The most common theme for 2025 has been CHANGE, especially with the context of AI. How we can’t really predict what may happen in 5 years to our jobs, our daily life and the world economy. The affiliate world also moves fast — new platforms rise, niches explode overnight, arbitrage windows open and close in weeks. But amidst all this uncertainty, there are a few things that don’t change. Taking inspiration from the book Same As Ever, I thought about what will NOT change in affiliate marketing in 2026. So if you’re charting out your strategy for the next year, you can count on these as constants:

1) eCommerce leading the way

Being a dynamic industry, every year there are niches which rise & fall, but plain old eCommerce continues to drive a major share in the industry. It’s just so fundamental – more people are buying more brands online with more frequency!

The formats however would continue to evolve. This year for example, we saw strong growth in Cash on Delivery / Low AOV impulse-buy eCommerce doing pretty well on video (especially for the India 2 market). Next year, we may see listicles pick up even more (as search & discovery evolves with conversational AI).

The point is – As long as people shop online, affiliates will continue to thrive!

2) The Rise of Video

No matter the platform (YouTube, Reels, TikTok etc), video continues to rule content consumption. We saw the rise of video ads across the board from high impulse eCommerce to high involvement LeadGen (Insurance, Home Services).

It builds relatability with UGC, trust with product demos & testimonials and is easier to consume than a long article.

3) The Importance of Lower Funnel audience

This has 2 parts

1. There will continue to be niches where high-intent capture via Search will dominate. Think emergency / immediate services, research driven purchases or product categories with inherent demand.
2. Leveraging your own audiences (remarketing to site visitors, abandoners & lookalikes). Trying out various ad product combinations to capture & remarket, getting the best possible CR for your niche

The most profitable affiliate conversions are the ones that need “just one more light nudge”!

4) Events & Relationships

I’m just back from Affiliate World Bangkok & WOW! – the energy at these conferences just seems to be increasing each year. Affiliates love to meet, brainstorm & party – and that’s not changing any time soon!

The industry works on relationships – whether it’s the payout an affiliate gets, the partnerships between platforms & service providers or the healthy competition amongst affiliates – relationships are key!

5) The Swing Trader mentality 

While we recommend building a sustainable business & not thinking of easy-money sprints, affiliates will continue to have a swing trader mentality. While some planning & patience is crucial, this sense of urgency is what fuels this industry’s ingenuity & agility.

Enter Early, Test Fast, Ride the Wave & Move Ahead! would continue to be the mantra in 2026!