LTK’s New Video Feature Focuses on TikTok and Amazon

Creative Trade Company LTK launched a full-screen short-form video feature this week to compete with the likes of YouTube, TikTok and Amazon in the social shopping market.

The video feature is located in the LTK app and can be found in a creator’s LTK account. Unlike short video channels on apps like TikTok, an LTK channel lets users scroll through videos from a specific creator rather than all the creators they follow or an algorithm-based channel.

Designed specifically for shopping, users can purchase content via a clickable product carousel that appears at the bottom of each video.

The Dallas-based company, formerly known as RewardStyle and LiketoKnow.it, is an affiliate marketing and creator commerce platform where influencers can earn money from commissions and brand partnerships. LTK has recently faced increased competition from large platforms like TikTok and YouTube in its social shopping space. YouTube recently launched its own in-house affiliate program, for example, and TikTok Shop has continued to grow since its launch. By borrowing similar video tools from these platforms and applying them to its app, LTK has kept itself in the game as a competitor.

In addition to the full-screen video feature, LTK will also be rolling out a feature called Daily Drops in the coming weeks. The tool will be available at the top of the app’s home screen and will allow users to watch and purchase videos posted in the last 24 hours in a full-screen video player.

Daily Drops looks similar to Instagram’s Stories tool. Like Stories, unwatched Daily Drop videos appear as a ring around the creator’s profile on the home page for 24 hours. However, unlike Instagram Stories, which disappear if they’re not saved to the creator’s profile, LTK videos would remain available on the creator’s feed.

How LTK Fends Off Competitors with Competitive Tools

Allison Yazdian, senior vice president of creator growth and success at LTK, told Business Insider in June that LTK’s greatest weapon is that it isn’t beholden to any one platform, format, or brand.

“The reason LTK has been so successful and will continue to be so successful is because we are agnostic,” Yazdian said. “A creator can showcase their entire life. It’s not compartmentalized by platform.”

The company is also betting on video because it offers better results for social media purchases.

The company reported that shoppers buy twice as much from video posts on LTK than from other types of posts. Video content can increase creators’ earnings on the platform by up to 46%. Additionally, creators’ videos on LTK receive 64% more clicks from retailers on average.

Social media platforms like TikTok and shopping sites like Amazon have also embraced the ability to shop via video.

In 2023, Amazon launched a TikTok-like tool called Inspire. Inspire features review videos and shoppable photos that direct users to a product page in the app. While Amazon has a robust influencer program, this particular tool has not gained widespread adoption among creators and users, as Business Insider previously reported.

While LTK’s short-form video feature isn’t a standalone tool like TikTok, it could still give the company an edge, as the platform is already used more as a social platform than strictly a commerce site. Many fashion, beauty, and lifestyle creators have shopping profiles on LTK, and users are used to scrolling through the app to make purchases.

“LTK is a destination,” Yazdian said. “We see creators saying things like, ‘You can always check out my LTK,’ and those followers aren’t going to a retail site, they’re going to their favorite creator’s store on LTK and shopping their looks.”