Affiliate Marketing Statistics 2026

$8.30

in U.S. ecommerce sales was generated per $1 of affiliate marketing spend·Siteefy research · 2024 U.S. market
Affiliate marketing generated $113 billion in U.S. ecommerce sales in 2024. That works out to about $8.30 in sales for every $1 invested in the channel.
See how it is calculated

At a glance

Key affiliate marketing numbers

6 benchmarks

How Much Does Affiliate Marketing Generate per Dollar?

A market-level ratio turns two large totals into one practical benchmark.

U.S. ecommerce sales generated per $1 spent

$8.30

2024 U.S. data, published June 18, 2025

Siteefy market benchmark

$113 billion divided by $13.62 billion

This calculation compares sales with channel spending. It is not a measure of profit.

Rounded to the nearest cent. Sales do not equal profit.

Siteefy Research · 2026

U.S. affiliate marketing generated about $8.30 in ecommerce sales for every $1 spent in 2024. The benchmark compares $113 billion in affiliate-driven ecommerce sales with $13.62 billion in affiliate marketing investment.

  • The result is a sales-to-spend ratio, not profit or return on investment.
  • It covers the U.S. affiliate market measured by the Performance Marketing Association.
  • It is useful as a market benchmark, but an individual program can perform very differently.

Why this number is useful

The two market totals are easier to understand when shown together. The ratio answers a practical question: how much ecommerce activity did the channel support for each dollar invested?

How Fast Is Affiliate Marketing Growing?

U.S. affiliate spending expanded much faster than a flat or mature channel would.

U.S. affiliate marketing spending in 2024

$13.62 billion

2024 U.S. data, published June 18, 2025

U.S. affiliate market growth

Spending grew by nearly half in three years

The annual growth rate smooths the change between the 2021 and 2024 market totals.

Siteefy Research · 2026

U.S. affiliate marketing spending rose from $9.1 billion in 2021 to $13.62 billion in 2024.

  • Total growth over the three-year period was 49.8%.
  • The compound annual growth rate was 14.42%.
  • The newer figure measures advertiser spending in the U.S. affiliate channel, not publisher income worldwide.

What the growth rate means

The total growth figure compares the two endpoints. The annual rate smooths that change across three years. They describe the same expansion in different ways and should not be added together.

How Much Ecommerce Comes From Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing contributes a meaningful share of sales, but the answer changes with the comparison group.

Share of U.S. ecommerce sales generated by affiliates

9.4%

2024 U.S. data, published June 18, 2025

Ecommerce contribution

Affiliate sales are meaningful, but scope matters

The market-wide share and company-level range use different comparison groups.

Siteefy Research · 2026

Affiliate marketing generated 9.4% of U.S. ecommerce sales in 2024.

  • For companies that use affiliate marketing, the channel was estimated to drive 15% to 20% of sales.
  • Travel programs generated about $19 in sales for each $1 invested.
  • Retail programs generated about $11 in sales for each $1 invested.

Why the percentages are different

The 9.4% figure covers all U.S. ecommerce. The 15% to 20% range applies only to companies that actively use affiliate marketing. They answer different questions.

How Are Brands Running Affiliate Programs?

Active programs are becoming broader, more creator-led, and less dependent on last-click measurement.

Brands generating 11% to 30% of revenue from affiliates

74%

Mid-2025 survey, published Nov. 3, 2025

Affiliate program strategy

Revenue, creators, and measurement are converging

These figures describe surveyed brands with active affiliate programs across eight countries.

74%of brands

Generate 11% to 30% of revenue from affiliate

59%of brands

Plan at least 25% of budget for creators

94%of brands

Testing or planning broader attribution

Brands using AI

97%

Creators using AI

96%

Siteefy Research · 2026

Affiliate marketing is a meaningful revenue channel for many surveyed brands, while creator partnerships and broader measurement are changing how programs are managed.

  • 74% of surveyed brands generated 11% to 30% of total company revenue from affiliate marketing.
  • 59% planned to allocate at least one quarter of their affiliate budgets to creator partnerships.
  • 94% were experimenting with or planning to adopt an alternative attribution model within the next year.
  • 97% of brands and 96% of creators said they used AI in partnership programs.

What these figures do not show

These are survey results from people already involved in affiliate programs. They show how active programs are changing, not how many businesses worldwide use affiliate marketing.

How Did Affiliate Shopping Change in 2025?

The 2025 retail data points to a longer research phase followed by fewer, larger purchases.

Increase in affiliate average order value

4%

2025 North American retail data, published Feb. 9, 2026

2025 affiliate shopping behavior

More research led to fewer, larger purchases

Year-over-year changes compare 2025 with 2024 across the same North American retail brands.

Siteefy Research · 2026

Shoppers clicked more but purchased less often across the North American retail programs in the 2025 benchmark.

  • Affiliate link clicks increased 2% from 2024.
  • Conversion rates fell 6%, and transactions fell 5%.
  • Consumer spending declined only 1% because average order value rose 4%.
  • Average order value increased from $118 to $123 as shoppers placed fewer, larger orders.

What changed in the buyer journey

The pattern suggests more comparison and research before purchase. It does not mean every affiliate program lost demand. The benchmark covers a normalized group of North American retail brands, not the entire global market.

Sources

3 original research sources

SectionData originSourceDateScope note
01U.S. market size and salesOriginal sourcePerformance Marketing Association 2025 U.S. Industry Study2024 U.S. data, published June 18, 2025London Research analyzed data from eight leading affiliate platforms and networks plus responses from more than 50 publishers.
02Program strategy and AIOriginal sourceimpact.com Global State of Affiliate Marketing 2025Mid-2025 survey, published Nov. 3, 2025Mid-2025 survey of 818 marketers, 284 publishers, and 421 creators across eight countries.
03Retail shopping behaviorOriginal sourceimpact.com 2025 Affiliate Benchmark2025 North American retail data, published Feb. 9, 2026Year-over-year comparison of 2,368 North American same-store retail brands using a normalized data set.

Methodology

5 checks, manually reviewed

01 - What we count

This page covers U.S. market spending and sales, surveyed program strategy, and North American retail shopping behavior. Market totals, survey answers, and platform benchmarks stay separate.

02 - Where the data comes from

We use original research from the Performance Marketing Association and impact.com. The Sources section identifies each study, its population, and its limits.

03 - How the Siteefy benchmark is made

The $8.30 sales-to-spend ratio divides $113 billion in U.S. affiliate-driven ecommerce sales by $13.62 billion in U.S. affiliate marketing spending. It measures sales, not profit.

04 - How the page is maintained

A person checks each new report and updates a number only when its definition and scope remain comparable. This page does not claim to update itself.

05 - What we excluded

We did not reuse unsupported forecasts, old affiliate counts, or statistics that could not be traced to a clear original study.