be present on as many networks as possible to reach the most significant number of affiliates. According to Rakuten Marketing, 9 out of 10 publishers rely on more than one affiliate program.

21. Nearly a quarter of affiliate programs are in the fashion industry – AM Navigator

According to affiliate marketing industry trends, fashion accounts for 23% of all affiliate programs and is the industry leader. With 18 percent, sports and outdoor activities are ranked second, followed by health and beauty with 14 percent. It is helpful to know that additional industries with strong rankings include travel (10.47 percent), home and garden (10.47 percent), and fashion (10.47 percent).

22. Affiliate marketing worldwide spend is increasing by 27 percent- Findr

According to affiliate marketing statistics, nearly half of all online marketers believe that affiliate marketing abilities are a must-have for anyone looking to start an online business today. Mobile marketing is next on the list of necessary skills, followed by digital strategy and integration planning.

23. 79% of marketers use affiliate marketing to engage existing customers – Get Cake

Almost 83% of brand owners use it to increase awareness among their customers. At the same time, the industry has become the best target for marketers to look for ways to boost online purchases and increase conversion rates.

24. Around 65% of affiliate marketers generate traffic through blogging – VigLink

Statistics on blogging affiliate marketing reveal that blogs have become an essential aspect of affiliate marketing tactics. Affiliate marketers aren't always bloggers, but given the power of content marketing, 64.48 percent of them rely on quality material to increase their efforts, according to blogging statistics. Furthermore, content generates three times the number of leads as commercials while costing 62 percent less.

25. Affiliate programs have become the top customer acquisition channel for almost 40% of the merchants in the US – Inc.

According to global affiliate marketing data, the United States is the birthplace of affiliate marketing. Affiliate programs are the primary customer acquisition channel for more than 40% of marketers in the country. Furthermore, North America is home to more than two out of three affiliate marketers worldwide.

Top affiliate marketers think about many things before deciding on a program to work with. According to affiliate marketing industry data, marketers prioritize service and product relevancy first. The affiliate marketing program's reputation influences their decision 15.97 percent of the time, the platform 11.58 percent of the time, and the merchant's reputation 10.14 percent.

27. 50% of affiliate referred traffic is generated through mobile devices – Call Hippo

Mobile devices are bringing an ever-increasing volume of affiliate-referred traffic, according to mobile affiliate marketing data. Mobile platforms account for more than half of it on the back of the rapid and continuing development of digital technologies and smartphones. Obviously, as the number of individuals willing to use mobile devices to purchase goods and services grow, so does the number of people ready to use them to buy goods and services.

Affiliate marketers can sell products and services in niche-specific groups through social media by integrating photographs, producing great content, and promoting enticing deals, all while building long-term relationships with customers. Although 67.32 percent of affiliate marketers now utilize social media such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to engage with their prospects more personally, affiliate marketing statistics show that this figure is projected to rise in the future years.

29. 74% of US online shoppers use multiple affiliate websites to check before their purchase – CyberCash WorldWide

According to affiliate marketing research, most online buyers in the United States visit multiple different affiliate websites before making a final decision to buy a product or service. Consumers in the United States appear to want to be safe by diversifying the risk of overpaying for any goods or service.

Final Words

Affiliate marketing has become a great source of passive income, thereby promoting other people’s services and products. Affiliate marketing has become the more straightforward method compared to the hectic marketing methods. It is not hard to get into a vast market and earn more bucks. Using the statistics, you can get an overview of how affiliate marketing works and the future.