“Three years back there was no mobile. Now mobile is 60–70% of the entire traffic.” 📱
On day two of India Affiliate Summit 2015, I sat down with Anurag Gupta, founder and MD of DGM India, one of India’s largest affiliate and ad networks. 🎙️
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🏢 From first employee to owner
- 📱 Mobile and the shift from CPI to CPS
- 🛒 App-only e-commerce?
- 🛡️ Fighting fraud
- 🌱 Funding isn’t success
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🏢 From First Employee to Owner
Anurag set up DGM India in 2007 as an employee of UK-based Deal Group Media PLC. He was its first employee. In 2012, he did a management buyout with Tyroo (now SVG Media), and DGM India became 100% owned by him and SVG Media. 🏢
He’s a third-generation entrepreneur from a business family: “Business runs in my blood.” His parents never questioned his choices. For another Indian network’s story, read vCommission CEO Parul Bhargava. 🔗
📱 Mobile and the Shift From CPI to CPS
Disruption in advertising is so fast that you have to reinvent yourself every 6 to 12 months. He wouldn’t predict five years out, but expected mobile to keep gaining over the next 12 to 18 months. 📱
Affiliate marketing was pivoting to mobile, where advertisers paid cost per install. He expected CPI to give way to cost per sale on mobile within 6 to 12 months. For a mobile tracking view from the same summit, read Ofir Brill of TUNE. 🔗
🛒 App-Only E-Commerce?
As an outsider, he’d always been against app-only: retail wisdom says be where the customer is. But e-commerce companies say mobile isn’t a channel, it’s the business. Both sides have compelling reasons, so time will tell. 🛒
He bet mobile web wouldn’t work for e-commerce: it would be app or desktop. Working with e-commerce companies isn’t hard if you align with their objectives, which will shift to profitability and new users at the top of the funnel. 🎯
🛡️ Fighting Fraud
Fraud such as bad traffic sources, high bounce rates, cookie hijacking and cookie stuffing is a constant issue. DGM keeps eliminating publishers that generate fraud: “a process that you will forever do.” 🛡️
Algorithms and big data help, for example checking how many requests come from a particular IP, geo or IP range. He calls fraud “the dark side” of the internet. The dark side of entrepreneurship: you work 24/7 and never switch off. For more on bots and fraud, read Roi Sorezki of Twik. 🔗
🌱 Funding Isn’t Success
He believes India is the next Silicon Valley. First-generation entrepreneurs now have incubators, angels, accelerators and VCs. But success isn’t raising funding: it’s building a valuable, profitable business at scale. Funding is just an enabler. 🌱
DGM would stay focused on India while SVG group brands like Tyroo went international, and might attend affiliate summits in Europe or the UK. With about 1,700 attendees, the first India Affiliate Summit surprised even the organizers. He hoped it would be 5x bigger, with more affiliates and entrepreneurs, “the backbone of the industry”. 🎉
📝 Key Takeaways From the Anurag Gupta Interview
- 🔄 Reinvent every 6 to 12 months
- 📱 Expect mobile payouts to move from CPI to CPS
- 🎯 Align with advertisers’ goals
- 🛡️ Fighting fraud never ends
- 🌱 Measure success by profit, not funding
❓ FAQs About Anurag Gupta
Who founded DGM India?
Anurag Gupta set it up in 2007 as its first employee and took ownership through a 2012 management buyout with SVG Media.
What mobile trend did Anurag predict?
That cost per install would give way to cost per sale on mobile within 6 to 12 months.
How does DGM India fight affiliate fraud?
By constantly removing fraudulent publishers and using algorithms and data, such as request patterns by IP and geo.
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Do you think India will be the next Silicon Valley? Tell me in the comments. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.