Amazon’s influencer network doubles to 2 lakh creators in India

MUMBAI: From scrolls to shopping carts, creators are increasingly turning online influence into actual sales. Amazon is looking to cash in on that shift, with its Influencer Programme growing to more than 2 lakh creators in India, doubling year on year, as the e-commerce giant expands its creator-led commerce business.

The company said its creator programmes influenced 40 million shoppers between January and September 2026, an increase of nearly 65 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier. More significantly, the influence translated into purchases: 30 million shoppers bought products through these programmes during the nine-month period, up 107 per cent year on year.

The volume of products purchased through creator-led initiatives also climbed sharply. According to Amazon, shoppers bought more than 100 million products through its creator programmes between January and September 2026, marking a 180 per cent increase from a year earlier. Earnings per creator rose 60 per cent year on year, pointing to greater monetisation opportunities as product recommendations become a more prominent part of online shopping.

The figures underline a growing role for creators in the e-commerce journey, where a product discovery that begins with a video, a social media post or a livestream can end with a purchase. For Amazon, the opportunity lies in connecting that discovery more directly to its shopping platform, while giving creators another way to earn from their content.

As part of its expansion, Amazon is enabling eligible creators to tag products from Amazon.in in their YouTube and Pinterest content and earn commissions on qualifying purchases. The integration is designed to bridge the gap between seeing a product in content and finding it on a shopping platform.

On YouTube, creators can tag products across Shorts, long-form videos and livestreams, allowing viewers to discover and shop for items without relying solely on a conventional search journey. The arrangement gives creators a way to monetise recommendations while providing Amazon with additional routes to reach potential customers.

“Creators are redefining how customers discover, research and shop for products today. Through Amazon’s Creator Programs like the Amazon Influencer Program, we’re empowering storytellers to turn their passion into entrepreneurship,” said Nidhi Thakkar, head of social commerce – emerging marketplaces at Amazon.

YouTube sees shopping-related searches as an important part of this opportunity. Gunjan Soni, managing director of YouTube India, said more than 450 million people in India use the platform for shopping-related searches. The product-tagging integration is intended to help creators connect their recommendations with purchasing options while making it easier for viewers to act on what they see.

For creators, the commercial appeal is straightforward: content can do more than attract views and engagement if it also generates commissions from purchases. For shoppers, product tags can provide a more direct route from a recommendation to the item being discussed.

Lifestyle creator Budhabhushan P Khobragade, known as @thebhushanshow, said the integration makes it easier for creators to connect their content with products their audiences are watching and help them purchase through Amazon.

The approach also gives brands another way to reach consumers through creators whose content already fits particular interests, lifestyles or product categories. Rather than relying exclusively on conventional advertising placements, brands can potentially connect with audiences through recommendations integrated into the content they choose to watch.

Amazon’s figures point to the importance of audiences and creators beyond the country’s largest cities. Nearly 70 per cent of shoppers purchasing through its creator programmes are from non-metro locations. Around 75 per cent of participating creators are also based outside metros, including cities such as Kanchipuram, Meerut, Jammu and Nashik.

The figures suggest that creator-led commerce is not confined to major urban centres. Regional creators can build audiences around local interests, specific product categories and everyday needs, while consumers can discover products through people whose content they already follow.

For an e-commerce platform operating across a geographically diverse market, this reach offers an opportunity to connect with shoppers who may discover products through social content rather than beginning their journey with a direct search on a shopping app.

The expansion also places greater emphasis on the business infrastructure available to creators. Amazon’s programmes include Creator Rewards, which offers performance-based incentives, and Creator Connections, which gives creators access to brand campaigns and additional monetisation opportunities.

The company also offers Creator Central and Creator University. These provide performance insights, tools and learning resources intended to help creators understand their activity and develop their businesses. Together, the initiatives cover different aspects of creator-led commerce, from tracking performance to working with brands and learning how to build an audience.

Amazon said Prime members are three times more likely to shop through creators, highlighting the role its creator programmes play in product discovery and purchasing decisions among its subscription customers. The company did not provide further details alongside this figure about the underlying sample or measurement period.

The growing creator network also raises questions about how brands and platforms will assess commercial performance. Views and likes can indicate audience engagement, but purchases and creator earnings offer a more direct measure of whether content is generating business. Amazon’s reported increases in shoppers, product purchases and earnings suggest that its creator programmes are increasingly being positioned as a sales channel, rather than simply a promotional tool.

For now, the company’s numbers point to a rapidly expanding ecosystem: more than 2 lakh creators in its Influencer Programme, 40 million shoppers influenced and over 100 million products purchased through creator programmes between January and September 2026. The next challenge will be sustaining that growth while ensuring creators can build viable businesses and shoppers continue to find value in their recommendations.

As shopping and entertainment increasingly overlap, Amazon is betting that the next purchase may begin not with a product listing, but with a creator who makes someone stop scrolling.