Should we remove coupon publishers?

Usually not. Differentiated pay and clear code rules work better; a hard cut endangers short-term revenue.

What share counts as dominance?

There is no fixed threshold. It becomes critical when the channel's new-customer share falls and a few coupon partners receive most commission.

How do you measure incrementality?

Via new-customer rates per partner, journey analyses and — most robustly — controlled holdout tests.

Handbook · Margin protection

Coupon publishers dominate the affiliate channel: protect margin, diversify the partner mix

Coupon and cashback publishers are legitimate partners — the problem starts when they dominate. You then often pay for purchases that would have happened anyway, and the channel stops acquiring new customers.

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Industry figures, ready to cite

The key affiliate marketing metrics with named sources — free to cite in articles, studies and presentations.

16 % — of all e-commerce orders in the US are driven by affiliate marketing (Source: Business Insider / BI Intelligence)
81 % — of brands worldwide use affiliate programs as a marketing channel (Source: Rakuten Advertising / Forrester)
15–30 % — of total online revenue is typically generated by advertisers through the affiliate channel (Source: Authority Hacker, Affiliate Marketing Statistics)
$17 Mrd. — is the estimated global market size of affiliate marketing (2024) (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report)

Why coupon dominance costs margin

Many coupon clicks happen at the end of the journey, after the decision is made. Under last click the coupon partner gets the full commission plus the discount — the content partner who prepared the decision gets nothing. Over time the partners who bring new customers withdraw.

Levers that work

Measure incrementality – New-customer rate per partner, funnel position and holdout tests where possible instead of pure last click.
Differentiate commission – Lower rates for existing customers and pure code redemptions, higher for validated new customers.
Code hygiene – Exclusive partner codes, expiry dates and monitoring of code leaks on unauthorised sites.
Build content partners – Actively recruit comparison sites, reviews, magazines and creators with dedicated terms.
Review attribution – Journey analyses and commission-sharing rules when several partners are involved.

Who this page is for

CFOs and leadership – Most affiliate revenue goes to coupon sites and you question the margin.
Affiliate and performance teams – You need to change the mix without revenue collapsing short term.
Brands with pricing strategy – Permanent discount visibility damages price anchors and brand perception.

From coupon channel to balanced partner mix

Shift gradually so revenue stays stable during the transition.

1. Baseline – Revenue and commission share by publisher type, new-customer rate, code leaks.
2. Define rules – New vs. existing customer commission, code policy, attribution rules.
3. Communicate – Announce changes to partners in advance and offer alternatives such as placement deals.
4. Diversify – Recruit, onboard and develop content and comparison partners with target tiers.

Steer, don't switch off

Coupon partners belong in a healthy mix — just not at the top. I help you introduce rules that protect margin while building the partners that turn your channel back into a new-customer source.

Frequently asked questions

Should we remove coupon publishers?: Usually not. Differentiated pay and clear code rules work better; a hard cut endangers short-term revenue.
What share counts as dominance?: There is no fixed threshold. It becomes critical when the channel's new-customer share falls and a few coupon partners receive most commission.
How do you measure incrementality?: Via new-customer rates per partner, journey analyses and — most robustly — controlled holdout tests.

Email: lino.richter@affiliate-management.com