The global influencer marketing market is estimated to reach $24 billion by the end of 2024, and changing consumer preferences fuel this record growth. The facts: Modern shoppers don’t want to be talked at or sold to; they want to feel a connection with the brands they choose to endorse.
Enter: content creators.
Content creators are the secret sauce that can make buyers fall in love with your brand, as they engage audiences, help earn their loyalty, and ultimately drive repeat sales. Unsurprisingly, this truth prompted Shopify, an ecommerce platform, to launch a creator management app—called Shopify Collabs.
As a brand, while Shopify Collabs might be top-of-mind (especially if you already sell through their platform), it’s worth considering what other influencer marketing platforms bring to the table. Afluencer Collabs is one of them: a dedicated marketing resource platform that connects creators and brands. This handy guide compares Shopify Collabs vs Afluencer platforms, so you can choose wisely.
Who Needs to Compare Shopify Collabs Alternatives?
Have you struggled with booking influencers? Are you trying to scale your influencer marketing efforts but unsure where to begin? Are you seeking a simpler way to work with influencers? This guide will give you some valuable tips to get you on track to achieving all your influencer marketing goals.
Whether you’re looking for a few influencers or more, we’ll unpack what it takes for your collaboration to reach thousands of influencers worldwide. We’ll guide you to find influencers that match your budget and help you identify the best platform to work with.
While you’ve likely heard of Shopify Collabs, how does it score vs alternatives like Afluencer? Let’s find out.
Ready to Amplify Your Brand?
Ditch the guesswork. Join Afluencer to streamline your influencer collaborations and maximize your brand’s reach!
BOOST BRAND!
How Both Shopify & Afluencer Collabs Work
Before we analyze the pros and cons of each platform, here’s a bird’s eye view of the key differences when we pit Shopify Collabs vs Afluencer.
Getting started
Shopify: Go to the Shopify App Store, find the Shopify Collabs app, and install it.
Afluencer: No app installation is required. All collaborations can be managed directly from the Afluencer website—that’s one less step than Shopify!
Creating an account
Shopify: On the Settings panel in your Shopify app, click on Apps and sales channels, and select Shopify Collabs. Click on ‘Open app’ and accept all the terms and conditions.
Afluencer: Sign up on the Afluencer website, answer a few prompts, and get started right away—no additional technicalities or reading through complex documentation.
Collaborating with influencers/ Connecting and customizations
- Shopify: Shopify Collabs streamlines the influencer collaboration process, but may not offer all the capabilities necessary for merchants who want an extensively customized collaboration environment.
- Afluencer: Influencers can create custom profiles that represent their brands on Afluencer. With custom communication channels, if a mutual match is found, Afluencer introduces the brand’s decision-maker, facilitating tailored, one-on-one conversations.
Afluencer is relatively simpler than Shopify Collabs: no intermediary salespersons, no contracts, and no fees.
Pricing: Shopify Collabs vs Afluencer
Afluencer Pricing
Afluencer offers three plans at different price points, which you can choose from depending on your influencer marketing goals.
The most popular VIP plan starts at $49 per month. Some of the noteworthy features include:
- Feature your brand: Get your brand in front of thousands of Afluencer-verified influencers. Plus, get featured in a popular newsletter.
- Connect with your ideal influencers: Choose influencers from niches like beauty, wellness, lifestyle, travel, and more. Get 2x influencer invitation credits per day. (1 credit = 1 invitation)
- Get introductions to influencers: When there’s a mutual match for your brand, Afluencer makes a personal intro to your new partner.
- Promote your partner program: Afluencer feeds your partner pipeline with quality influencers, ambassadors, and/or affiliates.
- Multiple campaigns: Create simultaneous “collabs” for different products and partner tiers. Manage extra brands too.
- Premium badge for all your brands and collabs: With this badge, your brand profile will stand out to influencers.
Access the full list of VIP plan features here.
The Concierge Plan is priced at $99 per month and is designed to give your brand maximum exposure. In addition to all VIP features, it offers the following:
- 5x influencer invitation credits per day.
- 1x feature in Afluencer’s quarterly newsletter.
- 1x custom video created about your brand’s influencer program.
The Boss Plan ($199/mo) offers the ultimate exposure and customer service from Afluencer.com. In addition to all VIP and Concierge features, its key highlight is a monthly strategy call to review and offer feedback on how to improve your Collabs further.
Shopify Collabs Pricing
Merchants on the Shopify, Advanced, or Shopify Plus plans can use Shopify Collabs for free, as the cost is factored into the monthly subscription fee. Shopify’s plans are priced at $79, $299, and $2,300 per month respectively.
