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68 percent of advertising companies expect sales growth through affiliate marketing in 2025 – despite economic uncertainties. This is the result of a current survey. But what opportunities, risks and challenges does the industry face?
Geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties will continue to dominate the headlines in 2024. The conflict in Ukraine and the escalation in the Middle East continued to cause uncertainty, which also placed a heavy burden on the German economy. Nevertheless, affiliate marketing, with its performance-oriented approach, continues to be a channel that helps companies scale transparently and directly track the success of their advertising measures.
Despite economic uncertainties, 68 percent of advertising companies expect sales growth via affiliate marketing in 2025. This was the result of a survey of 1,300 marketers conducted by the industry portal AffiliateBLOG in collaboration with the performance marketing agency MAI xpose360.
Affiliate Marketing 2025: Prospects
The new one Affiliate Trend Report 2025 shows that the development over the past year is viewed as positive despite the difficult conditions. 45 percent of advertisers, 40 percent of affiliates and 60 percent of agencies and networks (ANT) recorded increasing sales. The prospects for 2025 are also optimistic: 50 percent of affiliates, 65 percent of ANT and 68 percent of advertisers expect further sales growth.
This shows that the mood in the industry remains confident. In addition, 48 percent of advertisers predict that affiliate marketing will become a priority within the company in the next five years. Currently, 81 percent of companies rate affiliate marketing as important or very important in the online marketing mix.
Artificial intelligence remains the most important trend topic
An outstanding trend remains the use of artificial intelligence (AI). For 69 percent of affiliates, 68 percent of ANT and 58 percent of advertisers, AI is one of the most important topics. 68 percent of advertisers already use AI tools to optimize processes such as content creation, publisher acquisition and performance analysis. Innovative applications such as “Perplexity Shopping” or AI-supported product recommendations create new sales potential.
71 percent of advertisers and 68 percent of ANT also see AI as a strategic investment for the future. AI shows enormous potential, particularly in the area of customer journeys and personalization. 43 percent of affiliates have already achieved growth through AI, and 68 percent of ANT plan to further expand their investments in AI technologies.
AI also enables increased efficiency in data-driven analysis by processing and optimizing large amounts of data in real time. Content creation is also becoming increasingly automated, speeding up the process from campaign planning to execution.
Affiliate Marketing 2025: Performance measurement remains an important core topic
Another core issue remains performance measurement. With the elimination of third-party cookies, 49 percent of advertisers now rely on first-party and server-to-server tracking to compensate for tracking losses. Probabilistic approaches such as the “Conversion Protection Initiative” (CPI) create sustainable solutions.
Nevertheless, 52 percent of affiliates cite browser sanctions and ad blockers as major challenges. In order to remain successful in the long term, advertisers and networks must continue to invest in data protection-compliant tracking solutions. At the same time, 62 percent of affiliates see the greatest growth potential in improved performance measurement.
90 percent of advertisers see server-to-server tracking as the key technology of the future. Innovative approaches such as view-through attribution in Apple Search Ads also open up new opportunities to better analyze the customer journey and record post-view conversions more precisely.
In addition to tracking systems, the importance of cross-device tracking is also emphasized, as more and more users use different devices to make purchasing decisions. However, only 16 percent of advertisers have implemented this technology so far, which indicates great potential for optimization.
Social commerce and influencer marketing as growth drivers
The integration of social commerce and influencer marketing also creates new dynamics. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok offer new opportunities for creators and advertisers with affiliate tools. Nano and micro influencers are becoming increasingly important as they achieve high engagement rates with specific target groups. 33 percent of advertisers see influencer partnerships as a growing sales driver.
Discount campaigns via influencer channels are an important sales factor, especially during the Christmas season. Data shows that the return on investment (ROI) for nano-influencers is particularly high at around 18:1. In addition, platforms such as YouTube are developing new features such as the “Affiliate Hub”, which enables seamless collaboration between creators and brands.
TikTok also strengthens the monetization opportunities for influencers with third-party links in social commerce. These developments reflect a fusion of affiliate and influencer marketing that is revolutionizing digital commerce. The combination of creative content and data-based tracking creates new sales potential.
Technology publishers and CSS models are also developing strongly. CSS publishers are increasingly generating volume
sets and are particularly successful in acquiring new customers. At the same time, tech publishers are experiencing significant success with personalized offers and dynamic campaigns. These models are expected to become even more important in 2025.
Especially in the DACH region, CSS models were able to record sales growth of up to 29 percent in 2024, while tech publishers increased conversion rates by an average of 9 percent. New technologies such as intent marketing tools and AI-powered recommendation platforms are driving this development. The use of chatbots and automated communication tools is also being increased to accompany customers along the entire customer journey and maximize sales.
Fair remuneration as a central challenge
A central challenge remains the fair remuneration of affiliates. 50 percent of affiliates want higher commissions, while 43 percent demand more appreciation. Hybrid models that combine WKZ payments and commissions are becoming increasingly popular. 73 percent of advertisers have introduced such models to retain affiliates while optimizing their KPIs.
Despite increasing pressure, the industry remains flexible when it comes to commission structure. However, advertisers must pay greater attention to avoid commission cuts due to tracking losses in order to ensure long-term trust in the industry. At the same time, 64 percent of affiliates would like deeper insights into the tracking logic and better transparency in compensation.
These aspects could be crucial in the coming years to ensure affiliate satisfaction and engagement. The diversification of publisher models offers further growth potential. Cashback portals, content sites as well as voucher and deal sites remain important sales drivers.
At the same time, new segments are emerging such as technology publishers that offer data-driven solutions or social commerce integrations that are particularly successful with younger target groups. The use of AI and personalized offers in these models helps to further strengthen the relevance of publishers in affiliate marketing. In addition, more and more companies are relying on hybrid publisher models that combine traditional and innovative approaches in order to address their target groups even more effectively.
Conclusion: Affiliate Marketing 2025
Finally, despite the challenges, the industry remains optimistic. With the growing use of AI, social commerce features and innovative tracking technologies, affiliate marketing continues to position itself as a strategically important channel in the digital marketing mix.
The ability to flexibly adapt to new conditions will be crucial to ensuring long-term growth and success. The dynamic development of the industry shows that affiliate marketing remains a key driver for digital transformation and sales growth even in an uncertain economic environment.
With a clear focus on partnerships, data-driven technologies and innovative monetization models, the industry has a stable foundation to continue to be successful in the years to come.
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As a Tech Industry expert, I believe that Affiliate Marketing in 2025 will continue to be heavily influenced by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). AI has already revolutionized many industries, and affiliate marketing is no exception.
AI-powered tools and algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data to identify trends, predict consumer behavior, and optimize marketing strategies. This allows affiliate marketers to target their efforts more effectively, increase conversions, and drive higher ROI.
In the future, AI will play an even greater role in affiliate marketing, with more sophisticated algorithms and machine learning capabilities. This will enable marketers to personalize their campaigns on a scale never seen before, delivering highly targeted and relevant content to consumers.
Additionally, AI will also help streamline the affiliate marketing process, automating routine tasks, and freeing up marketers to focus on strategy and creativity. This will lead to increased efficiency and productivity in affiliate marketing campaigns.
Overall, AI will remain the absolute trend topic in Affiliate Marketing in 2025, driving innovation and shaping the future of the industry. Marketers who embrace AI technology and incorporate it into their strategies will be well-positioned to succeed in the increasingly competitive affiliate marketing landscape.
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