By High Performance and High Demand Report:
5 Key Findings
Pioneering new research from Gen3 Marketing explores North American consumer behavior, including where shoppers look for information, the sources they trust, and the importance of deals.
It looks at how well businesses are aligned with these changing behaviors, the extent to which they are investing in the affiliate marketing channel, and the challenges that stand in the way of a more strategic and integrated approach.
1
The affiliate marketing opportunity is apparent from the extent to which consumers across almost all sectors are carrying out extensive research during their journey to purchase.
Shoppers are most likely to be carrying out heavy research for travel, financial services, and insurance-related categories, as well as for electronics/appliances and health/wellness services, and for different types of subscription purchase. The more expensive the product, the more research consumers are likely to be doing.
2
Customer journeys can be very complex and nuanced, and the role of brands’ own properties play in those journeys is often limited.
Consumers are using a range of websites, many of which they visit daily or even multiple times a day. They are searching widely for inspiration at the start of their journeys, with the balance shifting significantly away from Google and Amazon in recent years. Social platforms, influencers, and popular magazines are now most heavily used in the inspiration phase.
3
Consumers of all ages are significantly more cost-conscious than they were a year ago, and much more likely to be looking for deals.
This isn’t just increasing the influence of deal/loyalty sites at the bottom of the funnel. Deals through affiliate publishers also play a major role introducing consumers to new brands, increasing their basket size, and fostering loyalty.
4
Affiliate marketing is no longer simply a ‘last click’ channel and it has become an umbrella term covering a number of sub-channels, including commerce content and performance PR.
Businesses are now more likely to include affiliate marketing in the awareness and consideration stages of their media planning than they are for acquisition and conversion.
5
Almost two-thirds of companies say their affiliate marketing is separate from their omnichannel strategy, and almost three-quarters say it is a tactical rather than strategic channel.
The greatest challenge to the growth of the affiliate channel is reliance on other traditional and digital channels, while others include lack of budget prioritization and lack of resources and experience. The affiliate channel has proven to deliver across the full funnel, but to unlock its full potential, it needs to be part of the strategic marketing plan. Only then can you deliver the consistent, coherent customer journey that shoppers expect.
Our Original Research
The reinvigorated, full-funnel potential of affiliate marketing
The affiliate marketing industry’s first multi-perspective channel research study examines affiliate marketing from the views of both consumers and brand advertisers and compares consumer reliance on affiliate placements against advertisers’ use of affiliate marketing in the omnichannel media mix.