Affiliate Marketing Statistics and Trends for 2026

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based partnership in which publishers (including bloggers and creators) promote a brand’s products in exchange for a commission on sales they drive. 

US advertisers spent $12.42 billion on affiliate marketing in 2025, an 11.3% increase year over year, according to eMarketer—growth that outpaced retail ecommerce overall during the same period.

This guide covers affiliate marketing statistics that show you the latest data and trends. 

Affiliate marketing market size and growth

The figures below cover the current scale of the affiliate marketing industry globally, how much US advertisers are spending, and how much ecommerce revenue the channel drives.

• The global affiliate marketing industry is worth $18.4 billion

The global affiliate marketing industry was valued at $18.4 billion in 2025, according to Cognitive Market Research.

• US affiliate marketing spending exceeded $12 billion in 2025

US advertisers spent $12.42 billion on affiliate marketing in 2025, an 11.3% increase year over year, according to a September 2025 eMarketer forecast. That growth rate outpaced US retail ecommerce overall during the same period.

The channel generated more than $210 billion in US ecommerce sales in 2025, per the same eMarketer forecast.

Affiliate marketing adoption, ROI, and sales impact

Affiliate programs vary widely in structure and scale. Results depend on program design, partner mix, and category.

• Most brands generate between 11% and 30% of total revenue from affiliate marketing

Seventy-four percent of brands report generating between 11% and 30% of their total revenue from affiliate marketing, according to impact.com’s 2025 State of Affiliate Marketing report, which surveyed 818 marketers across eight countries.

• Affiliate marketing investment is increasing across the board

Seventy-four percent of brands increased affiliate investment in the past year due to rising costs in other marketing channels, per the same impact.com report. Seventy-three percent also report increased revenue from affiliate programs over the same period.

• Most affiliate advertisers allocate between 10% and 30% of their marketing budget to affiliate programs

Thirty percent of brands allocate between 10% and 20% of their marketing budget to affiliate programs, and 38% allocate between 21% and 30%, according to impact.com’s 2025 State of Affiliate Marketing report.

• Most brands find affiliate marketing more cost-effective than other channels

Seventy-one percent of brands say affiliate marketing is more cost-effective than other marketing channels, per the same impact.com report. Moonboon, a Scandinavian baby sleep accessories brand, saw their return on investment (ROI) increase by 6.5 times from creator and influencer partnerships using Shopify Collabs, with affiliate attributed to approximately 10% of monthly net sales.

• Marketers attribute unique strengths to affiliate marketing programs

In a 2025 follow-up survey by Awin and Forrester Consulting, 52% of senior marketers cited personalizing marketing communications as the top digital objective affiliate programs can support—the fastest-growing cited benefit year over year. Enhanced reach and exposure and access to niche audiences were also among the most commonly cited advantages.

Affiliate marketing income and commission benchmarks

Returns from affiliate marketing vary by vertical, program structure, and partner mix. The figures below reflect industry benchmarks across large datasets, not typical outcomes for any individual program.

• Retail affiliate programs deliver an average 11:1 return on ad spend

Affiliate marketing return on ad spend varies by vertical. Retail affiliate programs deliver an average 11:1 return on ad spend, while travel programs average 19:1, according to the Performance Marketing Association’s 2025 Industry Study, which drew on data from eight major affiliate networks including Awin, CJ, Rakuten Advertising, and ShareASale.

• Affiliate marketing generated $113 billion in US ecommerce sales in 2024

The same PMA study found that affiliate marketing generated $113 billion in US ecommerce sales in 2024, accounting for 9.4% of all US ecommerce. For companies that actively use affiliate marketing strategies, the channel accounts for an estimated 15 to 20% of sales.

• Brands raised commission rates in 2025 despite fewer transactions

Total affiliate commission payments grew 1% year over year in 2025, matching overall brand spending growth, despite a 5% drop in transactions, according to impact.com’s 2025 Industry Benchmark Report. Brands concentrated higher commission rates around peak conversion windows rather than expanding budgets broadly.

Affiliate marketing by industry, niche, and network

Affiliate marketing looks different depending on where you look—which industries spend the most, which product categories attract the most programs, and which networks command the most publishers.

• Retail accounts for the largest share of US affiliate marketing spend

Retail is the dominant vertical in US affiliate marketing, accounting for 63% of affiliate spend in 2024, according to the PMA’s Industry Study. That share has declined from 76% in 2021, as financial services, travel, and telecom have grown—financial services now accounts for 15% of spend, travel 9%, and telecommunications 7%.

• Clothing and accessories is the largest subcategory within retail affiliate marketing

Within retail, clothing and accessories is the largest subcategory, growing from 29% to 33% of retail affiliate spend between 2021 and 2024 and accounting for 38% of retail affiliate revenue, per the same PMA study. The subcategory now represents approximately one-fifth of all US affiliate marketing investment.

• Amazon Associates is the largest affiliate network

Amazon Associates is the largest affiliate program in the world, per the PMA study. The network has more than 900,000 active affiliates—far exceeding the next largest networks, which include Awin, CJ, Rakuten, and ShareASale.

Affiliate marketing traffic sources and consumer behavior

The data below covers affiliate marketing from two angles: how marketers deploy it across the purchase journey, and how consumers encounter and respond to it.

• Most marketers use affiliate marketing to increase sales

Forty-five percent of marketers cited increased sales as their top goal for their affiliate marketing program, according to impact.com’s 2025 State of Affiliate Marketing report, which surveyed 818 marketers across eight countries. That was followed by more cost-effective marketing (37%) and targeted audience outreach (36%).

