Improved standards will drive affiliate industry growth

Affiliate marketing is here to stay. The importance of having an established e-commerce strategy is growing every day. Businesses are increasingly taking to the space to both spread awareness and drive revenue for their brand. Along with the growth of e-commerce, affiliate marketing has proven to be a pivotal and increasingly critical channel for brands to leverage – especially in volatile economies. According to a 2021 report from Performance Marketing Association (PMA), affiliate marketing investment reached $9.1 Billion in 2021 – a 47% increase over their 2018 report. Improved standards will only further industry growth.  

Trade organization like the IAB played a significant role in accelerating the growth of digital advertising. Things like standardizing specifications for ad placements, creating policy to guide content, and bringing leaders together created inroads to more innovation, problem solving and ultimately increased scale. Affiliate is in a period of incredible growth. With that comes opportunity to create standards that will build on momentum gained in the last five years. 

Recently. Rakuten’s very own Julie Van Ullen, Managing Director and Head of Revenue for Rakuten, shared her point-of-view and expertise with Martech Record. In her interview she discusses: 

• Experience working with the IAB and the valuable role of trade organizations 
• The opportunity to better educate marketers on the full capabilities of affiliate as a performance channel.  
• The importance of setting standards for measurement and establishing definitions for how data is tied to outcomes in affiliate 

Stream Julie’s conversation with Martech Record here.