Although the adoption of mobile is relatively slow in the affiliate marketing sector, we are starting to see positive shifts in this area. Recent reports of an increase in traffic to sites via mobile devices is encouraging. Indeed, voucher and cash back sites are seeing spikes in mobile traffic of up to 20 per cent.  

This is very good news. We strongly encourage merchants and affiliates to embrace mobile, and have seen merchants, who add mobile websites or responsive themes, increasing sales by up to 12 per cent. A large proportion of our affiliates use WordPress or another CMS, so it’s easy to change to a responsive theme.

Augmented Reality

Mobile usage is opening up lots of new doors for us as a network, and for eCommerce businesses looking to invest in affiliate marketing. There are plenty of exciting new companies developing technology to help push this forward, including innovations in mobile tracking and developments in Augmented Reality. One of our merchants is investing heavily in an app which will allow us to offer lead-based models in addition to our normal straight sale model.

The real challenge for advertisers is making sure the right message is given to the right user. How they are consuming media is a key factor, and this is where affiliate networks like ours come into play. Consumers are more engaged when they are consuming media from a publisher they like, trust and follow. They are more likely to buy through them.

That said, I don’t believe you should design only for a mobile device; I think you need to design for all devices. The Apple iCloud is a fantastic example of how this works well. I can add a note on my mobile device on the go and it’s waiting for me on my desktop when at the office and my iPad when I’m in on the sofa. That’s three opportunities to target me as a buyer. In our industry (health and beauty), people seem to research on their mobiles  for more generic terms, then finalise their research and make a purchase on their desktop device. There are many other eCommerce sectors where this strategy is highly effective.

There is no doubt about the potential of mobile. The IAB recently reported that 57 per cent of top 100 advertisers are now mobile-optimized, and the figure is rising rapidly. This is excellent news. The time has come to embrace mobile as an affiliate marketer and see the difference it makes to your eCommerce business.

Andrew Slack is managing director of MoreNiche