Affiliate Roundup: Big Tech Scrutiny, AI Expansion, and Industry Shakeups

This week in FMTC’s Affiliate Roundup: Google and Meta face scrutiny for bypassing affiliate marketing standards discussed at the IAB’s 2025 review launch. Similarweb’s acquisition of The Search Monitor enhances affiliate marketing transparency and compliance tools for brands. Amazon pilots “Buy for Me,” an AI feature allowing in-app purchases from third-party websites.

• Google and Meta are under scrutiny for bypassing affiliate marketing standards that other companies are required to follow, according to discussions at the IAB’s 2025 Affiliate Marketing Industry Review launch.

• The PMA is hosting a can’t-miss webinar on how Google’s new Chrome extension policy is shaking up affiliate toolbars and what it means for your strategy.

• Google is warning affiliate marketers that using filler content can hurt user experience and search rankings under its updated quality guidelines.

​• Similarweb’s acquisition of The Search Monitor marks a significant shift in affiliate marketing, enhancing transparency and providing brands with advanced tools to monitor affiliate behaviors and ensure compliance.

​• Amazon is piloting “Buy for Me,” an AI-powered feature in its mobile app that enables users to purchase products from third-party websites without leaving the platform.

• Dr. Nadia Morozova highlights that 65% of TikTok purchases are unplanned, showcasing the power of impulse buying in social commerce.

• In March 2025, major updates in social commerce included TikTok Shop’s new bi-monthly payouts for creators, YouTube’s updated Shorts view-counting method, and Meta testing “Community Notes” for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

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