How GMV Max is changing the TikTok Shop ads game

Back in January, I said GMV Max could be a game-changer.

Now it’s official: GMV Max is the only ad option available starting this month.

And it’s changing how brands use advertising to scale on TikTok Shop, but it will actually change how brands work with TikTok Shop affiliates!

In this week’s Insider Tok, I’ll share how this changes the game for sellers who want to scale on TikTok Shop.

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1. But first things first, what is GMV Max?

It's an AI-powered ad campaign format that automatically finds the best ad creative for the best placement to maximize your sales. It pulls in all your organic, paid, and affiliate creatives, then tests and allocates budget toward whatever moves the most units within your target ROI range.

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It runs across all major placements, from the Shop Tab and For You Feed to product card ads and search.

TikTok Shop will sunset the other ad formats.

This is a shift toward speed, volume, and trust in the algo.

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2. How is GMV Max impacting your affiliate strategy?

It’s no longer just about recruiting hundreds of affiliates and putting up high commissions.

It's no longer a spray-and-pray game.

The game is now to first find the hooks and storylines that stop-scroll viewers and convert them into buyers.

The game is to prioritize fewer, but highly converting affiliates, and let go of those affiliates simply hopping on every trending sound and such.

As mentioned in our previous edition, this is where an Affiliate Creative Strategist becomes critical. This person should work closely with your affiliate network—supporting them, iterating hooks, and tracking performance. Without someone dedicated to this feedback loop, you risk producing content that doesn’t convert, especially under GMV Max optimization.

Case study: Drink Nello identified top-performing content formats first, then partnered with select creators to replicate those instantly. See here.

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3. Affiliates must step up! It’s no longer a numbers game

Posting 3x a day will not work with GMV Max if it’s not converting. Double down on high-converting affiliates with strong calls to action, proven hooks, and content formats.

For affiliates: they will need to become more competitive in selling, because brands will start to look into quality + GMV conversion capability, rather than posting volume. Once your brand hires them, good affiliates need to learn about your content funnel, understand your brand goals, and adapt fast.

Smart affiliates will build longer-lasting relationships with the brands that work for them. As Mike Rama, founder of the Brands Meet Creators agency explains in his debrief video on the impact of GMV Max-only ad campaign: affiliates and sellers alike will see a squeeze on their margin. For affiliates, it will mean smaller sales commissions.

Smaller sales commissions will drive affiliates to produce videos that drive more performance, i.e., GMV.

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4. Sellers must upgrade their affiliate strategy once again.

In our last edition, we deciphered this equation:

Success = constant testing → rapid feedback → fast iteration.

Brands should treat affiliates as team members within this creative engine.

You should build deeper relationships: educate, expose, and empower affiliates.

The closer the connection, the better the output (and conversion).

My new stock phrase: DTC brands need to set aside some budget to market their brand to creators. Like tech startups that developed their "employer brand" to attract talent before the AI boom, DTC and CPG brands alike should develop their "creator brand" to attract the best creators and affiliates. It’s about building a community, adding value, and sharing purpose.

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Key takeaway:

If your brand isn’t already building a tight, feedback-driven affiliate engine, you’re about to get outpaced.

This new AI-led default rewards teams who move fast, create smart, and build a creator brand.

Is your brand and team ready?

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