In the inaugural episode of The Partner Marketing Podcast, hosted by Matthias Stadelmeyer, CEO of Tradedoubler, Kevin Edwards joins as the first guest. Kevin is the founder and Managing Director of the Affiliate and Partner Marketing Association (APMA), a UK-based trade association dedicated to advancing the affiliate and Partner Marketing industry. During the episode, Matthias and Kevin discuss the journey of founding the APMA, the evolution of affiliate marketing, challenges facing the industry, insights from the APMA’s first major industry report, and their shared vision for the future of Partner Marketing.
Founding the Affiliate and Partner Marketing Association (APMA)

Matthias: "A warm welcome to today's Partner Marketing Podcast, and welcome, Kevin Edwards; it's great to have you here today! Kevin, you are the founder of the Affiliate and Partner Marketing Association. What inspired you to found the APMA?”

Kevin: "Hi Matthias, thank you for having me! So, I worked for Awin until February of last year and left without really knowing what I was going to do next. I was going to take some time out, and then it sort of by accident happened, really; over the years, I've made a number of contacts at other affiliate networks, as well as the agency side, publisher side, and sort of kicked off a conversation with a variety of companies about whether there was an appetite to try and create an association in the UK for the affiliate industry. And there did seem to be quite a strong appetite."
Kevin explains that the affiliate marketing industry has historically lacked a unified voice to address collective challenges and advocate for its interests. Recognizing this gap, he decided to create the APMA. Kevin started by outlining and presenting a business plan to key industry players. He received enthusiastic support, not just from the initial group he consulted but also from a growing network of stakeholders. With financial backing from members, he formally established the APMA as a nonprofit organization. By the end of its first year, the APMA had grown to include 50 paying members and several supporting members, such as media and legal partners. Its membership is diverse, encompassing Publishers, Brands, affiliate networks, and specialist agencies.
The APMA established a governance board and an advisory board to ensure transparency and accountability. These boards guide the association’s activities and roadmap, including addressing critical challenges, developing industry standards, and promoting stakeholder collaboration. Kevin notes that prior attempts to create similar organizations, such as through the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), often failed due to the time constraints of participants, who typically juggle full-time roles. However, the APMA benefits from dedicated leadership and a clearer focus, which enabled it to gain traction quickly.
The APMA’s purpose and collective action
Kevin explains that the APMA serves as a collective platform to tackle industry-wide issues. In the past, the affiliate marketing industry has successfully addressed challenges like voucher code misuse and the proliferation of toolbars through collaborative efforts. However, new and more complex challenges have emerged, many of which stem from external pressures such as regulatory changes, advancements in technology, and evolving market dynamics. These challenges include issues with tracking accuracy, compliance with cookie regulations, and disruptions caused by major technology platforms like Google.
The APMA’s role is to unite stakeholders—Publishers, networks, agencies, and Brands—to address these challenges collectively. By providing a centralized forum for discussion and action, the association seeks to mitigate external threats, share best practices, and drive innovation. Kevin emphasizes that this collaborative approach is vital in a fragmented industry where individual companies often lack the resources to address systemic problems on their own.
Kevin: "Especially in our industry, I think it's so important with so many different players being involved, that we communicate with each other. And that we have some channels where we can tackle issues like on tracking, on voucher codes, on cashback, on all these different topics that we have in the industry and that we find a joint way of dealing with them."
The APMA Industry Report: A milestone achievement
One of the APMA’s most significant accomplishments in its first year is the publication of its industry report. This comprehensive report provides a detailed overview of the UK affiliate marketing industry, including its size, key trends, and performance metrics. Kevin describes the meticulous process of creating the report, which involves gathering data from networks, Publishers, Brands, and agencies.
To encourage participation, the APMA guaranteed confidentiality and worked with an external consultant to analyze the data. Despite initial concerns about companies’ willingness to share sensitive financial information, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Most networks submitted their data, with one exception: Amazon. To account for Amazon’s absence, the APMA collaborated with a former Amazon consultant to model the company’s contribution to the UK market based on publicly available data and insights.
The report reveals several impressive findings about the UK affiliate marketing industry in 2023:
The industry generated £21 billion in order value, reflecting a 14% year-on-year growth.
It facilitated 356 million sales, averaging approximately 1 million sales per day.
Retail affiliate marketing accounts for 10% of all UK e-commerce spend, highlighting the channel’s significant role in driving online sales.
These findings establish a benchmark for the industry and provide a foundation for future research. Kevin expresses pride in the report’s success and notes that it has been downloaded over 600 times within its first few weeks of publication.
Kevin: "Affiliate marketing is driving 1 in 10 pounds that is being spent online. For me, that was like a good psychological data point that we could say 1 in 10; it's double-digit, that feels like it's a really compelling thing for us to go and talk about. (...) We know that there's a big chunk of opportunity that's out there that isn't being captured by advertisers running affiliate programs. So, for us, to be able to still say 1 in 10 pounds when we're only scratching the surface of certainly the same base of Brands that are out there running programs, I think shows what huge opportunity there still is in the channel."

