Unintended consequences in the evolution of affiliate marketing networks: a complexity approach

Although there is growing interest in affiliate marketing networking as a newly emerged electronic distribution channel, little empirical research has explored this topic. Similarly, despite being widely employed to analyse organisations' behaviour and responses to the turbulent environment, aspects of complexity theory like unintended consequences have yet to be researched in depth. This study bridges these gaps by investigating unintended consequences in the evolution of affiliate marketing networks within tourism distribution. The findings may also be applicable to other services industries, such as financial services, where the use of affiliate marketing is widespread. The results from in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis suggest that unintended consequences are an important factor in shaping the evolution of affiliate practice, and should not be underestimated by practitioners. Additionally, the study suggests that unintended consequences can be a tool for indicating areas for improvements, and can help to explain the nature of emergent affiliate marketing challenges, which might potentially assist marketing managers in the successful formation of affiliate marketing networks.