TikTok Shop formalises affiliates

TikTok Shop has replaced its old affiliate “Plans” workflow with an “Affiliate Collaboration” system that spells out how sellers recruit creators and run commissions. (seller-vn.tiktok.com) TikTok’s seller academy says the collaboration feature was “formerly known as Plans,” and a U.S. setup guide dated April 2, 2026 now walks sellers through the new structure in Seller Center. (seller-vn.tiktok.com) (seller-us.tiktok.com) The feature has two tracks. Open Collaboration lets all eligible creators find products, while Target Collaboration lets sellers invite specific creators and set commissions on selected items from 1% to 80%. (seller-us.tiktok.com) That gives TikTok Shop a more explicit operating model for affiliate commerce: sellers can choose broad distribution, one-to-one creator outreach, approval controls, batch product adds, and free-sample management from the same affiliate center. (seller-us.tiktok.com) TikTok has been pushing this model as a sales channel, not just an influencer marketplace. Its U.S. affiliate page tells sellers to “find creators to promote your products” and says commission is paid only when a sale is made. (business.tiktokshop.com) The company has also tied affiliate posts directly into paid advertising. TikTok Ads says affiliate videos can be authorized for TikTok Shop Ads, and Seller Center can report gross merchandise value attributed across both ads and affiliates. (ads.tiktok.com) That means a creator video can now move through several layers of TikTok’s commerce stack: product discovery in affiliate search, promotion through a seller collaboration, reuse in Shop Ads, and sales measurement inside a shared report. (ads.tiktok.com) (seller-us.tiktok.com) TikTok is still updating the surrounding rules as it builds that system out. A seller policy roundup updated on April 2, 2026 lists March and April 2026 changes to affiliate marketing qualification requirements and product-specific eligibility updates. (seller-vn.tiktok.com) The result is a more formal affiliate infrastructure inside TikTok Shop: creator recruitment, commission setting, sample handling, ad authorization, and conversion tracking now sit inside documented workflows instead of a looser “Plans” label. (seller-vn.tiktok.com) (ads.tiktok.com)