Affiliate marketing has seen remarkable growth in recent years and nowhere more so than in the Land Down Under. Research by Australian trade association IAB revealed that more than two thirds of advertisers and agencies are spending more year on year on affiliate marketing and the same proportion intends to continue doing so in the years to come.
The fundamental reason for doing so can be summed up in two words. It works. More than three quarters say affiliate marketing has boosted their revenue over the past two years.
Affiliate Marketing – A Brief History
Any history of affiliate marketing is brief by necessity. The concept was initially devised less than 30 years ago, at least as far as the world wide web is concerned. The concept of sales affiliates has been around a longer, but the advent of the internet gave the concept all sorts of new possibilities.
The invention of online affiliate marketing is credited to serial entrepreneur William Tobin. PC Flowers provided services to networked clients via Prodigy, which was a kind or precursor to the internet. Then when the world wide web launched, Tobin launched a version there, in partnership with IBM. The service was a resounding success and within a year, PC Flowers and Gifts had about 2,500 affiliate marketing partners.
Others took note. CDNow was an early online music store that was quick to see the possibilities of affiliate marketing. They set up an interface whereby blogs or websites that reviewed a particular CD could provide a link to buy it on CDNow and would get a cut on every sale.
During this time, Amazon was growing in the background, and by 1996, the eCommerce giant had seen enough. Amazon affiliates took affiliate marketing to the next level, providing the opportunity for affiliates to put links on their website or publish custom banners that led back to Amazon or linked directly to it. In return, they received cash rewards. This model was later adopted by other affiliate networks, and spawned affiliate service providers like LinkShare and Be Free.
Amazon Associates Remains Australia’s Top Affiliate Program
In 2018, Amazon Australia had 24.7 million products listed. That’s a figure we’ve all been using ever since, caveating that it “must have gone up” since. Too right it has. Earlier this year, Amazon AU finally gave us an update. They now have more than 200 million products listed.
This really is the site where you can buy anything and so there is an opportunity for almost every type of affiliate. Rates vary across different product lines, for example one percent on game hardware up to 12 percent on shoes, and they also provide special events and promos for affiliates with opportunities to earn extra. For example, just last month there was a bounty event where affiliates would earn a straight $4 for every referral that signs up for an Amazon Prime free trial.
Casino Affiliates Make The Most Revenue
Australians spend a lot of money on casino games. The latest government statistics put net gambling revenue (meaning losses) at around $22 billion, so almost $1,000 per capita. Around half of this is on pokies, or slot games, and since 2020, the number of gamblers using online casinos has increased year on year.
Casino affiliate sites like Casino Aus (https://www.casinoaus.net/) help players to choose which casino to visit. They provide reviews with useful information about a range of casino platforms, along with direct links to each one. Casino affiliates earn a much larger cut than those in other areas. For example, an Amazon affiliate might earn one or two percent on each purchase made by a customer it “sends.” Casino affiliates receive from 20 to 50 percent.
This is calculated as a percentage of the revenue the casino generates from that customer, so the potential rewards from affiliate marketing in this segment are significant.
