Stylish new growth strategy

In the crowded world of social media, brands are constantly looking for new ways to stand out and connect with their audiences. While standard creator partnerships have become more common, affiliate marketing offers an often-overlooked opportunity.

Affiliate marketing, commonly used by e-commerce giants like Amazon and Walmart, allows creators to earn commissions through unique links or codes that track sales. However, despite the potential of affiliate marketing, it is often perceived as transactional and low-quality, with the primary focus on immediate sales.

But platforms like ShopMy are leading the way in changing that perception. Using advanced AI, ShopMy turns affiliate marketing into a powerful tool for driving sales and awareness among hard-to-reach audiences who are willing to spend more. More importantly, ShopMy’s data-driven approach offers brands a new results-based strategy that builds a trio of benefits: sales, awareness, and prestige.

ShopMy Story: A Performance-Driven Platform for Creators and Brands

Tiffany Lopinsky, Harry Rein, and Chris Tinsley founded ShopMy in 2020 to address a significant gap in the creator economy. Extensive research uncovered a critical problem: brands often selected creators based on superficial metrics like follower count, with little reliable data to assess their ability to generate sales. Additionally, brands faced challenges managing creator gifts, tracking results, and maintaining communication.

On the creator side, restrictions limited them to only presenting commissioned products, preventing creators from fully curating selections that aligned with their style and audience. This imbalance was a key challenge for both sides.

ShopMy’s research-driven approach has created a platform that allows creators to act more like sophisticated retailers. With the freedom to showcase a wider range of products—including non-commissionable items—creators can better align their selections with audience interests. ShopMy provides brands with key data to identify creators who can drive awareness and turn that interest into actual purchasing power.

The ShopMy platform goes far beyond the typical e-commerce experience; it presents products in a sophisticated, aesthetically modern style that resembles a fashion layout or high-end catalog. Creators using the platform have digital storefronts that connect to their selections, offering an elevated experience that matches the quality of the products featured. By offering creators commissions of 20% or more, the platform encourages creators to curate products they truly value.

ShopMy in Action: Fashion Icon Jenny Lyons’ “Wardrobe Essentials”

A prime example of ShopMy’s different approach is fashion icon Jenna Lyons. Former J. Crew CEO and creative director and Real Housewives of New York City star, Lyons — once dubbed “the woman who dresses America” — has her own ShopMy store, Closet Staples.

Lyons showcases products including $1,490 combat boots from The Row and a $3,900 crystal-embellished Khaite blazer and $300 Toteme jeans. Her carefully curated collection appeals to a discerning clientele who respect Lyons’s taste and would be unlikely to buy from a larger e-commerce giant.

Lopinsky explains, “Brands on ShopMy gain a lot of value and reach new audiences while creating a distributed sales force.” This model has proven to be very effective. Lopinsky shares, “One of our brands said, ‘Our partnership with ShopMy delivers 2x the ROAS of our next best channel.’” Additionally, ShopMy has creators who have earned over $1 million in commissions, demonstrating the platform’s ability to support lucrative relationships for both creators and brands.

Today, ShopMy generates $1 million in transactions per day. It features over 70,000 vetted creators and thousands of brands, including Neiman Marcus, Hugo Boss, Jenni Kayne, Chanel, and Net-a-Porter. Notable creators like Alix Earle, Marlien Rentmeester, Hannah Bronfman, Molly Sims, and Lyons provide personal recommendations.

Mosha Lundström Halbert, a respected journalist for Vogue and creator of the TikTok fashion news channel NewsFash, highlights this shift: “Creators have become the modern version of fashion magazines and retailers. They are real competition to more conventional forms of media.

In the past, people would turn to retailers and fashion publications for education and inspiration about their style and shopping choices. That’s no longer the case.” Lundström continues: “What ShopMy offers is allowing creators to take back a little more of their power and say, ‘This is what I like,’ without being narrowly encouraged to promote certain products.”

Conclusion: The Evolving Role of Fashion Brands and Retail

Creators as the new retailers: Creators are taking on the role of curators of merchandise, much like high-end retailers once guided consumers in discovering new products. Brands now need to integrate creator partnerships into their retail strategies to remain relevant. Retailers could explore the idea of ​​offering creator “shops within shops” that showcase online collections in-store, offering a new way to connect digital and physical retail experiences.

Direct approach to the consumer: The traditional role of retail is having to adapt as creators offer trusted recommendations directly to their followers. Physical stores are now acting more as experiential venues than primary points of sale. Brands can use these spaces to host intimate gatherings, exclusive fittings, or opportunities for customers to mingle with fashion enthusiasts and creators at cultural events, creating memorable and engaging experiences that connect with shoppers on a personal level.

Retailers as a Simplified Touchpoint: Retailers have the opportunity to streamline the purchasing process, making it easier and more convenient for consumers. By collaborating with creators, they can collect valuable insights from shoppers, improve service offerings, and simplify decision-making, improving the shopping experience in-store and online.

The New Era of Affiliate Marketing

ShopMy redefines affiliate marketing as a strategic tool that builds sales, long-term customer relationships, and brand prestige. Using AI and focusing on proven performance, ShopMy offers a more innovative way to navigate the creator economy, moving beyond traditional influencer marketing toward a more measurable, mutually beneficial partnership.

In today’s competitive marketplace, standing out requires more than facilitating transactions. Brands must find new audiences and choose partners who can deliver real value. ShopMy’s approach teaches marketers an important lesson: it’s time to rethink affiliate marketing and embrace this new era of results-based collaboration.