How do the brands you shop with actually find you online?

Affiliate marketing powers billions of dollars in online commerce every year, yet it's one of the least understood channels in digital marketing. Behind every Cash Back offer, creator recommendation, coupon site, and loyalty platform is an ecosystem that's constantly working to connect the right customers with the right brands.

In this episode of Stacked, Jennifer LaForge sits down with Krysta Gutteridge, VP of Sales, North America at Rakuten Advertising, to demystify affiliate marketing and explain why it has become one of the fastest-growing performance marketing channels in retail.

Drawing on nearly two decades of experience, Krysta explains how affiliate marketing has evolved from simple coupon websites into a sophisticated ecosystem driven by technology, data, strategic partnerships, and measurable business outcomes. She shares what separates successful affiliate programs from those that underperform, why retailers often leave money on the table by treating affiliate as a passive channel, and how the right strategy can create long-term value for both businesses and consumers.

Jennifer and Krysta also explore the similarities between affiliate publishers and influencers, the growing importance of data and privacy, how marketers should think about customer quality instead of simply chasing more sales, and why affiliate marketing deserves a much larger place in modern marketing education.

Whether you're a retailer looking to grow your business, a marketer exploring new acquisition channels, or a consumer curious about how Cash Back and rewards programs really work, this conversation offers an inside look at one of e-commerce's most influential - and often overlooked - growth engines.