Fixed fee or commission? How creator pay is shifting in India

India's two biggest marketplaces now run their own creator programmes, and both pay mainly on results. That is changing how creators expect to be paid, and how brands should structure deals. According to Lapaas Voice, Storyboard18 reported on 2 November 2026 that established influencers are now asking Amazon and Flipkart for guaranteed fees instead of commissions alone.

How big is Amazon's creator programme in India?

Amazon said on 21 October 2026 that its Influencer Programme in India has grown to more than two lakh creators, about double a year earlier, as Telangana Today reported. Creators can tag Amazon products in YouTube and Pinterest content and earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Amazon said creators helped close to 40 million customers shop on Amazon.in this year. Nidhi Thakkar, who heads Amazon Social Commerce for emerging marketplaces, described the aim as helping creators turn "passion into entrepreneurship."

The numbers move fast. In September, Indian Startup News put Amazon's creator base at about 1.65 lakh, so treat any single count as a snapshot.

What is Amazon Creator Connections?

Launched in India on 8 September 2026, Creator Connections matches creators with campaigns from about 50,000 advertisers selling on Amazon. The key change is that it pays for clicks and engagement, not only completed sales. It is rolling out in phases, starting with 5,000 selected creators, per Indian Startup News. Amazon has not published its per-click rate. The same report says Influencer Programme commissions vary by category and can reach 10% on some products, and that Amazon puts nearly 70% of creator-led purchases outside the metros.

What did Flipkart launch with Meta?

In June 2026, Flipkart Group announced that Flipkart and Myntra had joined Meta's affiliate programme. Creators can tag their products in Facebook posts and Reels and earn a commission on each sale, with Instagram named as the next phase. The programme is open to micro and nano creators, and brands and sellers choose which products to feature and set their own commission rates.

Why do established creators want guaranteed fees?

Commission-only pay shifts all the risk to the creator. A creator with a loyal audience still spends days on scripting, shooting and editing, and a post can build trust and recall without converting on the same click. Lapaas Voice notes that platforms prefer performance pay because it is measurable, cheap upfront and easy to scale, while larger creators want income they can plan around. Both sides have a point: commissions reward creators who sell, fixed fees reward creators who build attention.

We could not open Storyboard18's original report, so the details of the guaranteed-fee push here come from Lapaas Voice's account of it.

Which pay model should a brand choose?

• Fixed fee suits launches, awareness and premium creators whose value is reach and credibility.
• Commission or affiliate suits products with a clear buy link, low price and many small creators.
• Cost per click suits traffic goals, but only if you can check clicks yourself.
• Hybrid (a smaller fixed fee plus a bonus on sales or clicks) is what most mid-tier deals now land on.

Our take from Delhi

Commission-only offers put all the risk on the creator, so creators with a real audience tend to treat them as low priority, and the content can show it. Marketplace programmes are useful for long-tail reach at low cost, but they do not replace paid deals for launches or local campaigns. We would budget a modest fixed fee for every creator you actually need, add a clear sales or click bonus, and agree the tracking link and reporting window in writing before the post goes live.