Partner Marketing performance across industry verticals
The report also examines the performance of different industry verticals within the Affiliate and Partner Marketing sector. Kevin shares some key insights:
Travel experienced a strong recovery post-COVID, with 160% growth between 2021 and 2023. This resurgence underscores the sector’s resilience and its renewed reliance on affiliate marketing to drive bookings and sales.
Retail remains the most dominant vertical, reflecting the ubiquity of e-commerce and the large number of retail-focused partner programs.
Telecommunications (telco) stands out as a particularly interesting vertical. Kevin explains that telco Brands often adopt Partner Marketing at a more strategic level, engaging with senior stakeholders and allocating larger budgets. This is partly due to the prevalence of price comparison sites, which have deep roots in the affiliate ecosystem.
However, the report also highlights challenges in interpreting data from certain sectors. For example, in telco and finance, affiliate activity is often measured using nominal values rather than direct revenue figures, making it difficult to assess their true impact.
Kevin: "What was interesting is how much travelers bounce back. I mean, it's not a surprise that obviously travel was down in the doldrums during Covid, but from 2021 to 2023, we saw 160 percent growth in the travel industry. So, it's really encouraging to see that travel has come back and now represents a decent chunk of revenue."
Opportunities for growth: SMEs, influencer marketing & CSS partners
Kevin identifies small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as a major growth opportunity for affiliate marketing. Over the past few years, networks have developed low-cost, scalable solutions that make it easier for SMEs to launch partner programs. These programs often have low entry costs, minimal financial risk, and flexible terms, making them accessible to smaller Brands.
The report also highlights the growth of emerging models, such as influencer marketing and comparison shopping services (CSS). While these segments currently account for a smaller share of the market, their growth rates are significant. Kevin sees the convergence of influencer and affiliate marketing as an exciting development, driven by Brands’ increasing demand for performance-based outcomes.
Kevin: "What we found is, surprisingly, there was a very significant amount of diversification across the Publisher base. So, our biggest spending area is loyalty, reward & cashback, but only one in four pounds was being spent through those affiliate types. Where there is some really interesting stuff happening is a bit further down that chart, so if you look at some other smaller affiliates by spend, like CSS, influencers, and tech partners, they come in at single-figure amounts, but we know that they're going to be more one-to-one relationships that need to happen. Opposed to a blogger or a cashback site that might go out and work with thousands of Brands, these are companies that are going out and building maybe a handful of relationships or a few dozen relationships. So, overall, their spend is going to be lower as a percent of the market, but they can obviously be very impactful on individual programs. (...) If you're looking at where growth is coming from, CSS and influencers are seeing some really significant growth in the channel."

Industry challenges: Tracking & fair compensation
Kevin discusses one of the most pressing issues facing the Partner Marketing industry: Tracking. The report reveals significant disparities between how Publishers and Brands perceive tracking systems and fair compensation:
Publishers expressed frustration that tracking systems often fail to capture the full scope of their contributions. They argue that the commissions they receive do not reflect the time, effort, and innovation required to drive sales.
Brands, on the other hand, believe they are paying fair commissions based on the sales recorded by their tracking systems. Kevin, however, states they often overlook the broader ecosystem of activities undertaken by Publishers, such as content creation, audience engagement, and traffic generation.
Kevin emphasizes the need for better education and standardization in tracking systems to bridge this gap. He notes that tracking is a complex and technical issue, with each network using slightly different systems and methodologies. This lack of uniformity makes it challenging to address the issue comprehensively.
External challenges: Google, regulation, and cookie compliance
In their discussion, Matthias and Kevin also explores external challenges that threaten the affiliate marketing industry. Google, in particular, has disrupted the market through algorithmic changes and penalties on affiliate content. Many Publishers report significant traffic declines, with some high-quality sites losing up to 50% of their traffic. Additionally, the introduction of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has created confusion among Brands, as its attribution models differ from traditional affiliate tracking.
Regulatory challenges, particularly around cookie classification, are another major concern. Kevin shares an example of a UK retailer that experienced a 70% drop in sales due to changes in its cookie management policies. The APMA is working to educate Brands about cookie compliance and to advocate for standardized approaches that minimize the risk of such disruptions.
Visions for the future of Partner Marketing and advice for marketers
Kevin expresses optimism about the future of Partner Marketing, describing it as a "renaissance channel" with the ability to adapt and innovate. He highlights the industry’s resilience and its potential to incubate new publishing models, diversify traffic sources, and explore untapped advertiser segments.
Kevin: "The affiliate channel is a bit of a renaissance channel; it will always reinvent itself. And if you're faced with an issue here that feels insurmountable, if you can't get over that issue, there will always be something over here that you can focus on instead. (...) It's about how we position the channel. I'm a big fan of positioning our channel as an incubator of innovation. You know, we're an innovation hub. It's very easy for startups to come into the channel and get access to Brands really, really quickly. And as long as they can monetize on a CPA, it's very low risk for Brands. And it's very easy for them to build out their offerings. We don't know what's coming down the road in 2025, but I can guarantee you that there will be new publishing models. And new Publishers emerge that we hadn't thought about, or that we didn't realize could become an affiliate model. And that, for me, is a really exciting thing that is unique to our channel."
Kevin concludes with advice for marketers:
Dedicate time to understanding the affiliate channel, especially its tracking systems and data-sharing practices.
Recognize the value Publishers bring and ensure they are fairly compensated.
Focus on storytelling and case studies to showcase the impact of affiliate marketing, moving beyond spreadsheets to create emotional resonance.
Matthias’ and Kevin’s conversation highlights the critical role of collaboration, innovation, and adaptability in an industry that has grown to generate over £21 billion in order value annually.
If you would like to learn more, you can find the entire episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, our website, and all other podcast platforms.
About The Partner Marketing Podcast

The podcast brings together thought leaders and professionals from across the globe. In each episode, our host, Matthias, sits down with guests to discuss the evolving world of Partner Marketing and share personal stories.
For more details, please visit www.tradedoubler.com/podcast
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