Affiliate marketing is a performance-based digital marketing model in which businesses compensate external partners, known as affiliates, for generating specific outcomes such as sales, leads, or website traffic. As a research domain, it investigates the strategic dynamics between merchants and affiliates, the efficacy of diverse digital promotional tactics, the economic structures of commission models, and the impact on consumer behavior within online marketplaces. Its academic significance derives from its analysis as a key mechanism for online revenue generation, customer acquisition, and partnership management within the digital economy.