Research by APMA shows the affiliate marketing industry in the UK generated over £20bn revenue in 2025
The UK’s affiliate and partner marketing landscape grew 7% year-on-year (YoY) in 2025 reaching £1.8bn in adspend.
Over the course of 357 million tracked transactions, which equates to nearly 41,000 sales per hour, a total of over £20.7bn in revenue was generated by UK affiliates and partners, the Affiliate and Partner Marketing Association’s (APMA) State of the Nation report has revealed.
This translates to a £15 return on investment (ROI) per every £1, on average. This rises to £24 for every £1 invested in the most successful vertical – travel, which grew by 14% and saw a 10% increase in revenue, earning 62% of sales from cashback, rewards, and card-linked offers (CLO).
There is significant scale behind the market, with £1.78bn invested across the industry,
and travel was not the only success story. Retail accounted for 47% of total affiliate spend, and within that, the health and beauty category grew its revenue by 48%.
This goes beyond performance based metrics, with roughly 20% of funds spent outside of pure CPA strategy – highlighting the industry’s increased investment into content, visibility, and placement.
“The UK affiliate marketing is a great British success story,” said APMA founder Kevin Edwards.
“Affiliates have created consumer-led businesses that help UK shoppers to make more informed decisions and save money at a time when household budgets are under severe strain, and they are more popular than ever.”
Consumer sentiment in 2026 revealed a fragile spending landscape, with geopolitical and cost-of-living concerns fuelling difficult spending trends. A third (33%) of consumers choosing to cut back on spending or ramp up savings thanks to job market conditions.
Edwards added: “We’ve also seen significant surges in certain sectors like travel which drove double-digit growth, and health and beauty, which put on 48% revenue growth over 12 months. Looking at affiliate trends we see a greater investment across the affiliate funnel, indicating that brands recognise the importance of the affiliate channel beyond just the conversion.”
