Affiliate Industry

Q&A w/ John Wright, CEO and Co-Founder at StatsDrone

Published

3 months ago

February 12, 2024

George Miller

Q&A w/ John Wright, Co-Founder at StatsDrone

Reading Time: 4 minutes

How does it feel to win the Best Tech for Affiliates at the iGB Afffiliate Awards?

The entire team at StatsDrone are thrilled to win and it means a lot to us. All week long at the London Affiliate Conference, we’ve been hearing from affiliates how happy they are with the app. Our reputation is getting known for data accuracy and great customer support so we are happy to hear it and listen to the needs of affiliates.

It means even more to win against some very tough competition that have been in the industry for longer. As a startup that is trying to make a name for ourselves, this award was worth the past few years of hard work from our team.

Why did you create StatsDrone and how did you come up with the name?

I used to use an app called Nifty Stats that went out of business in 2017. I’ve always had affiliate program review sites and I remembered the frustration of running affiliate sites and being frustrated by affiliate programs. I felt there was a missing feedback loop needed for affiliates to help on various thing such as the following:

Notifications of urgent compliance messages
Changes in tracking software which invalidates older links
Programs going out of business

Simply put, these messages don’t always end up in your inbox and even if they did, they are easy to not find them whether they end up in spam or are part of the 100s of messages any affiliate would get in a single day. I just wanted affiliates to know when programs closed, when tracking software would change and anything else that would notify affiliates of revenue leak.

The name of StatsDrone was a mix of stats plus something else. Overall I wanted a name that nobody had ever used online or in social media so when seeing if statsdrone.com was available, it was. In 2017 I was starting to fly drones and the line of thinking was that drones could be controlled and in the future they could be automated. You can get an aerial view of your stats and we wanted the app to give the best insights to affiliates.

What does the StatsDrone app do for affiliates?

The app is like Quickbooks for affiliates. It can pull your stats and save them in one location. So if you wanted to know how much money you made yesterday, or month to date, you had quick access to this and could see all your stats before you wake up. These stats are things like account balance, clicks, FTDs (or NDCs), deposits, withdrawals, revenue share, CPA, sub affiliate and total commissions. The app also gives various KPIs like earnings per click (EPC) and effective revenue share (ERS).

In the past year we have added some CRM and Business Intelligence tools. These include invoice generator, account notes and deal manager on the CRM side. For BI we have the ability to tag campaigns and brands as well as data alerts and notifications. That is you can get an alert if your FTDs is less than or equal to a certain amount or when you reach a milestone like 20 FTDs in a month.

You run an affiliate focused podcast, what insights can you share from some of your guests?

I love doing the affiliate podcast because I get to have talks with talented people that as directly and indirectly in the affiliate marketing space. I often get to chat with a lot of smart SEOs that all have their unique view of SEO and affiliate marketing.

It is hard to summarize the past year of insights but one theme that seems to be common is that it is perhaps 1% of people that have great success because they will do the extra work that the remaining 99% won’t do. That is people won’t do any planning or create strategies for their business. It eventually boils down to work output but also being consistent. I think everyone is impatient and they want the most money for the least amount of time put in. You got to be patient and work to make real progress.

What do you see changing in the future for affiliate marketers in the iGaming space?

I think a lot has already changed but I also believe there are a lot of affiliates sitting and watching the competition waiting for the next trends to happen. If you are not innovating and doing research to see what else you could be doing in your business, you might be caught out of position.

The 3 things I see changing in affiliate marketing which applies to iGaming is this:

Data & Business Intelligence
Video
AI

Perhaps you can put Data and Business Intelligence into the same category as AI but I”ll separate for now.

Simply put, there is a growing interest in B2B and data companies as these are ones that are starting to become acquired.

I’ll jump to AI because AI has helped content be produced at an immense rate never seen before. AI has so many applications and you really need to listen to what people are doing with AI and be researching it.

