How valuable is an affiliate strategy and marketing? An eMarketer article based on a comScore Networks study reports that consumers clicking on affiliate links tend to spend more than the average ecommerce consumer. Such consumers were 43% more likely to convert online than consumers purchasing by other methods of referrals. These consumers were also 17% more likely to have household incomes greater than $75,000 a year.

Affiliate marketing, the oft unsung workhorse of online marketing, has been one of the most dependable, consistent and predictable merchant customer acquisition channels since the late 90s,” Chris Henger of Performics, a division of DoubleClick, told Internet Retailer.

If you don’t have an affiliate marketing strategy in place, a good starting point is wikipedia.