Partnerize vs Punt Partners

Awin, CJ, Partnerize, impact.com CEOs to Map Industry's Future

The CEOs and co-founders of Awin, CJ, Partnerize, and impact.com will join forces for a keynote at PI LIVE Europe to discuss the future of the affiliate and performance marketing industry. The discussion comes as the industry faces significant shifts driven by AI, including the rise of AI shopping agents and changing customer journeys. Recent research cited in the article shows 72% of AI platform users use AI for product research, 42% of consumers use AI tools for shopping, and Mastercard predicts one in ten will routinely use AI agents to shop by 2030. The leaders will address the need for new measurement and attribution models beyond last-click, aiming to scale the industry tenfold. The keynote will be moderated by Jennifer Goodwin.

• Awin, CJ, Partnerize, and impact.com are participating in a joint keynote at PI LIVE Europe.
• The keynote features CEOs and co-founders Sean Sewell, Todd Crawford, Adam Ross, and Santi Pierini.
• The discussion aims to map out the future of the affiliate and performance industry.

Partnerize Blog: AI Rewrote How People Shop for Clothes. Your Click-Based Measurement Model Didn't Notice

The blog page now features a new article by Chrissy Kammerer (Sep 04, 2026) on how AI has changed apparel shopping and the need for updated measurement models. The page also highlights the Partnerize Lighthouse Program for AI-driven influence compensation.

Proposal: Add Contribution Metrics to Affiliate Reporting

The author argues that affiliate marketing is disadvantaged by strict deterministic (last-click) attribution compared with other channels that claim inferred influence. They propose that affiliate reporting should regularly include two numbers: deterministic tracking (clicks, coupons) and a separate contribution or influence metric (AI inference, other uncredited touchpoints). The article cites next-generation tracking technologies (examples: Partnerize, impact.com) as enablers, and notes historical call-tracking proposals (RingRevenue, now Invoca) that revealed uncredited conversions. Publishing contribution numbers to affiliates could strengthen their negotiating position and put affiliate channels on more equal footing with channels that rely on inferred attribution.

• The author proposes affiliate reports should include two numbers: deterministic tracking (clicks, coupons) and a contribution/influence number (AI inference, other uncredited touch points).
• Partnerize and impact.com are cited as providers of next-generation tracking technologies that can support the proposed reporting approach.
• Affiliate marketing commonly relies on deterministic last-click attribution, while many walled gardens use statistical models to infer influence.