Video can be part of AI but I talk about video because this is what separates a lot of people. Video is content and it is tougher for people to do. Unless you are hiring people to make your videos, it still requires effort and many people are not willing to get in front of a camera.

Video and streaming is a big part of any industry niche and I think more people will rely on video for helping them with buying decisions. At the end of the day, people want to buy from people.

What can we expect from StatsDrone in the near future?

We are working on a lot but most of 2024 will be focused on adtech. We think the next thing we need to solve for affiliates is have better link tools that can not just cloak their tracking links but help them avoid revenue leak.

We think pixel and S2S tracking will become more important as time goes on and we are excited to help affiliates integrate this and make a complex thing become easy for them.

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Affiliate Industry

47 New Brands in Q1’24: Affilka by SOFTSWISS Results

Published

2 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

George Miller

47 New Brands in Q1’24: Affilka by SOFTSWISS Results

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Affilka by SOFTSWISS, a leading affiliate management software provider, is approaching a new milestone of 360 brands in Q1’24.

The first quarter of the year brought remarkable achievements to the Affilka by SOFTSWISS team. The Asian gaming community recognised the company’s affiliate management software as the Best Affiliate Marketing Solution on the market.

This year, Affilka’s team participated in iGB Affiliate London 2024 with a dedicated stand for the first time. During the concurrent iGB and ICE events, the team had nearly 200 meetings over several days. First agreements quickly followed and were signed shortly after the exhibition period.

Affilka by SOFTSWISS experienced substantial growth, adding 47 new brands to its partner network, bringing the total to nearly 360 brands in Q1 2024. More than 33 thousand new affiliate accounts were registered during this period, marking a 118% increase compared to the previous year’s last quarter.

The rise in new affiliate accounts has led to an acceleration in new player registrations, exceeding 7.4 million over the first quarter of the year. Compared to the last quarter of 2023, this metric demonstrated a 106% increase.

The number of unique clicks on referral links with Affilka by SOFTSWISS during this period showed 115% growth and reached almost 436 million in absolute numbers. The rising metrics underscore the crucial role of effective affiliate management in achieving success within the iGaming industry.

Moving to the financial metrics of Affilka by SOFTSWISS, stable growth is evident over the first quarter of 2024 compared to the last quarter of 2023. The affiliate GGR revealed a 112% increase, while the player deposit amount showed a 113% enlargement. The growth within affiliate payments amounted to 117% in Q1’24 compared to the previous quarter.

Anastasia Borovaya, Head of Affilka by SOFTSWISS, summarises: “The recent product performance showcases a steady and continuous growth trajectory, a testament to our ongoing investment in innovation and user experience enhancement. Acknowledging affiliate marketing’s crucial role in the iGaming ecosystem, we prioritise delivering exceptional service to exceed our clients’ expectations.”

The global affiliate marketing industry is expected to double in size within the next five years. Finding a reliable affiliate marketing platform provider ensures a competitive edge in the rapidly expanding market.

The team is ready to share valuable industry insights and unveil the upcoming updates at the SiGMA Americas Summit in San Paulo on 23–25 April. Clients and potential partners can book a meeting with the Affilka team at stand i70 on the SOFTSWISS events page.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international tech company supplying software solutions for managing iGaming projects. The expert team, which counts over 2,000 employees, is based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides one-stop-shop iGaming software solutions. The company has a vast product portfolio, including the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with thousands of casino games, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution.

Affiliate Industry

StatsDrone data reveals MyAffiliates as the most used affiliate marketing software by the iGaming industry

Published

3 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

Wladimir P.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

New research from StatsDrone – the affiliate programme stats tracker – today, Thursday 11 April, unveils MyAffiliates as the most used affiliate marketing software in the gaming industry.

The research was conducted this month – April 2024 – on a sample of 1,100 affiliate programs with the latest StatsDrone data revealing that MyAffiliates is used by almost 16% of gaming operators, followed by Affilka (11.8%), Income Access (10.5%) and NetRefer (7.8%).

