Meta leans into creator-led commerce in Apac

[SINGAPORE] Meta is leaning into creator-led commerce as it scales up its products in Asia-Pacific, the group said in a briefing on Thursday (Aug 13).

Through Meta’s affiliate partnership programme, over 10 million Apac creators in the past year have connected their Facebook account to retail partners, including Shopee, Lazada, Flipkart and Myntra.

These creators generated over US$24 million in commissions from Jun 29 to Jul 26 on Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Apac played a huge part in Meta’s growth in Q2, with revenue rising 28 per cent to US$60.8 billion from US$47.5 billion in Q2 2025, said Benjamin Joe, vice-president, Apac at Meta.

About 50 per cent of shoppers in Apac turn to social media for inspiration, compared with the global average of 37 per cent, he added, citing an Ipsos study commissioned by Meta. Shoppers who discover products on Meta spend 1.3 times more in Apac compared with any other region.

“People aren’t just scrolling here, they’re actually shopping,” said Joe.

Creators are also more trusted here in Apac than anywhere else in the world – at six percentage points higher than the global average, he added.

Meta wants to make product discovery and purchase more seamless for users, through products such as live video ads, which feature creators’ livestreams as ads. These are important for the Apac market, where the majority of people watch a livestream every week, said Joe.

“It’s like getting a personal recommendation from a friend, except thousands of people are watching at the same time and they can all buy on the spot,” he added. Meta has been testing affiliate ads to make it easier for brands and creators to work together.

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Creators can also add a product to Instagram Reels, making it easier for users to buy it. These Reels will have a shopping icon with a “commission eligible” label indicating that creators will earn from such purchases, said Joe.

Brands can also ask for permission to use creators’ content as ads, which further amplifies unique and organic content by creators, he added.

“This is not a collection of products. It’s an ecosystem that turns discovery into action,” said Joe.