[see the original post on LinkedIn here]
For years, search data has been the backbone of intent-based advertising. When someone searches for “best running shoes,” advertisers gain a powerful signal of interest. It’s why millions of businesses utilize Google Search to advertise their products and services.
That said, search data misses a key element of the buyer journey: visibility into actual purchases.
Search data tells you what people are looking for, but affiliate commerce data tells you what they actually buy. Data gleaned from affiliate links that have been thoughtfully programmed throughout the Web reveals what happens after a user searches, explores and engages with content giving marketers access to rich purchase-based insights.
When search advertisers open their aperture to include affiliate commerce data in their strategies, they can build a more complete strategy:
1. Smarter Targeting
- Search data identifies users who are researching or actively in the market.
- Affiliate commerce data helps refine targeting by prioritizing audiences who are most likely to convert based on actual purchase behaviors.
2. Better Attribution
- Search data shows what users are interested in at the moment.
- Affiliate commerce data shows how different content types and interactions contribute to sales over time.
3. Optimized Ad Spend
- Search data helps advertisers reach consumers early in their journey.
- Affiliate commerce data ensures spend is focused on high-intent, purchase-driven audiences.
By adding commerce signals to their mix, advertisers can avoid wasted spend, increase campaign efficiency, and maximize return on ad investment (ROAS).
Intent Starts in the Content Domain
Purchase intent doesn’t begin in the search bar—it starts in the content domain, where people are discovering new products, ideas, and solutions through stories that resonate with their interests or needs.
Whether it’s a product roundup, a how-to guide, or a personal recommendation from a trusted voice, content sparks curiosity and nudges consumers down the funnel. These moments of inspiration and influence often precede search, making affiliate commerce data uniquely powerful for capturing early behavioral signals that reflect real-world intent.
While search shows what consumers are looking for, affiliate commerce shows why they’re looking in the first place.
The Future is Commerce-Driven, Intent-Based Advertising
According to eMarketer, Commerce Media advertising spend is on track to surpass $100 billion by 2028 and many believe it will make up more than 20% of all spend. A staggering stat.
As an industry, we’ve seen that the best advertising strategies are data-driven and performance-focused. While search data provides valuable insights into what consumers are thinking about, affiliate commerce data closes the loop by showing what they actually buy.
A Win for Publishers
Affiliate commerce is an important revenue stream for many publishers. It also represents an opportunity to use the influence they have with their audiences to capture more valuable advertising budgets.
At Sovrn, we’re helping publishers realize this opportunity by developing commerce audiences for advertisers across high value categories such as Consumer Electronics, Home and Garden, Fashion and Beauty, and Health and Wellness.
We sit at the intersection of advertising and commerce and believe that by creating more value for advertisers – with the powerful intent signal of affiliate commerce – publishers will ultimately win.
