The Future of Affiliate Marketing

Shared Vision might not have a crystal ball, but we have a great team that creates an amazing tool. We work with creators and brands, so we know a thing or two about affiliate marketing—and we’ve got a pretty good guess about where it’s going. 

You’ve got a lot of your affiliate marketing journey ahead of you, so here is Shared Vision’s roadmap for the future.

There’s no doubt that affiliate marketing is growing. 

As brands realize that more and more of their revenue is coming from social media and content creator partnerships, there’s going to be a lot more profit to be made. But it’s not all good news—be aware that this means the number of affiliate marketers is, too. Nano- and micro-influencers, or those who have less than 50,000 followers, are going to grow in number. 

The most likely scenario, one that plays out in most consumer spaces, is that most of the top earnings will go to the highest-paid affiliate marketers, and every day or “mom and pop” affiliate marketers will probably struggle. Some of these influencers might offer a much higher engagement rate in the same way that a small local shop can have great customer service, but at the end of the day, they simply won’t be as profitable.

Not only will there be more affiliate marketers, but more and more affiliate marketers will be coming from a generation that grew up online. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha, in general, find social media inherently easier to understand and use than the rest of us. 

Let’s be honest, too—teenagers are much more likely to define what’s cool. Unlike “traditional” jobs, there’s no age limit on who can be a content creator, so we’re likely to see affiliate marketers getting even younger. Keep up your game with tools like Shared Vision and its professional, easy-to-use embedded shopping carts to stand out among the crowd.

With all the sexiness and availability of social media, you might think that having a blog or your own website is a moot point. So far, since blog links can be shared on social media, that has proven to be untrue. It’s likely that blogs and personal websites will remain relevant for the foreseeable future. 

TikTok is so great because it’s a quick way to share valuable information, but that is a condensed format in a low-resolution upload that doesn’t allow for an in-depth review, discussion, or presentation. By contrast, a blog allows for a deep dive. Do enough of these deep dives in your area of expertise, and you’ll gain authority and trust from your audience. 

As your readers build confidence in you and get invested in your opinions, a blog is a great way to build that relationship and keep their loyalty. Blogs are also great vehicles for Shared Vision shopping carts, increasing your affiliate revenue.

It’s hard to determine an accurate number, but most experts agree that affiliate marketing is between 80 to 90% business to consumer (B2C), with only this small remaining fraction consisting of business to business (B2B) marketing. With those kind of numbers, there’s only room to grow. 

While there are inherent differences in this type of marketing that means B2B affiliate marketing will never look the same as B2C, there are already companies taking advantage of this (for example, think of Amazon’s offerings as a marketplace). Additionally, as affiliate marketing grows, people will likely become accustomed to these tactics and be more accepting of them in a B2B relationship.

This one might be self-explanatory: the internet is international! While languages can be a barrier, purchasing is not. 

Many countries have yet to embrace affiliate marketing in the same way that is currently done in the United States (though don’t think that the US is the only player—just take a look at the proliferation of Korean skincare brands for the proof). 

As influencers become celebrities in their own right, it’s likely that their reach will become more and more global, in the same way that actors and singers can be popular across the world. This will affect affiliate marketing based on cultural differences, like using fewer coupons or taking advantage of different holidays.

Just like the invention of the internet itself, it’s hard to know where AI will go. All we can say for sure is that it’s here to stay. But it’s so important that it has to take number one spot on our list. And yes, AI is a buzzword, but it is for a reason! Computers and bots can scan the internet like no human can, and make sense of all the craziness that exists. 

Shared Vision realizes the potential of AI for affiliate marketing, and we have used the data in our Product Hub (and other blends of secret spices) to create our very own AI bot and your new best friend, Noah. Noah will automatically check and fix your broken links, and find and add new products to your blogs. 

To discover how Noah can revolutionize your affiliate marketing, sign up here.