Amazon and Flipkart are facing a growing challenge in retaining established influencers as India’s creator-commerce market shifts towards commission-based payments. E-commerce platforms are increasingly encouraging creators to promote products through affiliate links, shoppable videos and performance-linked campaigns. However, established influencers are increasingly seeking guaranteed fees for their content instead of relying entirely on commissions generated by customer purchases.
The shift exposes a difference between how marketplaces and creators value influencer partnerships. Platforms want measurable sales, lower upfront marketing costs and payments linked to actual performance. Established creators, meanwhile, argue that producing content requires time, resources and audience trust, none of which guarantees a sale. The growing disagreement could influence how Amazon and Flipkart structure creator partnerships as they expand their social-commerce businesses.
Why Amazon and Flipkart Are Facing a Creator Retention Challenge
E-commerce companies have increasingly turned to influencers to help customers discover products, compare options and make purchasing decisions.
Instead of depending entirely on conventional advertising, marketplaces are building creator ecosystems that connect social media content directly with product listings and checkout systems.
The strategy offers several advantages to e-commerce companies:
- Measurable performance: Affiliate links and tracking systems help platforms measure clicks and purchases generated by creators.
- Lower upfront costs: Commission-based arrangements reduce the need to pay large fixed fees before a campaign generates sales.
- Product discovery: Creators introduce products to audiences that may not discover them through conventional marketplace searches.
- Targeted marketing: Niche creators can reach audiences interested in specific categories such as technology, fashion, beauty and home products.
- Scalable partnerships: Platforms can work with large numbers of creators without negotiating an individual fixed-fee contract for every campaign.
However, the model also creates a financial challenge for creators. Their earnings depend on customer behaviour after the content is published, even though they have already invested time and resources in researching, filming, editing and distributing it.
Storyboard18 reported on November 2 that established influencers are seeking guaranteed fees rather than depending exclusively on commissions. This creates a retention challenge for marketplaces that want to expand creator-led commerce while keeping marketing expenditure performance-oriented.
Commission-Based Payments Shift More Risk to Creators
Affiliate marketing allows creators to earn a commission when someone purchases a product through their recommendation or tracked link.
For example, a technology creator may publish a smartphone review and share a product link. If viewers purchase the device through that link and meet the programme’s qualifying conditions, the creator receives a commission.
The arrangement connects creator earnings directly to sales performance. However, several factors can affect the final payment, including product pricing, availability, commission rates, customer conversion and attribution rules.
A creator may generate substantial views and engagement without producing enough purchases to earn a meaningful commission.
This is particularly challenging for established influencers who may have teams, production expenses, research costs and significant audience expectations.
A guaranteed fee provides payment for creating and delivering the agreed content, regardless of how many purchases eventually occur. Commission-based compensation, by contrast, makes the creator’s income dependent on the campaign’s commercial outcome.
The difference is increasingly influencing negotiations between marketplaces and established creators.
Amazon Expands Creator Monetisation Through Affiliate and Performance Models
Amazon has been expanding its creator ecosystem in India through affiliate marketing, influencer storefronts, product recommendations and brand campaigns.
Its Amazon Influencer Program allows eligible creators to build personalised storefronts, recommend products and earn commissions on qualifying purchases.
The company has also introduced Creator Connections, a programme that connects creators with brands selling on Amazon.
Launched in September 2026, Creator Connections initially involved 50,000 brands and 5,000 creators, with plans to expand across Amazon’s wider creator ecosystem.
The programme allows brands to run campaigns and compensate creators through a cost-per-click model alongside existing affiliate commissions. This gives creators another potential source of income beyond commissions on completed purchases.
Amazon expects affiliate-first and mid-sized creators to be among the early adopters because they already understand how to generate product discovery and conversions through content.
The company has also expanded its creator partnerships through integrations with platforms such as YouTube and Pinterest, allowing eligible creators to tag Amazon products and earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
These initiatives demonstrate Amazon’s effort to build a commerce ecosystem in which content, product discovery and purchasing are closely connected.
However, the availability of additional monetisation tools does not necessarily resolve the concerns of established influencers who prefer predictable compensation for producing content.
Flipkart Builds Its Own Creator-Commerce Ecosystem
Flipkart is also expanding its creator-led commerce strategy through affiliate partnerships and integrations with social media platforms.
In June 2026, Flipkart Group announced a partnership with Meta that allows creators to tag products from Flipkart and Myntra directly in Facebook posts and Reels.
The integration creates a direct path from product discovery to purchase. Viewers can find products through creator content and complete their purchases through the respective shopping platforms.