MyAffiliates is an established affiliate marketing software platform, empowering iGaming operators to combine all of their gaming brands and products under one umbrella affiliate system. It has been in operation since 2007.

The findings of the latest research, affirms MyAffiliates’ position as the preferred choice among gaming operators and, with nearly 16% of operators utilizing its software, has today cemented its position as a market leader.

Furthermore, with 17% of gaming operators still relying on proprietary software, the potential for solutions such as MyAffiliates is significant. As a ready-built solution, MyAffiliates seeks to further expand their market share and empower more operators to optimize their affiliate marketing strategies.

John Wright, CEO of StatsDrone, expressed his insights regarding MyAffiliates’ dominance in the iGaming industry, stating, “We know that MyAffiliates has an advanced platform for operators and is one of the reasons we know that MyAffiliates has become the most popular affiliate platform in iGaming. We hear from affiliates it is one of their preferred platforms to work with so, for us, it isn’t much of a surprise to see why operators choose MyAffiliates. In the last 6 months, we’ve noticed more MyAffiliates brands being requested on our platform, and I can’t see why that trend won’t continue.“

Clemence Dujardin, MyAffiliates Group CEO comments: “Considering this significant milestone, we at MyAffiliates extend our heartfelt gratitude to our clients and partners for their unwavering trust and support. This achievement underscores not only the effectiveness of the MyAffiliates platform but also the dedication of our team to continually innovate and provide unparalleled service to our users.” She added, “As the leading affiliate marketing software in the iGaming industry, MyAffiliates remains committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower gaming operators to maximize their affiliate programs’ performance and ROI.”

Affiliate Industry

Affilka by SOFTSWISS Announces Partnership with 10bet

Published

4 weeks ago

April 5, 2024

George Miller

Affilka by SOFTSWISS Announces Partnership with 10bet

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Affilka by SOFTSWISS, a leading provider of affiliate tracking software for the iGaming industry, announces a new collaboration with 10bet, a prominent player in the iGaming realm.

10bet operates in diverse markets, including Europe, LatAm, and Africa. Offering both casino and sportsbook solutions, 10bet brings over 20 years of global experience and expertise to the table.

This partnership marks a significant milestone for both companies as they join forces to enhance affiliate marketing strategies and expand their market reach. 10bet has already launched seven brands through the collaboration with Affilka by SOFTSWISS. Five of these brands were successfully migrated, while two were created from scratch, with another one to follow shortly.

Notably, 10bet made a strategic decision to transition from third-party software to leverage the advanced features and tailored solutions offered by Affilka by SOFTSWISS. Thanks to a designated Project Manager in the 10bet team, the integration process was smooth and seamless. Allocating a single point of contact is crucial to ensure effective migration and ongoing success.

“We are delighted to partner with Affilka by SOFTSWISS,” says Yotam Peretz, VP of Acquisition at 10bet. “The platform provides us flexibility, reliability, and personalised support. That’s exactly what we need to optimise our affiliate programs and drive growth in our target markets. I’m sure this collaboration marks the beginning of an exciting and successful journey.”

Angelika Antonova, Head of Sales at Affilka by SOFTSWISS, comments on the recent partnership: “This migration serves as further validation of Affilka’s superiority over existing solutions in the market, highlighting its distinct advantages. We are happy to welcome 10bet to the Affilka family. This partnership signifies our shared vision for excellence in affiliate marketing. We look forward to collaborating with the 10bet team to deliver outstanding results and unlock new opportunities in the dynamic iGaming landscape.”

Affilka by SOFTSWISS is ready to present valuable industry insights and unveil the upcoming reporting system updates at the SiGMA Americas Summit in San Paulo on 23–25 April. Clients and potential partners can book a meeting with the Affilka team at stand i70 on the SOFTSWISS events page.

About SOFTSWISS