Across our clients’ affiliate efforts, Cyber Week 2025 delivered strong YoY revenue growth, aligning with broader industry momentum: Adobe reported that 21.8% of Cyber Monday online sales were driven through affiliates and partners, up from 20.3% last year. But the conditions required to achieve that growth made one trend unmistakable: affiliate is becoming more competitive, more expensive, and more dependent on sustained investment.
Here are the five shifts we saw this year that offer a clear preview of the dynamics shaping affiliate marketing in 2026:
- Rising partner costs show that affiliate is becoming a higher-investment, media-like channel.
Premium placements required larger packages, earlier commitments, and higher CPA tiers, reflecting a structural shift rather than a peak-week anomaly.
Heading into 2026, brands should expect:- Higher floors for both flat fees and CPA tiers
- Earlier sellouts as publishers formalize pricing and inventory
- Greater need for full-season planning to secure premium exposure
- Value-seeking behavior is making cashback central to conversion all year.
Shoppers leaned heavily on cashback and stacked savings, driving stronger reliance on reward platforms across retail categories.
Heading into 2026, brands should expect:- Elevated baseline cashback expectations
- A need for always-on value cues, not just promotional spikes
- Greater promotional depth to break through crowded, price-sensitive categories
- Influencer-affiliate convergence is accelerating and becoming more expensive.
Creators drove meaningful revenue but required higher commissions and more structured compensation.
Heading into 2026, brands should expect:- Higher creator compensation across fees and CPA tiers
- More hybrid paid + performance partnership models
- Earlier relationship-building to secure premium creator moments
- Editorial and gifting partners are evolving into premium, high-demand placements.
Gift guides and editorial roundups continued to drive meaningful discovery for retail brands, but securing these placements became more costly and required much earlier lead times than in past years.
What this means for 2026:- Earlier planning cycles to secure editorial visibility
- Higher inclusion fees and elevated commission requirements
- Stronger performance for brands investing in multi-week or multi-moment visibility
- Always-on partner relationships now determine who wins during peak periods.
Brands that invested consistently ahead of Cyber Week saw better placement priority and stronger conversion efficiency.
Heading into 2026, brands should expect:- Partners favoring steady, year-round engagement
- Greater return on early-season activation leading into Q4
- Reduced effectiveness of burst-only affiliate strategies
Affiliate is entering 2026 as a channel that rewards the brands willing to invest early, stay active year-round, and show up competitively. The playbook is clear: plan ahead, pay to win, and stay present. Those who do will own the momentum; those who don’t will lose visibility fast.
