If you are wondering where the affiliate marketing industry is heading, the answer is that it looks to be growing and growing!
The last couple of years were difficult for the entire world with the pandemic period, the war in Ukraine, the announced recession… looks like bad things are coming one after the other.
But in all this chaos we need to look for the good stuff.
And that is: more and more businesses are moving online and many of them have affiliate programs.
Stats and facts about affiliate marketing
But don’t trust me, check the official statistics which say that the US affiliate marketing industry will be worth around $8.2 billion by the end of 2022, with 10% more than 2021.
Affiliate marketing is one of the only industries that has demonstrated GROWTH during a recession and even displayed a similar trend through Covid. Most probably that’s because you ONLY pay commission when results are achieved!
Last year, a lot of Influencer Marketing was going on as more and more brands rely on influencers to market their products.
Now, from what we notice, more and more iGaming offers appear, so if you have talent in promoting offers in the iGaming industry, 2023 will be a good year for this sector.
What can you do if a recession is coming?
Well… if you are a small business, you need to be cautious with your investment, but don’t stop investing in marketing though.
There is a saying: when there is a recession and your business is not working, a bad businessman will start crying and a smart one will sell him napkins.
That’s kind of a summary of what you should do during a recession… be smart and follow what is working and where is the need.
To come back to our topic, if you are a small business and you didn’t start an affiliate program yet, then now should probably be the moment to do so.
Simply because with an affiliate program you pay only for conversions. You don’t spend anything on marketing and other related things.
Depending on your business niche, you can:
- go and partner with affiliate networks and have your offers listed and, in this way, find affiliates to promote your brand. The downside is that you must pay a commission to the affiliate network as well.
- or you can start your own affiliate program and start with your customers as affiliates.
No matter what option you choose, you should also keep in mind that you need to make sure you accurately track the performance of your affiliate campaigns.
For that, a tool like CPV Lab conversion tracker can be useful. Because performance marketing is done with data!
Traffic Trends in Affiliate Marketing
And now let’s see some of the announced trends in the affiliate marketing business.
Video content
It’s no secret that TikTok is gaining more and more popularity each day and that video content is very popular with GenZ.
Based on Statista, adults are spending around 45.8 minutes /day on TikTok, and the trend is growing.
That is almost one hour consuming Video content!
It’s huge!
So, you should give TikTok a try and see how it goes.
Affiliate marketers have always been able to leverage the power of social media platforms – from Facebook to Twitter, LinkedIn, and now TikTok.
But this is not the only source for video ads, it is only the one that is the most popular now, together with YouTube.
Depending on the offers you are promoting with video ads, there are other traffic sources out there that can match better your needs, like: Taboola, AdamoAds, Advertise.com, etc.
Native Ads
Native ads have become more and more popular in the last couple of years, and we expect them to grow more next year as well.
Why?
Simply because they don’t look like ads and people trust them more.
And when an ad is integrated with your content, it is much more effective than a banner, for example.
Check here if you want to find out more about Native ads and Native Ads advertising sources.
Virtual Search
When I say Virtual Search I’m talking about Voice search as well.
According to Google, the virtual searching is growing as currently little more than 27% of users are using Voice or virtual search.
In the past year there were some incredible developments in virtual shopping and immersive AR-based browsing.
If you are not familiar with the terms, let’s clarify them:
Virtual shopping and immersive AR-based browsing are emerging technologies that are changing the way people shop online. These technologies allow customers to shop in a virtual environment, where they can interact with products and browse through various stores and catalogs.
One of the main advantages of virtual shopping is that it allows customers to experience products in a more realistic and immersive way (example: customers can try on clothes).
Immersive AR-based browsing allows customers to see how products would look in their own environment, which can be especially helpful for some niches.
Both, virtual shopping and immersive AR-based browsing, are still emerging technologies, and they may not yet be fully developed. However, as these technologies continue to advance, affiliate marketers should keep an eye on them as a way to showcase products in a more interactive and engaging way.
From investing funds into AR-based Snapchat filters to dropping creative affiliate links into TikTok’s live shopping feature, social platforms are a great place to start!
To sum up
Start learning about Native Ads, Video Ads and keep an eye on virtual shopping and immersive AR-based browsing.
AI will also be a big thing in 2023, but as it is not related to traffic trends, we will come with another article on that topic.😊
The world of affiliate marketing is full of exciting opportunities for marketers in 2023!
No matter if you are doing affiliate marketing for a living or if you have a business that you want to grow with an affiliate program, there are some very exciting opportunities on the horizon.