Revenue from affiliate marketing within global publishers and advertisers increased by 16% year-on-year, with an average 4% increase in the number of orders, according to new research.
The study, from CJ Affiliate’s 2017 Holiday Intelligence Report, draws upon the 2016 holiday retail sales (November-December) in CJ Affiliate’s global network to highlight the trends that will have the greatest impact on holiday 2017 sales in the US, UK, Germany, and France.
The US market led revenue growth with a 16% increase, partly due to strong growth in overall basket value. The UK market experienced the strongest year-on-year growth in orders, with a 12% increase.
Jules Bazley, VP of commercial development in Europe for CJ Affiliate, commented “There’s a lot to be optimistic about for retailers this coming winter holiday period, especially if 2016 is anything to go by. Last year, affiliate marketing revenues and order volume increased year-on-year and we also saw an increase in average order value of 13%. We’d expect these trends to hold true in 2017, with consumers buying more frequently and ordering more per visit, especially during the latter half of December.”
The UK’s growing adoption of Black Friday and Cyber Monday brought shopping demand on these days close to that of the US in 2016. Cyber Monday growth in orders increased by 76%. In addition, UK retailers prepared for the holiday season a bit earlier and more strongly than in other markets, resulting in a stronger start to sales.
In the US, total orders during the days leading up to and directly after the election were down 9% year-on-year. Election Day (November 8th) saw the greatest decline with orders down 24% year-on-year. Sales began to rebound on the weekend following the election.
Growth in Germany resulted in strong holiday season sales in the department stores, malls, and women’s categories, with Black Friday promotions driving sales to their highest levels of the holiday season in this market. In France, Cyber Monday and the following week were the peak periods for holiday shopping.
Global advertisers saw their greatest growth in affiliate revenue driven by search and ad network publishers, followed by email and incentive publishers. Revenue from coupon sites increased by 7% and orders were down 13% year-on-year. Clicks from ad networks increased 53% year-on-year, followed by 31% growth in clicks from content publishers.
Jules Bazley, VP of commercial development in Europe for CJ Affiliate, concluded, “Across the US, UK and Europe, the November and December winter holiday period in 2016 followed the expected themes: Black Friday and Cyber Monday dominated, whilst the most lucrative sales period took place from early to mid-December. Between the 16th December and Christmas Eve, the order volume increased 25% compared to 2015, meaning that shoppers are showing a willingness to delay online shopping late into December and are putting more trust in shipping.”