Affiliate marketing is when a software publisher offers the opportunity for others to sell their products from their host web sites in return for a commission on sales. This provides tremendous sales opportunity to the software publisher as they develop their own virtual sales force, with each affiliate pitching the publisher's products to their specific audiences.

With a large base of affiliates, you increase your sales force and can significantly increase your sales revenue, and unlike other forms of advertising, your affiliate only gets paid when they generate a sale.