That’s a wrap: 2020 highlights and what 2021 has in store for us

The year 2020 was indeed an exceptional year, as the whole world moved online, which also opened opportunities for affiliate marketers. For Admitad, it was a really special year, as we were able to strengthen our roots and complete 10 successful years in the affiliate world. We  expanded globally to many regions and further developed various business streams. 

We have started 2021 with new ambitions, goals and targets that are aimed at surpassing our achievements in 2020, and we would like to share Admitad’s hands-on experiences in facilitating the growth story for the affiliate world. Factual trends that we noticed in 2020 shall also be displayed, which will help you understand the market in 2021. 

Even with the pandemic affecting several industries in 2020, Admitad Affiliate network delivered a GMV of about INR 350 Crores to the advertisers in India. However, the growth of existing affiliate programs was severely affected in the second quarter, all through the initial phase of lockdown. On the bright side, adding new advertisers to the catalog contributed to the survival rate, and the earnings witnessed a bounce back. Sales in the multiple categories showed an aggressive increase, and we found the below three categories to be on top of the pile throughout the year. This jump was caused by the rise of new online segments, changing demand patterns among consumers, and the expansion of new traffic sources.For Admitad, the top three categories in 2020 were:

• Digital Appliances-  INR 144 Crore
• Hypermarkets-  INR 48 Crore
• Fashion – INR 44 Crore 

Other categories that performed well were IT Solutions (INR 14 Crore), Health & Beauty (INR 12 crore), OTT (15 crore) and no of orders for financial offers went up to 3,00,000.

Growth of Admitad Publishers 

The effects of the pandemic and lockdown orchestrated a change in consumer behaviour, as people moved online for offers, and away from malls. Consequently, brands began to seek bloggers, influencers, loyalty programs, banking partners, and affiliate marketing for revenue generation, resulting in the build-up of new inventory. Earnings of Admitad Publishers grew by 33% in 2020 as compared to 2019 where popular traffic types such as Cashback went up by 146%, coupons by 32% and emails by 177%. 

Affiliate Stores and Loyalty publishers emerged as the  new traffic types in 2020, and we expect to see further growth in 2021.

Technical Development at Admitad 

There are several aspects which have been instrumental in enhancing the experience for participating stakeholders. It includes tools for revenue optimization, traffic optimization, easy work processes, and  hassle-free work to name a few. Tools like the Admitad Teleport, Express Payments, Unique Promo Codes etc. have made the work of publishers easier, and helped them improve the daily business process. Additionally, Admitad facilitated vendor bonuses, which facilitated the launch of a CPA affiliate program for brands/vendors, to target a unique set of audiences. Automated invoicing and a new version of the program catalog, are some of the efforts made in providing seamless experiences for publishers. The idea is to bring a multitude of tools to the fore, that can give publishers an opportunity to undertake faster processes than ever before.

Trends to watch out for in 2021 

• Rise of new segments within affiliate marketing
  Be it the online gaming, subscriptions for OTT platforms, or users’ interest in online education, Admitad data suggests that it has led to a significant increase in the GMV sales and orders in 2020.  It indicates how users adapted to their average daily needs by surfing on portals and social media channels of publishers.

• Automation in affiliate marketing
  As mentioned above, several tools like Smartlinks, Moneylink helped both publishers and users enjoy the rewards of automation. For instance, express payments allowed partners to quickly withdraw earnings through easy means, allowing them to focus on their content more and less on the processes. Similarly, the Admitad Teleport provided publishers the option of bypassing other processes and directing users to advertisers sites.

• One-One User Engagement- Messenger apps
  The personalized approach of engagement through social media apps like Telegram Messenger and Whatsapp is proving to be effective in delivering users with options that they need most. This direct engagement between users and brands is changing perceptions about D2C sales, and Admitad’s assistance to publishers with telegram  bot proved to be a success.

• D2C synergy with Affiliate Marketing
  Several smaller brands and merchant stores realised the power of digital marketing since the pandemic, and affiliate marketing was a perfect solution for many, as they wished to avoid bigger e-commerce giants like Amazon. Through affiliate marketing, they were able to gain control of their business, engage directly with users and minimize the role for third parties.

• Emphasis on revenue generation through loyalty programs
  Loyalty programs relied on affiliate tools to bring customers back to using financial and other services. Despite banks having the wherewithal to build their own tools to entice customers, they realized the effectiveness of affiliate marketing in generating revenues. 

Hope these insights and learnings will help all you in both the long and short-term to build strategies going into 2021. 

We are also keen to explore partnership possibilities. Feel free to get in touch with us at  publisher.in@admitad.com