Additionally, all commission payments on Collabs are subject to a 2.9% payment processing fee, payable by the merchant. Additionally, foreign currency exchange fees may apply for merchants when using Shopify Collabs for international collaborations.
Shopify Collabs vs Afluencer: The Key Differences
If you’ve been considering Shopify Collabs but aren’t sure how it ranks up against competitors, we’ve got you covered. Let’s look at how it fares against Afluencer Collabs on some of the most essential parameters.
Setting up & onboarding
Signing up for a Collabs account on Shopify seems complex, even for existing users. The process involves multiple steps that require navigating the Shopify dashboard and the Shopify App Store which might not be straightforward for all.
Specifically, you need to install the Shopify Collabs App from the Shopify App Store and then log into your Shopify store to integrate it back to the dashboard. Collabs’ lengthy sign-up process is, on the whole, quite inconvenient.
To set up an account, users need to read through extensive documentation: the scope of services being offered, costs involved, such as payment processing fees, and obligations of the store owner within the app’s ecosystem.
Conversely, Afluencer’s setup is relatively hassle-free. When you visit the website, you’ll find options to sign up or sign in. New user? Sign up on the app, answer a few prompts, and you’re ready to use the platform. Creators can explore and find potential partnerships without signing up or knowing the full benefits of the platform.
User experience
Shopify Collabs has a fairly intuitive interface. A navigation panel to the left of the screen and multiple settings keep users informed about their accounts. Businesses can discover new creators, find affiliates, shortlist their ideal candidates, and track payments. They can also check which applicants are interested in working with them.
Afluencer has a clean design and a seamless, minimalistic interface. The welcome dashboard has all the essential details about brand campaigns, such as the applications, influencers you may like, your brands, and past saved searches. You can additionally explore the influencer directory to find more influencers.
Functionality
Shopify Collabs offers several features for merchants and creators:
- Merchants have access to an extensive creators’ database.
- Creators can collaborate with millions of brands on the Shopify Collab app.
- Users can track their performance and payments using a data-driven dashboard.
However, many businesses find the curated influencer lists, collaboration tools, and analytics offered by Shopify Collabs overwhelming. The multitude of features and options can be daunting. A learning curve is associated with leveraging the app fully for influencer & affiliate marketing.
Afluencer, in contrast, is a feature-rich tool packed with the essential features that brands and creators need for collaboration. The Afluencer dashboard keeps users updated with past and ongoing campaigns. There are also separate sections to track your sales and creator performance.
Creators can also check collaboration programs directly from the homepage without signing up. Once registered, they’ll get updates about new programs to participate in, making it easier for brands to identify interested creators faster.
It’s worth mentioning that the app’s huge Influencer Directory of 24,000+ creators has powerful search filters to help you always find the most relevant niche creators for your brand. Another great feature is the ability to chat with any of the creators and maintain prompt communication on the same platform.
How Shopify Collabs and Afluencer Can Be Used for Influencer Marketing
Finding brand-fit creators has always challenged marketers and independent store owners. Browsing, vetting, and shortlisting the right creators independently is time-consuming. Getting them the right exposure and building a healthy relationship is an added struggle.
Let’s take a sharper view of how Shopify Collabs and Afluencer can amplify your influencer marketing efforts.
Afluencer Collabs
Afluencer is the digital marketplace where top influencers and brands meet. It’s designed to bring your brand’s vision to life, connecting you with the perfect influencers to amplify your success. Whether you’re trying to boost brand awareness, drive sales, or expand your reach, Afluencer’s curated network of influencers can help you unlock the potential of influencer marketing for your brand.
Let’s look at the three key benefits brands can expect from Afluencer Collabs:
1. Connect with your ideal influencers
Afluencer has A-list influencer partners creating content in 71 different interests, from beauty to wellness, lifestyle, music and dance, and beyond.
Brands can access verified influencers, micro-influencers, nano-influencers, and creators with real followers who can cater to different market segments and campaign goals. The influencer discovery feature lets you search through influencers to find your ideal partnership. You can filter, sort, and invite influencers in your niche to join your campaign.
The best part? Influencers can come directly to you. If they find your collaboration matches their interests, they can apply to see if they are a match. Influencers can search and apply for collaborations directly from their dashboard.
Working with multiple influencers? Use Afluencer to manage invitations, relationships, and more on one platform.
2. Quick Collab application process
Afluencer offers a streamlined collaboration process. Brands can apply with just the click of a button, making initiating partnerships quick and easy. Set criteria by interests, followers, channels, and more to find the perfect partnership. Set up pay-per-post or commission-based collabs where influencers can apply to join.
Review your shortlisted influencers’ profiles and social assets, and evaluate their engagement scores and other insights. When you’re ready, negotiate a deal with them. Afluencer allows you to create and manage up to 100 Collabs across your brand portfolio.
