Will influencer storefronts replace e-commerce? In the post-AI era, content creators are back in vogue

By now, the creator economy is a complex and crowded labyrinth. To sell, it’s no longer enough to get paid by brands to sponsor their products; this has led to the birth of affiliate link archives - real online stores where influencers can upload everything they’ve worn and earn a percentage on sales - the so-called affiliate links. The concept was born years ago, but in recent months many new platforms have emerged, such as Vette, even backed by Condé Nast. Sephora launched My Sephora Storefront, a selling method similar to what content creators use on Amazon, while others like Fflow and Vylit are independent from brands and offer more freedom to individual users.

«Vylit blends the best of social media, subscription platforms, and enhanced discovery into one seamless experience,» reads Vylit’s homepage, «an 18+ space that feels like your own; private when you want it to be, public when you don’t.» Considering the turbulent period that e-commerce worldwide is facing - from the bankruptcy of SSENSE to the closure of MatchesFashion - it really seems that the future of online shopping is in the hands of influencers, the shopkeepers of the new millennium. Unless, of course, this new method of consumption also ends up tiring followers.

It was 2023 when the influencer archives began to take shape - endless lists of affiliate links that allowed them to earn more than traditional brand partnerships. «Stop working for them and start working for yourself,» read the mission statement of Shop My Look, one of the first archive platforms adopted primarily by Elsa Hosk and Devon Lee Carlson, now loved by hundreds of influencers. The rise of site builders like Shop My Look’s may indicate two critical aspects of influencer marketing: first, that online creators are starting to move away from Meta platforms toward independent alternatives, and second, that consumers are indeed seeking more authentic ways to shop online.

A brand’s advertisement is no longer enough to convince a customer to buy an item, partly because of AI and the oversaturation of ads seen daily on screens. Sure, artificial intelligence can make recommendations based on algorithms - there are already AI stylists - but one thing computers can’t yet be taught is good taste. Quite different from any e-commerce, affiliate link archives are minimalistic, lacking many graphic or stylistic details, but the curation by content creators and influencers provides a level of intimacy between fans and influencers unmatched by any aesthetically perfect store. It’s a different way of shopping that could truly rewrite the creator economy market.

Shopping, when guided by an influencer, is simpler, as there’s a strong emotional involvement. In contrast to the coldness of e-commerce and the impersonality of artificial intelligence, buying on the advice of a content creator preserves the sense of attention and care that for centuries have driven consumers to purchase. Data shows that, after the early 2024 phenomenon of «influencer fatigue,» the relationship between audiences and content creators is paradoxically healing thanks to the drift of the internet and algorithms: according to CreatorIQ, from August 2024 to August 2025, the marketing sector has invested 171% more in content creators compared to the previous twelve months.