The IAB Australia Affiliate and Partnership Marketing Working Group has released its 2026 State of the Nation Report. Based on responses from 66 advertisers and agencies and 57 publishers, here's what matters.
A More Experienced Market
73% of advertiser and agency respondents now have four or more years of personal experience in affiliate marketing up from 56% in the previous survey. Publisher experience has grown too, with 74% at the same level.
The channel is maturing. Strategy is replacing guesswork, and programs built properly over the last few years are starting to compound.
Investment and Revenue are Both Up
42% of advertisers increased spend over the past year. 45% plan to increase it again next year. 54% are now spending $50,000 or more per month on average a figure that's trended upward consistently.
Publishers are seeing the same momentum. 66% reported increased revenue from the channel, and 72% grew the number of advertisers they work with.
The main barriers holding investment back? Higher fees, rising costs, and budget constraints all of which erode affiliate's core CPA advantage. Structuring your program for efficiency is what keeps it competitive in internal budget conversations.
Satisfaction is at a Record High
95% of advertisers are satisfied with affiliate's ability to deliver ROI. That's up from 87% in 2025.
Revenue, volume of sales, new customer acquisition, and ROI remain the top success metrics. Worth noting: visibility in AI-driven discovery was added to the survey for the first time this year, and 45% of advertisers already rate it as an important success metric ranking above brand awareness and customer lifetime value.
AI is the Biggest Challenge and the Biggest Unknown
Google search algorithm updates and AI's impact on search and clicks are the top two challenges for publishers. AI-driven search experiences compress the research journey and reduce the direct clicks affiliate revenue depends on.
For advertisers, this creates a measurement problem. Last-click attribution is used in 95% of programs but becomes less reliable when AI influences consumer decisions before a trackable click ever happens.
63% of all respondents want more information and training on AI's impact on the channel. It's the highest-ranked training need in the report. The brands building measurement approaches now beyond last click will be better positioned as AI reshapes more of the consumer journey.
What Publishers Need From Advertisers
Publishers rated two features as most important when working with advertisers: competitiveness of the default commission rate and communication both rated 8/10 or above by 67% of publishers.
Pay fairly. Pay on time. Communicate consistently. Programs that get these basics right attract better partners and keep them.
The Bigger Picture
63% of respondents expect affiliate to become more important in helping them achieve their business goals. The industry's own view on what needs to happen to unlock that growth: move beyond last-click measurement, integrate affiliate earlier in campaign planning alongside brand and performance media, and build stronger trust and governance across the ecosystem.
The channel has the confidence. The work now is positioning it to act on that.
Click here to download the full report.
Commission Factory is not only the Asia-Pacific region's largest affiliate platform, working with more than 900 of the world's biggest brands, it is also a performance marketing platform that allows affiliates, partners and content creators to earn money and online businesses to increase sales.
Connect with the Commission Factory team to learn more about how we help brands and partners build and grow their affiliate marketing strategies.