Last Updated on January 21, 2026 by Ewen Finser
Most of us here are probably marketers, and we all know how hard it can be to find good affiliates sometimes, much less a great affiliate agency we can rely on. This is especially true for retail.
Good affiliate retail agencies aren’t just here to act as glorified coupon sites or online partnership marketplaces. They’re about the nurture factor: getting new customers, really making the most of promotions, and fostering a promotional partnership that works for both you and your customers.
Margins are tight for most smaller to medium-sized retail companies these days, and everyone wants to discount, but when those nurtured partnerships are working the way they’re supposed to, affiliates use the power of their own network and word of mouth to keep bringing engaged subscribers to your brand. As an advertiser, that’s what I’m looking for: dividends that pay back over time, and affiliates so loyal they bring other affiliates in over time.
My Selection Criteria
Here’s what I’m looking for when I check out affiliate marketing agencies for retail:
- Do they know retail? This is most important for me. I want someone who not only knows just one category of retail, but also has a broad, well-structured retail experience that makes sense across the board. An informed affiliate manager knows how to bring expertise from other verticals into retail to make it work for me.
- Placement. Ten plus years ago, we were all saying “content is king.” It never stopped being king, and nowadays, especially with factors like Andromeda and influencers owning the space, it’s important that a good affiliate manager or agency be content-agnostic, know all the platforms, and veer toward what works.
- THEY FOLLOW THE DATA. Too many agencies (even just regular, non-affiliate agencies) aren’t regularly measuring their data in the most effective way.
- They award rockstar affiliates. High performers deserve to be well compensated, especially if they’re bringing their own networks and audiences to the platform.
With these criteria in mind, below is a curated “best of” list, based on my experience in the biz and what I’m seeing from colleagues I’ve spoken with about their affiliate marketing.
My Picks for the Best Affiliate Marketing Agencies for Retail
1. PartnerCentric
I’m giving PartnerCentric my first shout-out because they actually consider the nuances of affiliate marketing that other providers overlook. Speaking specifically, they are AEO-focused, and I’m pleased that they are “future-proofing their partnerships” by already considering how AI impacts user behavior and what that future might look like for brands looking to hire affiliates. I also love their performance partner focus, working with a data-first approach to nurture those partner relationships.
Another bonus when it comes to this vendor is, without mincing words, the reliability of data and their focus on affiliate economics. Because they take a “think of everything” approach to affiliate marketing, I’m able to leave things like paid creator negotiations to them, as well as the lower-leverage but higher-labor activities like social media and partnership sourcing.
2. Acceleration Partners
I’ve had good experiences with Acceleration Partners in enterprise-level affiliate marketing. They have a razor-sharp focus on growth and moving the needle, and are a better fit for bigger brands looking to build partnership marketing around an overall enterprise-level marketing strategy.
They boast some big brand recognition, having worked with Nike, Instacart, Target, and more, emphasizing their focus on solutions for larger companies. I typically save these guys for when I’m working with a larger brand, but I have had a great experience.
3. Advertise Purple
This agency focuses primarily on SMBs and offers self-service affiliate and content studio options. They’re just as solidly metrics-focused as the other agencies on this list, and have been around since 2012. In the interest of full disclosure, I haven’t worked personally with them, but my retail colleague uses this company for all her affiliate media needs and swears by them, especially their affiliate pilot platform, which allows marketers like us to tailor the level of service they receive.
4. Hamster Garage
Don’t let the name fool you. This agency works specifically with challenger brands – aka, disruptive and innovative brands that are largely digital or technology-first. Good examples – and previous/current clients on their roster – include Canva, Uber, and Xero, tech-first disruptive brands we’ve all likely heard of, if not used.
Hamster Garage’s best retail case study is furniture retailer Burrow, a DTC modular furniture brand based in New York. While most of these agencies focus on direct-to-consumer affiliate marketing, Hamster Garage is looking for those crossing-the-chasm style tech disruptors. If you’re a larger retailer with a DTC digital-first strategy, this might be a great fit for you.
5. Versa Marketing
Versa is interesting for the breadth of their work and their proprietary management and engagement systems, which they sell off the cuff. They have a huge network of relationships, and I’ve had a good experience leveraging not just one but an entire agency’s worth of clients with them because of their experience across verticals.
They’re extremely data-focused and really lean into that proprietary system (I won’t give it away here!) to support clients. I enjoyed working with them. They also do a free proposal for anyone interested. I wouldn’t rate them as highly as PartnerCentric, as I’m always looking for that AI/tech-forward thinking strategy, but I did have a good experience.
6. DMi Partners
I have a colleague who uses DMI not just for affiliate marketing, but for lifecycle as well. They really seem to want all the business so they can integrate all those “people-first” principles across your funnels, offering social, search, email, and creative content development. If you’re really looking to develop an affiliate relationship into something more full-service, this is the brand for you.
7. Optimise Media
Optimise feels like a SaaS and has a platform approach for both affiliates and marketing agencies to create those partnership connections. They’re also international, which truly helps connect and create partner relationships all over the world. If your brand’s going global, this is a great option for you, and the self-serve nature of the platform approach gives you a consistently updated measuring stick in your dashboards that shows how your partner marketing is working.
How Do I Find the Best Agency?
Affiliate marketing agencies are all over the place, and no matter what your needs are, most of these agencies are going to tell you they’re the right fit for you if you get them on the phone. Based on the 7 agencies above, I would recommend:
Best in Class: PartnerCentric. I’m looking for a data-first company that leads with technology, no matter who I hire. I care about things like AI, GEO, and how my partners are interpreting data to make better decisions about how to support me. Just about all these agencies have the ‘honorable mention’ sticker after their names, but I really love the service and experience I’ve received from PartnerCentric.
Best Agency for Enterprise: Acceleration Partners has the reputation and background to work with larger budgets. If you’re looking to leverage bigger wins for corporate, AP is a good fit for you.
Most Disruptive: Hamster Garage. The name is everything – these guys know how to take a disruptive brand forward, and they have the case studies to prove it.
As with any other form of marketing, the biggest question is always: what are your needs, and how can an agency partner best support you by getting you to your next level and beyond? Experience, expertise, case studies, fluency, and the ability to nurture partners are always the top qualities I look for when searching for a high-quality affiliate marketing agency for retail.