3. Influencer relationship management
Once you pick the right influencers for your marketing needs, Afluencer lets you direct message them and explore new partner opportunities in the chatroom. Brands can keep track of their partnerships, invitations, contracts, payments, and more, right from the Afluencer dashboard.
4. Promote your brand and collab
When you choose Afluencer, your brand, and Collab get to appear on the Afluencer podcast. The podcast is published on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and the Afluencer YouTube channel, ensuring it reaches a wide, captive audience. Afluencer also features your brand in its quarterly newsletter, so you can be sure your brand is visible and top-of-mind among creators and influencers in its exclusive network.
5. Performance tracking
Afluencer provides brands with tools and analytics to measure the performance of their collaborations accurately, including reach, engagement and much more. These insights enable brands to understand their ROI, iterate their strategies, and make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.
Shopify Collabs
With Shopify Collabs, brands can find creators, manage their marketing campaigns effortlessly, and stay on top of expenses. The app helps streamline the process of working with creators.
Let’s look at the three key benefits brands can expect from Shopify Collabs:
1. Discover niche creators from a marketplace
Shopify Collabs’ Creator Marketplace is a database of creators from various niches and channels, picked by the Shopify team. Any brand can set up an account and create an application form for creators interested in collaborating.
Alternatively, brands can search the database to find creators that check the boxes. Merchants can filter profiles by target audience, follower size, channel, and more. So, you only need to shortlist the most promising profiles and start a conversation.
2. Hire and manage creator relationships
With Collabs, store owners can search from thousands of candidates, and then partner with their selected creators directly from the platform.
Collabs generates customized insights so brands can optimize their campaigns for maximum impact. Use these to frame creator guidelines and set campaign metrics. Additionally, it gives you unique links and discount codes so you can work with multiple creators simultaneously and track their output.
3. Win affiliate sales and track payments
Shopify Collabs simplifies affiliate relationships. Get a comprehensive view of your affiliates’ sales; the app automatically calculates commissions for each. Additionally, you can pay affiliates directly from the platform. It generates analytics for each affiliate’s progress so you can reward high performers.
Collabs handles the essentials, so you don’t need to hire a large affiliate marketing team.
How to Decide Which Platform: Shopify Collabs vs Afluencer
While Shopify Collabs is a worthy addition to Shopify’s product portfolio, we must remember that it’s a tag-along app to what is essentially an e-commerce platform. Afluencer, on the other hand, is a feature-packed platform solely for influencer marketing. It has been conceptualized, designed, and built to address every need in the influencer-marketing ecosystem.
Additionally, you may need to consider some of the main drawbacks of Shopify Collabs:
Compatibility Concerns
While Shopify Collabs is tailored to Shopify users, businesses using a different platform (like WooCommerce or Magento) may find integration with the platform difficult. This may require you to explore alternative collaboration platforms. Unfortunately, a disjointed collaboration experience could impact your ability to achieve your desired outcomes.
Limited Customization Options
Although Shopify Collabs simplifies collaboration, it has certain limitations in terms of customization. You may need to rely on third-party tools, such as third-party CSS or HTML tools to customize the look and feel of your collaboration portal. This poses a challenge for businesses with limited resources as it’s time-consuming and may require technical expertise.
Potential for Increased Competition
While collaborations with other businesses can unlock opportunities, it could also increase competition. By partnering with businesses in your industry, you might inadvertently give them insights into your business strategies and operations.
For example, collaborating to launch a new product means your competitor might gain insights into your customer base, pricing strategies, and marketing tactics. This would give them a competitive advantage and make it more challenging for your business to stand out in the crowded marketplace.
Why Afluencer Wins vs Shopify Collabs
Signing up for a Shopify Collabs account is complex. It involves a multi-step process with various settings and terms to navigate, and sophisticated tools to master. Some of the platform’s shortcomings also include the absence of email customization and no multi-language feature. Users on the app store report frequent glitches related to poor loading times, integrations with social platforms, and others.
Afluencer wins on multiple attributes: quick setup and ease of use, a large database of active influencers, and a dedicated support team. Another key advantage is that where Shopify Collabs only allows you to connect with micro-influencers directly, Afluencer lets you connect with any influencer via direct messaging.
The clincher, for us, is that Afluencer is a dedicated platform for influencer marketing. It has been thoughtfully designed around the needs of influencers and brands and effortlessly facilitates interactions between both sides.
Frustrated with Shopify Collabs?
Simplify your influencer search. Partner with Afluencer to find the perfect match hassle-free!
GET RESULTS!
Install the Afluencer app for Shopify here.