Indian influencers earn 35 per cent more from product sales as affiliate commerce gains ground

MUMBAI: Influencers are no longer just chasing likes. They’re cashing in on carts. Indian content creators increased their earnings from selling branded products by more than 35 per cent in the first half of 2026, as affiliate commerce and performance-based partnerships became a bigger source of income, according to a study by Trendweave.

The creator monetisation platform, part of Mitgo Group, analysed more than four million purchases made through influencer recommendations and found that sales of products and services via creators rose over 28 per cent year-on-year. Travel, online services and fashion recorded the fastest growth in creator earnings during the period.

The report suggests that India’s mobile-first digital ecosystem continues to make social commerce an increasingly attractive revenue stream, with shopping tools on platforms such as Instagram helping influencers convert followers into customers more effectively.

Fashion remained the largest contributor to creator income, accounting for 30 per cent of total affiliate earnings. It was followed by home goods (13 per cent), household appliances and electronics (11 per cent), personal care and pharmacy products (10 per cent), sports goods (7 per cent), child products (5 per cent), online services (5 per cent), plane tickets (4 per cent), entertainment and event tickets (4 per cent), financial products (3 per cent) and hotel bookings (3 per cent).

Among the fastest-growing categories, earnings from plane ticket sales surged 42 per cent, while online services, including business software, education and delivery platforms, grew 40 per cent. Revenue from financial products climbed 35 per cent, followed by books at 25 per cent and fashion at 23 per cent.

The study also found that creators are branching out into less crowded niches instead of competing in saturated categories. While the number of fashion influencers declined by nearly one-third during the period, creators focusing on online services increased by 20 per cent, followed by books and stationery (16 per cent), sporting goods (14 per cent) and travel products (10 per cent).

When it comes to consumer spending, followers on Instagram recorded the highest average purchase value at more than $31 per order. Pinterest users followed closely at around $30, while purchases through Telegram averaged $27. Average order values were lower on Facebook ($21.8), X ($18.7) and YouTube ($15).

Commenting on the findings, Mitgo Group APAC managing director Samrat Dutta said the industry is rapidly moving towards hybrid monetisation models that combine fixed campaign fees with affiliate commissions, performance-based partnerships and ambassador programmes. He added that the number of influencer partners in India on Trendweave increased by 15 per cent in 2026.

Looking ahead, Trendweave expects creators to continue shifting towards specialised content categories while performance marketing gains further traction. The company estimates that sales generated through Indian influencers could grow by more than 30 per cent by the end of 2026, with creator earnings rising by over 45 per cent as the year’s peak shopping season approaches.