Creators participating in the programme can earn commissions on sales generated through their posts.
Flipkart has also been developing creator-focused initiatives through platforms such as Creatorhood and Affluencer.
The company’s strategy reflects a broader shift in online retail. Consumers increasingly discover products through videos, social media recommendations and influencer reviews rather than relying exclusively on marketplace search.
For Flipkart, creator partnerships can help increase product visibility, attract younger consumers and connect sellers with audiences that may not otherwise encounter their products.
However, like Amazon, the company must balance the economics of performance-based payments with the expectations of creators who want more predictable earnings.
Guaranteed Fees Versus Commissions: How the Models Differ
The disagreement between established influencers and marketplaces reflects two different approaches to paying for creator content.
| Payment model | How it works | Main advantage | Main challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed fixed fee | Creator receives an agreed payment for producing content | Predictable income for creators | Higher upfront cost for brands |
| Affiliate commission | Creator earns a percentage of qualifying purchases | Payment linked to sales | Earnings can be unpredictable |
| Cost per click | Creator earns based on qualifying clicks | Rewards product discovery and traffic | Clicks may not become purchases |
| Hybrid model | Fixed fee plus performance-based incentives | Shares risk between both parties | Requires clear contracts and tracking |
A hybrid arrangement could provide a middle ground.
Under this model, creators receive a guaranteed amount for producing content, with additional payments based on clicks, conversions or sales.
The fixed component compensates creators for their work, while the variable component gives them an incentive to generate measurable commercial results.
The right structure can vary depending on the product category, creator’s audience, campaign objectives and reliability of sales attribution.
Why Established Influencers Have Different Expectations
Established creators often operate more like small media businesses than individual social media accounts.
They may employ video editors, researchers, production staff and account managers. They also spend money on equipment, travel, product testing and content distribution.
A commission-only arrangement can make these costs difficult to manage because revenue depends on customer purchases that creators cannot fully control.
There is also a difference between brand advertising and affiliate commerce.
A conventional brand collaboration typically pays a creator to produce and publish agreed content. The brand pays for access to the creator’s audience, creative work and influence.
Affiliate marketing pays primarily for measurable customer actions. This makes it closer to performance advertising than traditional influencer sponsorship.
The two approaches serve different commercial objectives, which explains why some established influencers may prefer guaranteed campaign fees while continuing to participate in affiliate programmes for additional income.
India’s Creator Economy Moves Towards Measurable Commerce
The debate comes as creator-led shopping becomes an increasingly important part of India’s online retail market.
Platforms are investing in shopping integrations, affiliate links, livestreams and shoppable videos to connect entertainment and product discovery with purchases.
A report by Bain and Company and Flipkart, How India Shops Online 2026, highlighted the growing role of Gen Z consumers and social-content-led product discovery in India’s e-retail market.
Industry discussions are also shifting from traditional engagement metrics such as views, likes and comments towards click-through rates, conversions, customer acquisition costs and return on advertising spend.
This creates opportunities for creators who can demonstrate their ability to influence purchasing decisions. However, it also raises questions about attribution: a tracked purchase does not automatically prove that a creator generated an entirely new sale.
For marketplaces, the challenge is to measure genuine incremental demand. For creators, the challenge is to ensure that compensation reflects both the commercial value of their recommendations and the work involved in producing them.
The Bigger Picture
Amazon and Flipkart are trying to turn creator partnerships into measurable sales channels, moving beyond traditional influencer marketing based on reach and engagement. Affiliate commissions, cost-per-click campaigns and shoppable content help marketplaces connect promotional activity with customer transactions. However, established influencers want compensation that recognises their creative work and provides more predictable income.
The tension is unlikely to be resolved by choosing only one payment model. A combination of guaranteed production fees and performance-based incentives could help platforms retain experienced creators while maintaining accountability for campaign results. The balance between creator earnings, marketing costs and measurable sales will shape the next phase of India’s creator-commerce industry.
Looking Ahead
Amazon and Flipkart will need to demonstrate that their creator programmes offer sufficient earning opportunities to attract and retain creators across different audience sizes. The adoption of hybrid compensation arrangements, clearer commission structures and more transparent performance reporting could become important factors in future negotiations. Established influencers will also continue comparing the financial returns from marketplace campaigns with traditional brand sponsorships.
For the wider creator economy, the shift represents a move towards more structured commercial relationships. Platforms want creators to function as measurable sales partners, while creators want their work to be valued beyond the final purchase generated by an affiliate link. How these expectations are reconciled will influence the economics of influencer marketing in India.
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