By Adam Weiss
There are nearly 10 million online retailers today, and most are vying for the remaining share of the U.S. ecommerce market left from Amazon and other major players such as Walmart, Temu and Shein.
It’s steep competition, but if you can gain a foothold, the revenue potential is massive. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, U.S. retail ecommerce sales reached over $300 billion, and in 2024, they surpassed $1.1 trillion.
This is the most appetizing the U.S. online retail market has ever been, yet many luxury brands based outside the country continue to struggle to enter the mix.
Affiliate marketing in a nutshell
How can they also get a slice of the pie? That’s the question that led Brazil-based shoe company Schutz to launch an affiliate program.
Unlike traditional marketing tactics, an affiliate program is a flexible, scalable and cost-effective way for online retailers to drive awareness and demand in specific markets. The strategic approach entails advertisers partnering with creators and publishers to promote and sell their products.
Brands set their desired results with partners ahead of time and only make payments if they’ve been achieved, whether that be increased sales, website clicks, referral traffic and more.
A robust affiliate marketing program can be extremely valuable for international brands, as it enables them to engage with relevant new consumer audiences.
Affiliate programs open the door to a wide range of publishers in your desired market, each with their own customer segment. This structure allows brands to seamlessly connect with a variety of audiences, including ones they potentially wouldn’t have access to using other marketing methods.
Added benefits
Next, by partnering with affiliates, not only can brands expand their reach, but they can also vary the channels through which consumers can purchase their products, unlocking new revenue streams. This is especially important in today’s ecommerce landscape, as more than ever before, different demographics have different preferred places to shop online.
For example, Gen Z shoppers tend to favor social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok Shop, while Gen X and Baby Boomers mainly buy from marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, and millennials fall somewhere in between.
Affiliate programs can also help brands understand what’s working and what isn’t in the region, optimizing their campaigns by regularly monitoring publisher performance and identifying what components are successfully driving sales and engagement in the U.S. market. This close tracking enables teams to directly measure the profitability of their marketing efforts and change direction where needed to ensure they are achieving steady growth.
What is more, the majority of U.S. consumers are becoming less loyal to brands, meaning it’s increasingly difficult for retailers to capture and maintain interest, especially international luxury brands, which may be less recognizable and are targeting more niche audiences. Affiliates can help brands build loyalty by consistently promoting them to their already loyal audiences and followers, as well as incentivizing customer reviews.
A closer look at Schutz and Awin’s partnership
After determining that an affiliate program was the right strategic move to build brand awareness in the U.S., Schutz partnered with affiliate platform Awin.
Leveraging an established network rather than setting up an affiliate program manually gives you access to an extensive list of possible publishers and advanced technology for program management and performance tracking.
Seamlessness was a priority for Schutz, as well as Awin’s depth of experience in supporting other international luxury brands with their U.S. growth. With hands-on support and guidance from Awin, Schutz will be able to move strategically and drive different customer behaviors to meet its marketing goals.
If brands are trying to capitalize on the momentum of the U.S. ecommerce market and affiliates are not yet part of that digital strategy, now is the time. Without them, brands greatly risk being lost in the noise.
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