Affiliate channel shoppers often spend more than the typical online shopper, according to a recent study commissioned by Performics, the Chicago-based performance marketing division of DoubleClick.
The comScore Networks analysis focused on 63 merchant sites with active affiliate marketing programs across all three major affiliate marketing networks and 19 large affiliate publisher sites. The analysis was conducted during the first half of 2006, using Reston, VA-based comScore’s panel of 1 million U.S. consumers who have given permission to confidentially capture their browsing and online transaction behavior.
Findings of the study include:
* Shoppers who visit merchant sites from affiliates tend to be wealthier, spend more, and more ready to buy. Affiliate shoppers are 17% more likely than the average Internet user to have average household income greater than $75,000.
* Affiliate shoppers skew older than the total Internet population (32% are between 45 and 64 years old). In addition, they are 4% more likely to have children in their households than the typical Internet shopper.
* Of those consumers who did purchase through the affiliate channel, their average online order value was higher than that of the general Internet user. During the second quarter of 2006, affiliate shoppers spent an average of $112, while the average for total Internet sales was $105.
* Affiliate consumers are 43% more likely to convert into a sale than consumers directed by other referrals, which were defined as all activity that did not come directly to the merchant site or arrive via an affiliate link