Creator marketing has evolved from a nice-to-have resource for generating buzz to an essential part of a retailer’s commerce strategy. Gap Inc. serves as a prime example.

• Nearly 600,000 creators contributed to sales on TikTok Shop between January and October 2025, according to Charm.io data.
• US livestreaming retail ecommerce sales are expected to jump 35.0% to reach $19.76 billion in 2026, EMARKETER forecasts.

“It's becoming very clear that creators are not just seen as a way to reach consumers and engage with them,” said EMARKETER senior analyst Minda Smiley in a session at last week's virtual Creator summit. “They are increasingly being used across the full funnel and increasingly being used in a shopping context, [and] in a commerce context.”

Gap's flywheel

Last October, Gap Inc. launched a cross-brand creator affiliate and advocacy program, capping off a broader effort to develop creators and translate this engagement to sales.

“Right now, [creators are] factored into this entire flywheel of creator commerce,” said Cory Weaver, head of influence at Gap Inc. “And so sometimes it's really, really direct in terms of an affiliate model, where we're working with creators and they're driving traffic to a product site or driving sales specifically through their links.”

He added: “And other times, it's a little more indirect, where we're working with creators to generate content that we're then using on paid [media], using it on the product pages, amplifying in so many different ways.”

Weaver said creator content can be integrated into a holistic marketing campaign, and the creators themselves might be featured in print and video shoots.

“Wherever we can fit creators in this entire customer journey of commerce, we are imagining ways to do that,” Weaver said.

From content to commerce

Creator impact doesn’t end on the creator’s social platform, or platforms, of choice. To get the full ROI, industry leaders say commerce sites need to match the energy.

“The utility of creator content [means] we are absolutely weaving it into our PDPs [product display pages],” said Weaver. “We're seeing wonderful success there, and then just ideating around how to amplify the content through the entire customer journey is really a focus for us right now.”

In a similar fashion, trendy cup brand Stanley 1913 is looking to connect the dots when new customers are nudged by creators to explore a branded site.

“We really are thinking as a site experience team this year at Stanley 1913 about how we want the consumer experience to be, especially for a first-time customer, and ensuring that we have content on the page that's really engaging, that's inspiring, but also educational,” said Alexis Call, director of digital merchandising and site experience at Stanley 1913. “And that ultimately drives conversion.”

Developing creator talent

To foster creator relationships, industry leaders say retailers need to recognize the unique culture of creators. Gap Inc.’s new social media advocacy program distinguishes itself from transactional affiliate programs to tap into the human connection that creators build with fans.

The program provides creators with early access to new products, as well as content creation opportunities across Gap Inc.’s portfolio of stores, including Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic.

“It's really just so nice to foster connections with [creators],” said Weaver. “And I think that is the key learning…Connection is really valuable, especially as influence is becoming democratized these days.”

Watch the full session.

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