TikTok Shop's creator affiliate program has grown to 200,000+ active U.S. creators and anchors a platform that processed over $100 billion in global GMV in 2024 — but brands and agencies are increasingly questioning whether its blended economics hold up once platform fees, commission rate competition, and limited customer-data access are factored in.
As Meta CPMs climb and post-iOS 14 attribution remains murky, direct-to-consumer brands are locked in a heated debate about whether referral programs can serve as a primary customer-acquisition channel—or whether they are merely a loyalty tax on customers who would have bought anyway.
Rising ad costs on both Google and Meta are forcing ecommerce marketers to make harder allocation decisions. Benchmark data, Q2 2026 earnings disclosures, and industry reports suggest the two platforms serve different funnel stages — and that treating them as either/or choices consistently underperforms a coordinated strategy.
Frustrated by stubbornly high Meta CPMs and murky Advantage+ reporting, a growing number of direct-to-consumer brands are diverting performance ad dollars into connected television. Early movers in home goods, fitness equipment, personal care, pet care, and subscription food report measurable lift — but the channel demands a patience and planning discipline that conflicts with how most DTC growth teams are wired.
