Affiliate marketing is booming. But while ecommerce brands are still waking up to its potential (I’ve been doing this since 1998!), SaaS companies have been quietly mastering the game for years. Why? Because affiliate marketing isn't just a sales channel for SaaS, it's embedded into how they scale.
Here’s why SaaS companies are ahead and what your ecommerce brand can learn from them.
1. SaaS See Affiliates as Strategic Growth Partners
For SaaS brands, affiliates aren’t treated as a bonus bolt-on, they’re part of the core go-to-market strategy.
They invest early. They build infrastructure. They create resources. They nurture relationships.
Meanwhile, many ecommerce brands treat affiliates as either:
A way to clear leftover stock
A link-drop afterthought for influencers
Or worse, a discounting strategy in disguise
SaaS brands view affiliate marketing as a revenue engine. Ecommerce often sees it as a side hustle.
2. The Metrics Are Built-In
SaaS companies are built around LTV, CAC, churn and MRR, metrics that make affiliate marketing easy to track and justify.
They know the numbers. They see affiliate commissions as a scalable acquisition cost.
Ecommerce?
Still wrestling with ROAS. Still thinking in short-term sales. Still hesitant to give 10% to an affiliate when ads eat 30%-50% of profits.
When you know your LTV, giving affiliates their fair share becomes a no-brainer, not a debate.
3. SaaS Brands Design for Advocacy
SaaS companies build products that naturally lend themselves to referral.
You use the tool. You love it. You tell others. You earn recurring revenue.
The product sells itself—and the affiliate model amplifies that.
Ecommerce brands often build for consumption, not conversation.
They forget that a loyal customer can also be a loyal promoter.
How many ecommerce brands ask, "Do you want to earn commission for referring us?"
(Answer: not enough.)
4. They Invest in Affiliate Enablement
Top SaaS affiliate programs offer:
Dedicated dashboards
Real-time analytics
Onboarding sequences
Co-branded landing pages
Email swipe files
Funnel breakdowns
Take a look below at how ClickFunnels welcome new affiliates by a short, simple explainer of the money they could be earning…
Most ecommerce affiliate programs?
A discount code and a link.
If you want results, you have to set your partners up to win.
5. SaaS Understands Content = Conversion
SaaS brands actively partner with bloggers, YouTubers, newsletter writers and course creators.
They don’t just say, “Here’s your code.” They say, “Let’s build a long-term campaign together.”
Ecommerce brands?
Too many focus solely on Instagram reels or TikTok trends.
But affiliate marketing thrives when content has context and that's where SaaS excels.
Final Thoughts: Ecommerce, It's Time to Catch Up
SaaS companies have had years to perfect the affiliate playbook.
They know that partnerships scale better than ads.
They build tools and teams to make it work.
If you're an ecommerce founder, ask yourself:
Are we treating our affiliates like influencers or like partners?
It’s time to adopt the SaaS mindset:
Build the infrastructure
Empower your partners
Reward based on value, not vanity metrics
Affiliate marketing isn’t a hack. It’s a channel.
And done right, it could be your most powerful one yet.
Want more on building a high-performing affiliate strategy for ecommerce?
Subscribe to BeyondJustAds.com for daily insights for founders who want to grow through content, not just clicks.