Ever notice how the line between shopping and scrolling just keeps blurring? LTK and ShopMy are diving headfirst into that blurry zone, trying to turn themselves into full-blown social hubs—not just link lockers for influencers. They’re betting that if you give consumers profiles, follows, likes and AI-powered search, they’ll stick around longer than they would on Instagram or TikTok, where algorithms change at the drop of a hat. And honestly, it feels like a clever play, even if it’s a bit of a wild card.
The Algorithm Conundrum
Algorithms love chaos. One week your posts go viral; the next you’re ghost town. Both LTK and ShopMy have seen creators rage against these whims—“Why didn’t my 1.2 million followers see my latest haul?” Sound familiar? Here’s the thing: when social networks prioritize ad revenue over real connections, creators get lost in the shuffle.
LTK CEO Amber Venz Box has been blunt about this—social apps weren’t built for creators’ businesses. By 2021, after Softbank pumped in $300 million, LTK doubled down on its own consumer side, aiming to cut out the middleman that is fickle social media reach. The message is clear: “House your entire storefront with us, and let other platforms be your megaphone.”
LTK’s Pivot Toward Direct Relationships
You might ask, okay, but what’s different here? For starters, LTK sees itself as a distribution channel—not just a collection of links. More than 700 million profile visits in the past year aren’t coming from random TikTok scrolls; they’re direct. That’s no small feat.
Next up: public consumer profiles. Instead of discovering products in one-off bubbles, users can follow friends, check out what their besties are eyeing and swap thoughts—like a shopping club that never closes. There’s even a two-way messaging feature rolling out soon so creators and shoppers can chat directly—no awkward comment threads, just real talk.
ShopMy’s Human-Curated Playground
ShopMy, born in 2020, has its own spin: “curated by the obsessed, not the algorithm.” I find that tagline oddly comforting. Who doesn’t crave a little human touch after endless AI recommendations? In January, ShopMy secured $77.5 million in Series B funding, and those dollars went into follows, likes, consolidated creator links and an AI search that’s fine-tuned to real people’s tastes.
Before the revamp, you could only see one influencer’s feed and pray they had what you wanted. Now there’s an aggregated stream of every product your favorites swear by. It’s like a boutique marketplace where everyone’s taste buds matter. And marketers? They’re taking note: these longer-term creator partnerships feel more authentic, less “here’s a #sponsored post,” more “hey, I genuinely love this.”
The Bigger Picture: Social Commerce’s Rise
Social commerce isn’t just a trend; it’s the wild west of digital retail. eMarketer pegs U.S. sales at $85 billion this year, surging to $101 billion by 2026. In that stampede, LTK and ShopMy are carving out their own trails. They’re essentially saying, “Don’t fight the algorithm—outsmart it by making your own.”
It’s a gamble—sure—but one that challenges the status quo. Will consumers flock to new social destinations? Or will they stick with the familiar scroll? Hard to say. At the very least, this shake-up shines a spotlight on the human side of recommendations, something I, for one, appreciate amid the digital noise.
Ready to weigh in? Which platform would you start using tomorrow—one built around human connection or the next shiny algorithm playground?
Drop a comment below, share your thoughts, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram to keep the convo rolling. We can’t wait to hear what you think!
Before you go, OpenAI’s ChatGPT shopping feature could upend affiliate marketing—here’s what you need to know.
Sources:
- www.adweek.com/commerce/why-affiliate-marketing-firms-ltk-and-shopmy-want-to-be-the-next-social-media-platforms/
- www.modernretail.co/marketing/exclusive-ltk-rolls-out-new-social-features-as-it-pushes-beyond-shopping-into-creator-led-entertainment/
- www.lw.com/en/news/2025/01/latham-advises-shopmy-in-us77-5-million-series-b-funding
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