IAMAI launches document on best practices for affiliate marketing in India

New Delhi: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) launched a document on the “Best Practices for Affiliate Marketing in India” at the India Affiliate Summit (IAS). 

Affiliate marketing spending in India currently stands at around $331 million, with projections reaching over $420 million by 2025. This anticipated growth underscores the urgent need for standardised practices and ethical guidelines to sustain the industry’s expansion. 

The “Best Practices for Affiliate Marketing in India” document by IAMAI addresses this need, providing a comprehensive framework to guide the industry toward greater transparency, trust and efficiency. 

Key factors driving this growth include the rising penetration of mobile phones, the rapid expansion of the e-commerce sector, robust digital infrastructure, and government initiatives such as Digital India. Together, these elements are anticipated to enhance the role of affiliate marketing as a strategic tool for companies across the country.

The framework outlined in the document aims to foster trust, transparency, and efficiency across the affiliate marketing ecosystem.

The key objectives of launching the Best Practices for Affiliate Marketing are to:

• Establish industry-wide standards for ethical, transparent and effective campaigns
• Foster trust between advertisers, affiliates, and consumers
• Provide compliance guidance in a complex regulatory landscape
• Offer guidelines on performance optimization and KPI measurement
• Address common challenges such as unclear contracts and undisclosed terms

The document includes:

• Overview of different types of affiliate marketing
• Guidelines for the technical setup and KPI tracking
• Best practices for various campaign formats (CPV, CPL, CPS, CPI)
• Emphasis on transparency and compliance

In October 2023, IAMAI facilitated the creation of a task force, comprising nine companies of the affiliate marketing sector, to create affiliate marketing best practices guidelines. 

Companies involved in drafting the document include leading brands such as Affle, Admitad, Grabon, mFilterIt, Optimise, Tyroo, Valueleaf, and vCommission.