Instagram Teases Native Affiliate Program, Merch Storefronts, Livestreaming Rewards

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of parent firm Facebook, announced a number of new features in the works to benefit Instagram’s creator community at large during the company’s inaugural Creator Week.

Instagram is currently working on a native affiliate tool that will work with its existing commerce offerings. It will only be available for Checkout-enabled products. Checkout is a tool that allows you to sell straight on Instagram.

The affiliate tool will be available soon. The product will be evaluated among a select group of US creators and a few beauty brands when it launches.

Instagram creators will soon be able to create merch storefronts on their profiles. Creators will be able to add links to existing shops to their personal profiles starting today, which will appear as a new ‘View Shop’ button at the top of the screen.

They also hinted at a new rewards programme for creators who accomplish specific milestones with Stars and Badges, which are virtual prizes earned via livestreaming on Facebook and Instagram, respectively.