Affiliate Window has announced the acquisition of US affiliate network ShareASale in a bid to strengthen its presence in North America.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The acquiring firm – part of Europe’s leading digital publisher Axel Springer – already has a foothold in the States with offices in Baltimore, Denver and San Francisco.
However, the buyout of the United State’s third largest network means Affiliate Window will shoot up ranks across the Atlantic overnight; the group inherits ShareASale’s 4,500 advertisers and 100,000 active publishers, accounting for 12 million transactions a year.
It’s a timely and highly-strategic move; BI Intelligence states that 15% of digital media earnings in the US derive from affiliate marketing – outperforming social commerce and display – making it one of the four largest sources of e-commerce orders.
Meanwhile, the Chicago-headquartered network reported annual gross profit growth rate of 25% between 2013-2015, despite US affiliate spend only growing 15% in the same time-frame.
Global ambitions
According to the announcement, Affiliate Window will leverage ShareASale’s market reach, brand equity and strong product offering, tying this in with its own strengths in strategic account management, custom solutions and global reach.
Affiliate Window’a CEO Mark Walters called the merger ‘crucial’ to the network’s mission of becoming affiliate marketing’s global “partner of choice”.
Sharing his own thoughts, ShareASale’s founder and CEO, Brian Littleton, said; “Affiliate Window mirrors our commitment to value driven customer solutions, strong ethics, industry compliance and unparalleled company culture.
“The acquisition promises to provide both a premier mix of innovative technology as well as a committed and congruent team to service our combined global base of customers.”
