Middle-tier creators say they would rather send shoppers to Amazon than anywhere else, but their actual affiliate links tell a more fragmented story, according to a new report from Levanta, the affiliate and creator commerce platform for Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart.
The report, “Creators Control Where the Traffic Goes,” surveyed 1,000 U.S. creators with 10,000 to 500,000 followers or subscribers on their largest platform. All respondents had posted an affiliate link or promo code in the past 30 days and earned affiliate or brand collaboration income in the past 90 days.
Stated Preference Diverges From Actual Link Activity
Asked where they would send shoppers if given a free choice, 45.5% of creators picked Amazon, well ahead of any other option. Another 16.3% said they use Amazon, Walmart, and brand-owned websites depending on the situation, 15.9% picked Walmart, and 15.4% picked a brand-owned website.
Actual link data over the prior 30 days looked different. Amazon accounted for an average 32.1% share of the affiliate links creators shared, followed by brand-owned websites at 26.9%, other marketplaces or websites at 22.5%, and Walmart at 18.5%. Levanta’s report states that this does not indicate a shift away from Amazon, but rather that a single stated preference does not capture the full spread of where creator traffic actually lands.
Most Creators Already Split Traffic Across Destinations
Single-destination routing was the exception rather than the rule. Just 26% of creators said they sent shoppers to only one shopping destination in the past 30 days. Another 36% said they mostly used one destination but occasionally used others, 14.1% regularly split traffic across two destinations, and 23.9% regularly sent traffic to all three: Amazon, Walmart, and brand-owned websites. In total, 74% of creators sent traffic to more than one destination.
Trust and Purchase Likelihood Outweigh Payout
When asked which three factors matter most when choosing a shopping destination, respondents ranked trust in the destination highest at 38.7%, followed closely by how likely their audience is to actually buy there at 38.2%. Where their audience prefers to shop came in at 35.5%, and whether their audience trusts the destination at 35.0%.
Payout-related factors ranked lower. Whether they get paid reliably and on time was selected by 33.1%, and how much they get paid per click or per sale by 32.3%. Ease of getting a working affiliate link (31.2%), brand values alignment (29.7%), and link performance visibility (26.3%) rounded out the list.
Creators Decide Case by Case, Not by Brand Request
When the same product is available across Amazon, Walmart, and a brand’s own website, 36.4% of creators said they decide brand by brand based on what pays best, the largest single response. Another 25.4% said they send shoppers where their audience is most likely to buy, and 22.8% said they always use the same destination regardless of brand. Only 8.3% said they share more than one link for the same product, and just 7.1% said they follow the brand’s requested destination.
Creators Concentrate on TikTok and Instagram
The report also found that 83.2% of surveyed creators primarily create and share content on social media, with another 10.1% on streaming platforms outside social media such as YouTube, Twitch or Kick. Among social-first creators, TikTok was the most common primary platform at 30.0%, followed by Instagram at 28.7% and Facebook at 21.6%; 13.1% said they post equally across multiple social platforms.
Report Calls for Cross-Channel Visibility
Levanta’s report argues that because brands often manage Amazon, Walmart, and owned-site affiliate programs as separate operations with different teams and dashboards, a dip in one channel can be mistaken for a creator disengaging, when the creator may simply be routing traffic elsewhere. The report frames payout and purchase likelihood as two of the clearest levers brands have to influence where creators send shoppers, alongside destination trust and shopping experience.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Middle-tier creators say they would rather send shoppers to Amazon than anywhere else, but their actual affiliate links tell a more fragmented story, according to a new report from Levanta, the affiliate and creator commerce platform for Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart.
The report, “Creators Control Where the Traffic Goes,” surveyed 1,000 U.S. creators with 10,000 to 500,000 followers or subscribers on their largest platform. All respondents had posted an affiliate link or promo code in the past 30 days and earned affiliate or brand collaboration income in the past 90 days.
Stated Preference Diverges From Actual Link Activity
Asked where they would send shoppers if given a free choice, 45.5% of creators picked Amazon, well ahead of any other option. Another 16.3% said they use Amazon, Walmart, and brand-owned websites depending on the situation, 15.9% picked Walmart, and 15.4% picked a brand-owned website.
Actual link data over the prior 30 days looked different. Amazon accounted for an average 32.1% share of the affiliate links creators shared, followed by brand-owned websites at 26.9%, other marketplaces or websites at 22.5%, and Walmart at 18.5%. Levanta’s report states that this does not indicate a shift away from Amazon, but rather that a single stated preference does not capture the full spread of where creator traffic actually lands.
Most Creators Already Split Traffic Across Destinations
Single-destination routing was the exception rather than the rule. Just 26% of creators said they sent shoppers to only one shopping destination in the past 30 days. Another 36% said they mostly used one destination but occasionally used others, 14.1% regularly split traffic across two destinations, and 23.9% regularly sent traffic to all three: Amazon, Walmart, and brand-owned websites. In total, 74% of creators sent traffic to more than one destination.
Trust and Purchase Likelihood Outweigh Payout
When asked which three factors matter most when choosing a shopping destination, respondents ranked trust in the destination highest at 38.7%, followed closely by how likely their audience is to actually buy there at 38.2%. Where their audience prefers to shop came in at 35.5%, and whether their audience trusts the destination at 35.0%.
Payout-related factors ranked lower. Whether they get paid reliably and on time was selected by 33.1%, and how much they get paid per click or per sale by 32.3%. Ease of getting a working affiliate link (31.2%), brand values alignment (29.7%), and link performance visibility (26.3%) rounded out the list.
Creators Decide Case by Case, Not by Brand Request
When the same product is available across Amazon, Walmart, and a brand’s own website, 36.4% of creators said they decide brand by brand based on what pays best, the largest single response. Another 25.4% said they send shoppers where their audience is most likely to buy, and 22.8% said they always use the same destination regardless of brand. Only 8.3% said they share more than one link for the same product, and just 7.1% said they follow the brand’s requested destination.
Creators Concentrate on TikTok and Instagram
The report also found that 83.2% of surveyed creators primarily create and share content on social media, with another 10.1% on streaming platforms outside social media such as YouTube, Twitch or Kick. Among social-first creators, TikTok was the most common primary platform at 30.0%, followed by Instagram at 28.7% and Facebook at 21.6%; 13.1% said they post equally across multiple social platforms.
Report Calls for Cross-Channel Visibility
Levanta’s report argues that because brands often manage Amazon, Walmart, and owned-site affiliate programs as separate operations with different teams and dashboards, a dip in one channel can be mistaken for a creator disengaging, when the creator may simply be routing traffic elsewhere. The report frames payout and purchase likelihood as two of the clearest levers brands have to influence where creators send shoppers, alongside destination trust and shopping experience.
Image source: Levanta
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