We recently asked the industry a straightforward question: What’s more important for long-term affiliate success?
Here’s how the industry responded:
Here’s how the industry responded:
- A mix of both acquisition and retention – 58%
- Player retention – 37%
- Player acquisition – 5%
- Depends on the market – 0%
The message is clear: the old model of focusing solely on new traffic isn’t enough anymore. Operators and affiliates alike are moving toward smarter, value-driven models, where growth isn’t just about who you bring in, but what those players do after they sign up.
What’s striking is just how few still view acquisition alone as a viable long-term strategy. And rightly so. The days of high churn and low quality being masked by volume are over. Most operators now prioritise lifetime value, retention rates, and engagement metrics over raw FTD numbers.
Retention isn’t just the operator’s job anymore – it’s becoming a shared KPI across the affiliate partnership. At MyAffiliates, this shift is already embedded in the platform:
- Reporting tools that give affiliates visibility on player behaviour post-conversion
- Multi-brand tracking that reflects real retention dynamics
- Commission models that reward sustained activity, not just signups
- Affiliate campaigns optimised not just for clicks, but for quality and engagement
This is the direction the industry is moving in: less spray-and-pray, more strategic alignment. Affiliates who get this are already seeing stronger partnerships and more consistent revenue. Those who don’t will be left behind chasing volume that never delivers. So yes, success is a mix of acquisition and retention. But the weighting is shifting, fast. Programs built for long-term growth are designed around player value, not just lead gen. The industry needs to start treating this as the standard, not the exception.
