Often times the biggest business opportunities are hidden in plain sight. For the affiliate world, the Australian affiliate marketing opportunity is a market that is largely untapped, but is full of potential and massive growth. Handfuls of savvy early adopter affiliates are already taking advantage of the opportunity, all while hoping that the rest of the affiliate world doesn’t find out what they are experiencing, that Australia is a market on fire for affiliates.
…all while hoping that the rest of the affiliate world doesn’t find out what they are experiencing: that Australia is a market on fire for affiliates.
From a high level, all of the ingredients are in place to create the perfect opportunity: a country that’s a few years behind in the eCommerce marketing space, a technically astute base of consumers, and brand-name advertisers only just discovering the power of the affiliate channel. Two years ago, these factors led to the launch of a market-specific AvantLink network in Australia. Much like the launch of AvantLink Canada, the focus was to bring Australian merchants to affiliates living in–or catering to traffic from–Australia.
[clickToTweet tweet=”The rest of the world will know what they do: that Australia is a market on fire for affiliates.” quote=”…all while hoping that the rest of the affiliate world doesn’t find out what they are experiencing: that Australia is a market on fire for affiliates.”]
Who Jumped In First?
Following the launch, the early adopters immediately recognized the vast potential this new market offered. But as the this clearly famous and well-known saying goes, “all good things about having a new network basically to yourself while dominating a new market must come to an end.” You’ve heard that one, right?
The Theory of Diffusion of Innovation and the curve of user adoption. Image credit: Wikipedia.
As predicted by the Roger’s Bell Curve for the theory of the diffusion of innovations, the next stage of participation involves the Early Majority, or the beginning of adoption by the mass market. This stage is only just beginning and is where you, dear reader, can see your next major growth opportunity. Affiliates are discovering the Australian affiliate market, but not as fast as their merchant counterparts.
Let The KPIs Do The Talking
In gauging new areas of growth, it’s hard to overvalue statics that can add a quantifiable element to your analysis. In this situation, statistics can be the comparison of Australia’s overall performance in the affiliate space compared to a mature market like the United States. In other words, we have a head-to-head match coming up. Here are the essential KPI statistics from AvantLink.com and AvantLink.com.au over the last 30-days.
[one_half]AvantLink.com KPIs:[/one_half]
[one_half_last]AvantLink Australia KPIs:[/one_half_last]
[one_half]
- AOV: $140
- Conversion Rate: 3.87%
- Mobile Sales %: 26%
- 5% growth in merchant program choices
in past 3-months
[/one_half]
[one_half_last]
- AOV: $366
- Conversion Rate: 5.68%
- Mobile Sales %: 13%
- 33% growth in merchant program choices in past 3-months
[/one_half_last]
The two final numbers listed under Australia should pique your attention most. First, the mobile space is ripe for the taking by any affiliate who is even somewhat savvy in optimizing for a mobile experience. The majority of Australian online retailers are already providing seamless mobile browsing and checkout processes, but have yet to be complimented by a substantial affiliate base who can match a mobile environment. Even a scenario as simple as putting a responsive plugin on a WordPress site has the potential to immediately take an affiliate to the forefront of mobile affiliate marketing in the Australian market.
Secondly, the number of new Australian merchant programs launching is nothing short of exploding, creating a nearly insatiable appetite for new, competent affiliate relationships. From name brands like Trivago to hugely trendy and popular Australian companies like Koala Mattress or Torpedo7, the choices are growing quickly. And with that growth comes the ever increasing demand for affiliate partnerships.
Don’t Be In The Late Majority
If you’re a veteran affiliate, it can be hard to find high-impact growth opportunities in the same verticals in which you’ve operated since the beginning. Operating in AvantLink.com? If so, it’s time to take a serious look at promoting relevant brands to your international traffic, and Australia is the best place to start. The market is prime and the opportunity is vast; don’t let this opportunity stay hidden in plain sight. Now is the time to jump into the Australian market as part of the early majority and take advantage of a unique and rare environmental situation.