ReferOn: Are legacy affiliate technology platforms holding operators back?

The industry prides itself on innovation, yet operators remaining tied to technology that no longer meets their needs creates an interesting contradiction. Fragmented reporting, manual data collection, and systems that cannot handle new brands and markets can quickly turn affiliate management tools into an operational headache.

ReferOn Sales Director Camila da Silva spoke to SBC News in Lisbon during the SBC Summit. According to Da Silva, operators often only recognize problems after their businesses have already grown, and at that point they no longer know how to manage them.

Da Silva says the problem does not always stem from a lack of alternatives. Operators can get used to existing arrangements and stay on the same system despite the unnecessary workload. One reason for this is fear of moving all data to another platform. Da Silva says that in the past, data sets were lost during transitions to other platforms and systems, which fuels this fear.

Growth is generally seen as a sign of success, but it can also expose weaknesses in technology. As new brands and markets are added, affiliate programs need to meet more complex reporting, commercial terms, and regulatory requirements. Technology that supported a simple setup at the start may not be able to provide the same visibility as the business grows.