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The affiliate marketing industry has been growing and evolving constantly. In 2020, we are going to be seeing a lot more changes to the industry. This includes the rise of influencer marketing, the rise in voice searches and a more data-driven industry than ever before.

Here we look at some of the affiliate marketing trends that we expect to grow this year:

A more data-driven industry

Personalization of customer experience using data has become quite common. Companies such as Amazon and Google are using data to optimize searches and drive sales for businesses. However, in 2020 we are going to be seeing more and more, smaller businesses and e-commerce stores using data to optimize searches and get more customers which will be driving up their sales. ‌

Easier and wider availability of data will also become a growing trend in 2020. Data will also make affiliate programs and services much more efficient and automated, making it easier for both merchants and affiliates to do their work. ‌

Voice searches will rise

According to data from OC&C data consultants, voice shopping is expected to jump to $40 billion in 2022. This means that the affiliate industry also needs to adapt to a more voice optimized experience. With the rise of smart voice assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri, and devices such as smart speakers becoming more common, voice search is definitely on the rise.

According to a report by ComScore, 50% of all online searches in 2020 will be performed with voice searches‌

Therefore it will become very important for the industry to start optimizing its content and businesses for voice.‌

Influencer-Affiliate marketing mix

In 2020, you will start seeing an integration of influencer and affiliate marketing. Influencer marketing has grown substantially in the past few years and this has happened due to an increase in usage of social media. Influencers are the new affiliates and brands have been using them to reach out to more and more people. This trend is likely to grow in 2020 and in the years to come. ‌

The influencer marketing industry will also see a move to smaller influencers, that have a niche audience and a more organic outreach to people. This will allow brands to promote products, with better returns without spending a lot. This mix of influencer and affiliate marketing also gives a great opportunity to small and medium scale businesses as well as startups to promote products using this form of marketing.