LTK, a creator commerce platform, has introduced a new suite of tools and features aimed at deepening relationships between creators and their communities. The updates mark an evolution for LTK, now positioning itself as a community engagement platform, the company’s announcement reads.

The move responds to creator feedback highlighting the increasing importance of nurturing communities as a foundation for their businesses. A recent LTK survey has found that 92% of creators believe regularly engaging their community is very important, yet only about a third feel confident in reaching their audience on social networks. Additionally, 95% report feeling their community has been less engaged on social media over the past year.

“The connection LTK Creators have with their community is vital and at the heart of everything they do,” states Kit Ulrich, General Manager of the Creator Shopping Platform at LTK. She explains why the company has decided to focus on community engagement.

“As social media platforms focus more on entertainment than community building, creators are looking for new ways to build trust. That is why LTK is evolving to focus on being a community engagement platform, fueling that essential connection with their community while empowering creators to grow their business.”

The new LTK features centering on community engagement include:

• Shopper profiles: Allowing shoppers to create personalized usernames and profile pictures on LTK for the first time. This enables creators to better identify who they are engaging with and provide more personalized responses in comments.

• Enhanced comments: Users can now share direct LTK product links within comments on their posts, making it easier to answer questions and direct shoppers to product pages. Shared links automatically save as “Similar Products” on that post.

• Subscribe function: Shoppers can subscribe to receive notifications whenever a creator posts new content by tapping the bell icon on their LTK shop page.

“Community has never been more important as the foundation of a creator’s business, and as social platforms become increasingly less social, LTK Creators are looking for ways to maintain, nurture, and strengthen communities,” the company states.

LTK was founded in 2011 by Amber and Baxter Box with the mission of empowering creators to maximize their economic success. The platform claims to drive over $4.1 billion in annual retail sales from its network of premium lifestyle creators across 150 countries.