The total sales value generated through an affiliate program's publisher network before deducting commissions, returns, and other costs. The primary top-line performance metric for affiliate programs. Formula: Affiliate GMV = sum of all order values attributed to affiliate publishers in a period. Distinct from affiliate revenue: GMV is gross sales; net affiliate revenue to the brand = GMV minus affiliate commissions paid; affiliate commission rate × GMV = commission cost. Example: $1M affiliate GMV with 10% average commission rate = $100,000 in commissions paid; net contribution = $1M GMV - $100,000 commission = $900,000 in net revenue contribution (before other costs). GMV vs. net revenue reporting: some brands track and report affiliate GMV; others track net revenue after commissions; the distinction matters for ROI calculation — a program with 10% commission on $1M GMV is more profitable than a program with 20% commission on $1M GMV even if the GMV is identical. GMV benchmarking: affiliate GMV as a percentage of total brand revenue varies widely by category and program maturity; established affiliate programs in affiliate-native categories (personal finance, travel, coupon-oriented retail) may drive 20-40% of total revenue through affiliate; newer or less affiliate-mature categories see 5-15% of revenue from affiliate.
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