Marketing technology solutions are critical for driving business growth and affiliate marketing is no exception. However, purchasing the right marketing software can be a gamble for many companies.
In fact, 61% of marketing professionals report feeling regret over a tech solution they’ve invested in within the past year .
The complexity of choosing the right tools can lead to costly mistakes, wasted resources, and missed opportunities. Fortunately, affiliate tech partners are offering new solutions to mitigate this risk, helping businesses test and implement the right technologies with greater confidence.
For affiliates, this trend presents an opportunity to become valuable partners in a brand’s marketing ecosystem. As tech partners become a vital resource in optimising marketing efforts, understanding how they can be leveraged within affiliate programmes is essential.
The Role of Affiliate Tech Partners
The growing importance of affiliate tech partners lies in their ability to provide agile, risk-free solutions for brands. Platforms like Awin and ShareASale now offer a range of technologies that allow advertisers to experiment with new marketing tools without the need for complex development or coding . These tools can be quickly implemented, tested, and adjusted based on performance.
By offering over 80 different tech solutions, these platforms enable brands to refine their affiliate marketing strategies by easily testing new technologies. If the solution works, it can be scaled across the site; if not, brands can pivot to other tools without major disruption. This agility helps alleviate the common regret that comes with large tech investments that don’t deliver the expected return.
For affiliates, this tech-driven flexibility is a game-changer. It allows them to partner with brands that are more willing to innovate and optimise their marketing efforts. Affiliates can work with brands that are continuously improving their tracking, reporting, and attribution models—ensuring that they’re better credited for the traffic and conversions they drive.
How Affiliates Benefit from This Trend
1.Better Tracking and Attribution
One of the biggest challenges affiliates face is accurate attribution. Many affiliates have historically struggled with being properly credited for the conversions they generate, especially when dealing with complex customer journeys that span multiple touchpoints. Tech partners are helping brands improve their server-side tracking and cross-channel attribution, meaning affiliates are more likely to get the credit they deserve.
With more robust tracking tools, affiliates can demonstrate their impact more clearly to brands. This, in turn, opens the door to higher commission rates and performance-based incentives as brands gain a better understanding of the affiliate’s true contribution to the bottom line .
2.Enhanced Collaboration Opportunities
As martech tools become more advanced, the ability to collaborate across different marketing channels is becoming easier. Affiliate managers and affiliates now have access to tech solutions that allow them to integrate their efforts with other teams, such as SEO, content marketing, and paid media.
This cross-team collaboration makes affiliate programmes more strategic and embedded in the overall marketing plan, rather than existing in isolation. For affiliates, this means greater visibility and involvement in the broader marketing strategy, which can lead to longer-term partnerships and more lucrative deals.
3.Testing and Scaling Campaigns with Minimal Risk
The ability to test new strategies with minimal risk is one of the most significant benefits of working with tech partners. Affiliates can now collaborate with brands that are using A/B testing, performance analytics, and customised campaigns to optimise their affiliate marketing efforts. By identifying the most effective strategies early on, affiliates can focus on scaling successful campaigns and improving overall performance.
For example, an affiliate promoting a product in the fashion industry could work with a brand using tech tools that monitor user engagement with various marketing assets. Based on the data, affiliates can refine their content and promotion strategies to better target audiences, ultimately driving more conversions and higher commissions.
4.New Revenue Opportunities Through Tech Partnerships
In addition to improving collaboration and tracking, some tech partners are enabling brands to explore new revenue opportunities through customisable solutions.
For instance, during high-traffic periods such as Cyber Weekend, tech partners helped generate an additional 30% in revenue for brands in 2023 .
Affiliates who work with brands leveraging these solutions can tap into these high-revenue periods more effectively, ensuring that they maximise their earnings during peak times. By aligning their marketing efforts with brands using advanced tech tools, affiliates can ensure they are part of more innovative, high-performing campaigns.
What Affiliate Managers Need to Know
For affiliate managers, the rise of tech partners offers both opportunities and challenges. To maximise the benefits of this trend, affiliate managers need to understand how to incorporate these tools into their strategies.
1.Embrace Data-Driven Decision Making
Affiliate tech partners are providing more data than ever before, allowing managers to make more informed decisions about which affiliates to work with and how to structure their campaigns. By tracking key metrics such as conversion rates, customer lifetime value (LTV), and monthly recurring revenue (MRR), managers can refine their programmes to focus on high-performing affiliates .
2.Optimise for Flexibility and Scalability
Tech solutions that allow for easy testing and scaling are becoming a necessity in affiliate marketing. Managers should look for tools that offer the flexibility to test campaigns, adjust strategies based on performance, and scale successful efforts. This ability to pivot quickly without the need for heavy coding or development work will be critical for staying competitive in 2024.
3.Focus on Long-Term Partnerships
As brands move towards performance-driven marketing, affiliate managers will need to focus on building long-term relationships with affiliates who demonstrate consistent value. By leveraging tech tools that improve tracking and transparency, managers can offer more competitive commission structures and incentive models, ensuring that top-performing affiliates remain loyal to the brand.
Final thoughts
The rise of affiliate tech partners in 2024 is helping brands navigate the complexities of the martech landscape while reducing the risk of buyer’s remorse.
For affiliates, this trend presents an opportunity to align with brands that are more data-driven, agile, and performance-focused. By leveraging the tools offered by tech partners, affiliates can improve their tracking, scale their efforts more effectively, and drive higher conversions.
As the affiliate marketing industry continues to evolve, those who embrace these new technologies will be well-positioned for success in the coming years.