• Nearly half of consumers say creator content has influenced a purchase on social media

Nearly half of consumers said creator content influenced them to make a purchase on social media, according to an eMarketer survey. Among influencer affiliate conversions on the Awin network in the first half of 2024, 32.3% included a coupon—up from 8.8% the prior year, per Awin data cited in the same eMarketer report.

Ramen brand immi grew its affiliate network to 432 ambassadors and generated more than $200,000 in affiliate sales using Shopify Collabs. Their highest-performing affiliate has just over 10,000 Instagram followers—a result the brand attributes to brand alignment over follower count.

Pia Mance, founder and creative director of jewelry brand Heaven Mayhem, describes a similar multichannel approach. “We had it on celebrities organically. We seeded to influencers. Influencers bought it. We signed up to an affiliate network so influencers would get commission. That helped a lot. We went on retailers like Revolve. That helped a lot. We had a couple of good press articles,” Pia said on a Shopify Masters podcast.

• Word of mouth and social media are the top growth strategies for new store owners

Fifty-three percent of store owners cite word of mouth as their most common Year 1 growth strategy, and 35% cite building a social media presence as their second most common, according to a 2025 Shopify survey.* Affiliate marketing builds on both: publisher content extends word of mouth at scale, while creator partnerships integrate directly with the social channels merchants are already investing in.

Affiliate marketing trends and future outlook

Five forces are reshaping how affiliate programs perform, and will continue to evolve. 

• Generative AI is changing how consumers discover products

Shopping-related queries on ChatGPT grew faster than any other query type between December 2024 and June 2025, according to Sensor Tower data cited by eMarketer. 

• Creator partnerships are claiming a larger share of affiliate budgets

Fifty-nine percent of brands are planning to allocate at least 25% of their affiliate spend to creator partnerships in the year ahead, per impact.com’s 2025 State of Affiliate Marketing report. 

• Last-click attribution is losing ground

Ninety-four percent of brands are experimenting with or planning to adopt alternative attribution models within the next year, per the same impact.com report. 

• Fraud remains a structural challenge 

The affiliate industry is losing an estimated $3.4 billion annually to fraudulent traffic, according to PMA data. And as third-party cookies phase out, programs are shifting to first-party data and consent-driven tracking to maintain attribution accuracy.

• Experts anticipate continued affiliate marketing industry growth

US affiliate marketing spend is projected to reach $13.81 billion in 2026, up 11.3% year over year, according to a September 2025 eMarketer forecast—a growth rate that outpaces US retail ecommerce overall. 

Among publishers, 54% say they are confident or very confident in the future of their affiliate business, per the PMA’s 2025 Industry Study.

Affiliate marketing challenges, fraud, and tracking

Running an affiliate program involves managing fraud risk, tracking accuracy, and legal compliance. Each affects program performance and publisher trust.

• Affiliate marketing fraud costs businesses billions of dollars each year

The affiliate industry loses an estimated $3.4 billion annually to fraudulent traffic, according to PMA data. Common fraud types include click fraud, cookie stuffing, and attribution manipulation—tactics that generate fake commissions without driving genuine sales.

Sixty-nine percent of affiliate publishers report concern about the impact of Google algorithm changes and AI Overviews on their traffic and revenue, per the PMA 2025 Industry Study, adding a second layer of risk to publisher income.

• Tracking and attribution are evolving as third-party cookies phase out

Programs that migrate to server-side tracking report 18% to 24% higher attributed conversions than those still relying on third-party cookies, according to eMarketer.

Ninety-four percent of brands are experimenting with or planning to adopt alternative attribution models within the next year, per impact.com’s 2025 State of Affiliate Marketing report, as last-click attribution gives way to multitouch and data-driven models.

• US affiliates must disclose material connections under FTC guidelines

Affiliate programs operating in the US are also subject to disclosure requirements under the FTC’s Endorsement Guides. Publishers who earn commissions through affiliate links must disclose that relationship clearly and conspicuously near their recommendation—the FTC specifies that “affiliate link” alone may not be sufficient and suggests plain language such as “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” 

Both advertisers and publishers can be held liable for non-compliant endorsements. 

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified legal professional for guidance on FTC compliance specific to your affiliate program.

What affiliate marketing stats mean for ecommerce brands

Finding customers ranks as a top challenge for new businesses, tied at 36% of store owners citing it as their biggest Year 1 hurdle according to a 2025 Shopify survey. 

Affiliate marketing directly addresses that gap. It’s a performance-based channel where publishers and creators do the discovery work and brands pay only when it results in a sale.

The statistics across this post point to a few practical realities for ecommerce brands. Retail is the dominant vertical in affiliate marketing, accounting for 63% of US affiliate spend. Clothing and accessories alone represents approximately one-fifth of all US affiliate investment.

Content creators’ share of Awin network revenue rose from 15.9% to 19.5% year over year, per Awin data cited by eMarketer, making them the fastest-growing publisher type. 

And affiliate programs that invest in partner engagement consistently outperform those running on autopilot: brands that are very involved with their affiliates average 71.5% active affiliates, compared to 10% for very hands-off programs, per Modash’s 2026 survey.

Shopify Collabs makes it straightforward to build and manage an affiliate program directly from the Shopify admin, handling creator applications, gifting, commission tracking, and payouts in one place. 

* Disclaimer: Based on a 2025 survey of 500 Shopify store owners conducted in English across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Respondents were established store owners with two or more years on the platform. Results reflect the experiences of this specific sample and may not be representative of all store owners.