Fourteen years ago, Amber Venz Box set out to solve a problem she experienced firsthand as a fashion blogger: how to turn influence into income. The solution became LTK, a fashion tech company that drives $6 billion in annual sales and powers the creator economy. Two years later, she launched LTK Con, the invite-only Dallas conference that has since grown into one of the most influential gatherings in the creator-marketing world.
“I feel like LTK raised me,” Venz Box shared with Because of Marketing at this year’s event. From a bootstrapped startup to a global platform, LTK now partners with 7,000 brands and has helped nearly 400 women become millionaires through its ecosystem.
At the 13th annual conference, more than 350 creators, brand executives, and marketing leaders convened to discuss the future of influence in a creator economy projected to reach $500 billion by 2027.
One theme dominated the three-day event: trust.
“Our mission has always been the same: to make creators economically successful…five years from now, I see brands spending the majority of their marketing budgets on creators through LTK. That’s the future of advertising.”
Amber Venz Box, CEO and President of LTK.
The LTK Marketing Funnel
The numbers are hard to ignore. Creator-driven commerce isn’t just aspirational content, it’s conversion. According to Venz Box, 70% of consumers already purchase based on creator recommendations, with brand spend on creator marketing surpassing $3 billion.
Kristi O’Brien, LTK’s Chief Revenue Officer, framed the company’s advantage as both cultural and commercial:
“Historically, creator marketing platforms sat in two buckets, affiliate or upper funnel. What makes LTK unique is that we bring it all together. We can drive sales, but we can also deliver awareness and consideration.”
That model has reshaped consumer opportunities, as half of all LTK sales now come through its app, which converts at four times the rate of other digital channels. For brands, the takeaway is clear: creators aren’t just storytellers, they’re sales drivers.
New Tools for Brands
True to tradition, LTK Con gave attendees a first look at new product launches previewing how the company is reshaping the relationship between creators, brands, and consumers.
The first: LTK Brand Profiles. For the first time, brands can build and engage audiences directly within the app. With 40 million monthly shoppers, profiles let companies curate creator content, showcase products, and connect with consumers through features like messaging.
Ulta, Reformation, Quince, and Dorsey will be among the first to launch next month.
“With Brand Profiles, retailers can now curate how they appear, showcase creator partnerships, and build community directly on LTK.”
Amber Venz Box, CEO and President of LTK.
The second: free access to LTK’s brand platform. Now available with unlimited seats, it opens creator content, analytics, messaging, and campaign tools to brands of all sizes.
Together, the updates underscore a broader ambition: to make LTK not just a marketplace, but a real-time space where brands, creators, and consumers connect. With nearly 40% of U.S. Gen Z and Millennial women already on the app, the potential impact is significant.
Connection, Context, Community
If the numbers speak to scale, the conversations at LTK Con reflected the human dimension of influence.
“Even though creators are digital-first, it can be a very lonely job. Events like this are almost like a battery — they recharge creators with inspiration, support, and human connection,”
Kit Ulrich, LTK’s Chief Experience Officer.
That ethos extends to the company’s business model. “We only make money alongside our creators. Our incentives are truly aligned with helping them build their businesses, which isn’t true of every platform,” Ulrich added.
Each year, the LTK Awards celebrate creators not only for sales metrics but for their ability to inspire their audience and community. “Awards are about showing what’s possible,” O’Brien explained. “When creators see others succeed, it creates that spark to lean in and realise this can become their full-time career.”
Nowadays, it’s difficult to attend a marketing conference without the discussion of AI. As artificial intelligence reshapes content creation, LTK is betting on authenticity as its differentiator. Speaking with all three executives, there was a clear consensus that AI helps with efficiency but LTK wins on creating genuine human connection.
For Venz Box, the principle is non-negotiable:
“In an AI-saturated world, authentic human connection becomes even more valuable.”
Not a Storefront. A Story
The future of creator commerce, LTK leaders argued, isn’t static storefronts but leaning into storytelling.
“Consumers don’t want just a product link — they want to know the story, the context, the lifestyle behind it. That’s what creators provide, and that’s what drives commerce,” Venz Box said.
Video, in particular, is seen as the next growth frontier. “Video is the most authentic way to show your full life. Don’t overthink it — the human, unfiltered moments are what break through,” Ulrich advised.
That belief is backed by data: consumer trust in creators has grown 20% year-over-year. For brands, the conclusion is unmistakable, creators are no longer an add-on to the media plan. “They are the media plan.”
The Future For LTK
Looking forward, LTK executives envision a platform that removes every barrier between brands and creators while leveraging AI to enhance, not replace, human creativity.
“A year from now, I want to be able to say we’ve removed every piece of friction between brands and creators. If we’re not doing that, and using AI to help, then we’ve done it wrong,” said O’Brien.
For Ulrich, the long-term vision is broader: “A year from now, I want LTK to be the destination for all creators — a truly human-centric platform where consumers, brands, and creators connect authentically.”
As the creator economy accelerates toward half a trillion dollars, LTK is positioning itself at the center of the ecosystem, bridging storytelling, sales, and trust. Or as founder Amber Venz Box summarised it:
“Our goal is to be the destination for all creators, a truly human-centric platform where consumers, brands, and creators connect authentically.”
Download the LTK app in the App Store or Google Play. For updates, follow @ltk.hq on Instagram and @shopltk on X and LTK on LinkedIn.
