How Walmart and LTK Are Quietly Leading a Trillion-Dollar Creator Commerce Revolution

Ever wondered why traditional retail seems to be stuck in a rut while creator commerce is sprinting ahead like it’s got rocket fuel? Well, it’s not just hype—three powerhouses are shaking up the game in wildly different but equally revolutionary ways. Walmart, a giant that serves millions weekly, isn’t just sitting on its massive infrastructure; it’s flipping the playbook by turning creators into bona fide sales partners, not just occasional affiliates. Meanwhile, LTK is stealthily building a $6 billion platform that’s bridging creators and brands beyond the usual store and website setup, tackling the toughest hurdle—visibility—instead of just chasing bigger budgets. And let’s not forget ShopMy, riding high on a $1.5 billion valuation, betting big on authentic curation over soulless algorithms to connect luxury brands with trendsetting communities. So, what does all this mean for the future of retail? Spoiler: it’s about trust and partnership, not just reach. Curious to dive deeper into how these trailblazers are rewriting the rules? LEARN MORE.

While traditional retail faces headwinds, creator commerce is experiencing rapid growth. Three companies – a retailer, a platform and a luxury brand – demonstrate the breadth of opportunity: Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has invested in infrastructure to turn thousands of creators into a core sales channel. LTK operates a $6 billion business that provides retailers with a third growth engine beyond their stores and their own websites. And ShopMy, recently valued at $1.5 billion, is building the system that connects luxury brands to curated discovery.

How Walmart Is Turning Creators Into A Core Sales Channel

Walmart’s commitment to creator commerce was on full display at the second annual Forbes Creator Upfronts in Los Angeles. Chief Marketing Officer William White, in conversation with Seth Matlins, Managing Director of the Forbes CMO Network, explained why Walmart is investing heavily in creators. “Creators really are becoming one of the most trusted points of sale in retail,” White said.

Walmart’s scale turns that trust into a competitive advantage. The company operates nearly 10,750 stores and clubs across 19 countries, serving 255 million customers weekly. With the ability to deliver within one hour to 95% of the country, Walmart gives creators and shoppers something no other platform can: immediate access from discovery to delivery.

Launched in 2022, the Walmart Creator Program enables influencers to run businesses within Walmart’s ecosystem: discovering products, tracking sales and building custom storefronts. White outlined two recent expansions shaped by creator feedback.

The first is a bonus program that pays creators when they hit sales thresholds across Walmart’s general merchandise categories. This approach treats high performers as sales partners, not just commission-based affiliates. The second expands commission opportunities across both Walmart’s owned inventory and third-party marketplace sellers. The marketplace expansion is significant. Creators can now earn commissions from both Walmart and individual sellers, dramatically expanding their product selection and earning potential.

“We always say we’re people-led and tech-powered,” White said, describing how the company balances retail scale with creator-driven commerce.

The strategy is working beyond Walmart’s traditional consumer base. “The majority of our recent share gains are coming from households with incomes over $100,000, which historically wasn’t our sweet spot,” White shared. “The changes we’ve made have given us more appeal to more people.”

Why LTK’s $6 Billion Platform Solves Creator Commerce’s Biggest Challenge.

While Walmart deepens its creator infrastructure, LTK has spent more than a decade building the connective tissue between creators and brands. Since launching in 2012, the platform has driven $6 billion in annual retail sales across 7,000 retailers, reaching approximately 40% of Gen Z and millennial women.

The company identified the challenge limiting growth: visibility, not budget. Research from LTK and Northwestern University shows 97% of CMOs plan to increase creator budgets in 2026, naming creators their top investment priority. But algorithmic feeds now limit creator reach. On average, fewer than 20 percent of followers see a creator’s posts. “The constraint isn’t budget,” said Amber Venz Box, Co-Founder and President of LTK. “It’s visibility. Algorithmic feeds actually decide who sees what.”

That visibility gap challenges the foundation of how creator marketing works. When creators can’t reliably reach their own audiences on social platforms, brands lose creators’ most valuable asset: consistent access to engaged fan communities. LTK solves this by providing creators with a destination platform where followers actively choose to view their content, rather than relying on algorithms to decide.

However, LTK also recognized that brands faced their own barrier: expensive and fragmented tools. The company’s response was to eliminate subscription fees. Brands now get free access to identify creators, launch campaigns, manage gifting at scale, and track performance across LTK and external channels. “You’re not paying for access, you’re paying for success,” Venz Box said. LTK earns commission on transactions instead of charging upfront.

The model is working. One in five searches on LTK includes a brand name – consumers know what they want and are ready to buy. The velocity tells the story: LTK creators post Abercrombie content nearly once every minute. Consumers shop a Nordstrom product almost three times per second. They shop Ulta Beauty products every three seconds

Brands want in. Nearly 600 are on the waitlist to launch their platform profiles, joining Abercrombie, Nike, Nordstrom, Williams Sonoma, Reformation, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Zara, and others who are already active.

ShopMy’s $70 Million Bet on Curated Creator Commerce

ShopMy’s $70 million funding round this month, which brings its valuation to $1.5 billion, signals investor confidence in the premium segment of creator commerce. Led by Avenir with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Menlo Ventures, the round validates a bet on curation over algorithms.

Founded in 2020, ShopMy has built infrastructure connecting premium brands to culture-driving creators through professional-grade tools and performance data. The company has surpassed $1 billion in annual platform sales, partnering with more than 1,200 premium brands, including Gucci, Net-a-Porter, West Elm, and Therabody, alongside over 185,000 creators.

“ShopMy is fundamentally a bet on authenticity, that lasting brand value comes through curation and taste, not ads and algorithmic recommendations,” said Harry Rein, Co-Founder and CEO.

The company’s recent consumer expansion introduced a new feature, “Circles,” allowing users to follow multiple trusted curators simultaneously, combining personalized discovery with sales performance tracking. It’s a direct answer to algorithmic fatigue: let people choose whose taste they trust rather than allowing platforms to decide what they see.

“Word of mouth has always been the most powerful force in commerce,” added Tiffany Lopinsky, Co-Founder and President. “We’re building the infrastructure to make it scalable.”

The Takeaway: The Future of Retail Belongs to Creator Partnerships

The future belongs to retailers that treat creators as strategic business partners.

Walmart, LTK, and ShopMy approach the opportunity differently, but share a core belief: growth comes from integrating creators directly into the business model. Performance is increasingly driven by trust, not reach, as William White shared, “The creators that work best for us are not necessarily the biggest ones. They are the ones that have the most loyal followings.”

That mindset is redefining how retail operates, powered by people as much as technology. The companies that build stronger links between story and sale will shape what—and how—the world buys next.