Creating a partner-driven economy with LTK

Born in a small Dallas, Texas, apartment in 2011, LTK (formerly known as rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it) is one of the largest global influencer marketing platforms today in the world. LTK currently drives over $3 billion annually for its brand partners, working with over 150,000 diverse creators and over one million retailers from all four corners of the globe.  

After over a decade in the business, co-founders Amber Venz Box and Baxter Box remain true to their original mission: empowering lifestyle creators to achieve economic success. That’s no easy feat in today’s constantly changing economic landscape. But backed by a distributed global salesforce and a high-value consumer platform, LTK has taken advantage of the ongoing shift toward a more personable, partner-driven economy.   

According to Head of European Sales Robin Ward, “We exist to find the right creators that convert for our brands.” LTK also “helps brands rationalize their investment, rationalize what they're doing in the creator marketplace with influencer collaborations, and provide that end-to-end opportunity to work with creators.” Listen to Robin discuss this in more detail in a recent Awin Talks podcast episode. 

LTK’s digital shopping application is a prime example of how the company has capitalized on the shift away from traditional consumer-brand touchpoints. Its app boasts a conversion rate four times that of the largest social media platforms. In part, LTK’s success is due to its global reach, its holistic approach to shopping and its ability to deliver measurable sales metrics down to each individual transaction.  

But that’s not the full picture. “Brands today very much recognize that content creators have got loyal, long-term followers who connect with every aspect of their life; these include audiences difficult to reach via other channels,” Ward explained.   

Working with niche, branded creators of all kinds, LTK places a high value on humanizing products and maintaining the trusting relationships creators have cultivated with their audiences. The company sees the future of shopping as collaborative, which is where affiliate partnerships come into play.  

“The affiliate channel is important for our long-term strategy,” said Ward. “It helps drive high-intent shoppers down the funnel, strengthens LTK’s offering and helps build successful next-generation campaigns.”  

LTK has always been a forward-thinking company, but in response to a pandemic-driven uptick in creator-guided shopping the company has kicked into high gear. One of the main challenges of creator-guided shopping, also known as Creative Commerce 2.0, is centralizing it — where is the virtual creative storefront that hosts this new economy? That’s where LTK comes in, as a platform that focuses on making creators’ lives shoppable in context.   

In addition, LTK is bridging the gap between in-person retail and fully-fledged online shopping. Recently, the company even took over a vacant storefront in London, creating a 100% shoppable conceptual installation “to highlight the paradigm shift in how people are now shopping through creatives.”   

A recent $300 million investment by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2 has also spurred the company onward, helping LTK fully flesh out its three-pronged approach to creative commerce. Fueled by the investment, LTK plans to focus on scaling its team, building its international presence and enhancing the shopping experience for consumers worldwide.  

As LTK’s resources and reach grow, its revenue and value proposition will also snowball. The perfect marriage between brands, creators and shoppers, LTK is spearheading a global movement toward a creative economy that is mutually beneficial for all. 

LTK is one of the #Power100 partners featured in the Awin Report 2022 - an industry first publication profiling 100 of the most exciting partnerships on our global platform across every market and sector. Access your free copy here.