Affiliate marketing has been built around a relatively straightforward sequence wherein a customer discovers a product, clicks an affiliate link, and eventually, makes a purchase. That model becomes harder to follow when discovery happens somewhere a brand cannot easily track.

AI-generated search results are one reason. Instead of scanning a page of links, consumers can now ask AI tools for product recommendations, comparisons, or buying advice and receive a synthesized answer. The result may influence what they consider without sending them to the websites that supplied the information.

A 2026 study published on arXiv, based on browsing data from 900 U.S. adults, found that clicks to sources cited in Google AI Overviews occurred in only about 1% of visits to pages containing an AI Overview.

The researchers also found that these pages were associated with fewer clicks and more browsing sessions ending after the search. That does not mean consumers stop researching or buying; it means the traditional click is becoming a less complete measure of discovery.

Discovery Can Happen Before the Affiliate Click

Consider a shopper looking for the best running shoes for travel. Instead of visiting several review sites, they may ask an AI assistant to compare options. The assistant could surface brands, product characteristics, and recommendations before the shopper ever reaches an affiliate publisher.

The customer might then encounter a creator reviewing one of those products on TikTok or YouTube. The creator provides the practical context that AI cannot necessarily replace: how the product looks, performs, fits, or compares in real life.

Only later might the shopper use an affiliate link to check the product or complete the purchase.

The funnel therefore looks less like:

Search → Affiliate click → Purchase

and more like:

AI discovery → Creator consideration → Affiliate interaction → Purchase

The important distinction is that the affiliate link may still matter, but it may no longer represent the entire journey.

Creators Are Becoming Part of Consideration

This matters because creator content increasingly plays a role beyond simple awareness.

eMarketer reported in 2025 that 56% of social users who purchased after seeing creator content completed the purchase directly through a platform marketplace, while 11% purchased during a creator livestream. That means some creator-driven journeys can move from recommendation to transaction without the traditional website visit at all.

Southeast Asia offers another useful signal. According to the 2025 eCommerce Influencer Marketing report from impact.com and Cube, 83% of consumers surveyed across the region had purchased through affiliate links, while trust in creators and recommendations was a stronger purchase motivator than discounts.

For advertisers, the takeaway is not to choose between creators and traditional affiliate publishers. It is to recognize that different partners can influence different stages of the same purchase journey.

A creator might introduce the product. A review publisher might validate it. A deal partner might provide the final incentive. The affiliate link could appear only at the end.

Why Last-Click Attribution Gets Messier

This is where traditional affiliate measurement starts to struggle.

If an AI-generated answer influences discovery, a creator builds consideration, and a coupon or affiliate publisher captures the final transaction, a last-click model will generally give the most visible credit to the partner at checkout.

That can undervalue partners contributing earlier in the journey.

The issue is already recognized within the affiliate industry. impact.com reported in its 2025 State of Affiliate Marketing research that 94% of brands were experimenting with or planning to adopt alternative attribution models.

That does not make last-click attribution useless. It remains straightforward and closely tied to measurable sales. But advertisers should be careful about treating it as a complete account of partner influence.

What Advertisers Can Measure Instead

The answer is not to abandon performance marketing, but to widen the lens.

Advertisers can examine how different partner types contribute across the funnel, including:

● Discovery: Which publishers, creators, or content partners introduce customers to the brand or product?

● Consideration: Which partners generate product engagement, reviews, comparisons, or repeat exposure before conversion?

● Conversion: Which partners consistently drive measurable transactions and revenue?

● Customer value: Which partners attract customers with stronger AOV, repeat purchase rates, or other valuable outcomes?

The goal is to connect these signals rather than assume the final click tells the whole story.

The Affiliate Link Still Matters—But It Is No Longer the Whole Funnel

The rise of AI search does not make affiliate marketing less relevant. If anything, it makes the distinction between influence and attribution more important.

Customers may discover a product without clicking. They may become interested through a creator and return later through another channel. They may ultimately convert through an affiliate link that captures only the final measurable step.

For advertisers, the next stage of affiliate marketing is therefore not simply about generating more clicks. It is about understanding which partners help move customers from discovery to consideration to purchase—and building measurement and partnership strategies that reflect that journey.