Trina Singh.
Trina Singh, Affiliate and Partnership Lead at WiredCo.
As a pioneer that has paved way for the affiliate industry in Australia over the last 11 years, I feel it’s important to pay Homage to Cashrewards. As an intimate industry, we empathise with our friends, the teams who have worked hard to build a platform on a mission to help Aussies and drive value to merchants.
The news of Cashrewards’ exit from the market represents more than the loss of a single player. It removes not only a revenue stream and a source of incrementality, but also an important marketing channel. For brands, this highlights the urgency of diversifying their partnerships — not just among conversion partners but throughout the entire funnel. Partnering with well-established ANZ loyalty and cashback platforms, and exploring new innovative emerging partners, will be essential to maintaining stability and growth.
As a Brandperformance agency, WiredCo’s approach is to always wire together brand building with performance marketing, which includes our work in the affiliate space. Affiliate marketing has traditionally been seen as heavily weighted towards the bottom of the funnel. However, the changing environment underscores the need for a broader, full-funnel approach — one that considers not only conversion but also awareness, engagement, and brand storytelling.
Consumer behaviour is also evolving. In today’s economic climate, value-driven shopping has become a growing priority, with customers expecting both affordability and responsible practices from retailers. At the same time, investors and stakeholders are applying increased pressure on (affiliate) partners to achieve profitability. This dual expectation makes it more important than ever for value to be driven that’s commercially viable, to drive not only measurable returns but also meaningful and sustainable shopping experiences.
One area that presents enormous potential is the integration of AI within affiliate platforms. AI can enable deeper personalisation, making offers more relevant, accessible, and convenient. Yet, affiliate marketing should not be viewed solely as a mechanism to attract price-conscious shoppers. It is also a channel for building brand connection — inspiring, educating, and fostering loyalty throughout the customer journey. Not to say this will not pose its challenges with talks of Shopify integrating with OpenAI.
From my experience and interaction with the wider industry over the last 4 years, the general sentiment is excitement rather concern for AI. It is viewed as a powerful enabler already being adopted by partners across the funnel for personalisation and cart abandonment solutions.
The possibility of Shopify integrating OpenAI is one example of how these technologies could further transform the shopping experience for consumers. While such developments may create new challenges for traditional bottom-of-funnel players, they also open doors for innovation within the affiliate space.
The path forward lies in embracing this transformation. By rethinking how we leverage affiliate marketing, exploring emerging partners, and responsibly integrating AI, brands can future-proof their strategies while continuing to deliver value to consumers and merchants alike.