Shopify Collabs just paused new creator signups — here’s your 48‑hour brand‑deal reroute for Black Friday week

What changed — and why it matters this weekend

• Official status: New creator signups to Collabs are paused. Existing Collabs creators retain access; merchants can still invite creators directly or accept applications via a store’s application page. ^[2]
• Payout friction to watch: Automatic Collabs payouts may include a 2.9% processing fee — factor this into EPC math when comparing alternatives. Recent App Store reviews (Nov 13) also flag noise in creator applications, which hints at tightening merchant filtering in Q4. ^[3]

The 48‑hour reroute: 4 fast channels you can switch on now

1) YouTube Shopping Affiliate (shoppable video at scale)

• Eligibility: YouTube has expanded Shopping affiliate access to eligible U.S. creators in YPP with 20,000+ subscribers. ^[4]
• Supply side strength: YouTube reported 5x GMV growth YoY and 500,000+ creators enrolled by July 2025 — meaning more merchants and more offers to tag right now. ^[5]
• How to start today:
  • Open the new Affiliate Hub to view partners, posted commission rates, and request samples; build your first Collection in Studio and tag products in new and back‑catalog videos. ^[6]
  • If you sell with Shopify: many brands are onboarded via the Google & YouTube app, which broadened merchant eligibility — more SKUs you can tag this weekend. ^[7]

2) ShopMy’s creator‑led shopping site (fast, curated storefronts)

• Scale and signal: ShopMy processes about $80M in monthly sales, has 175,000 creators and 1,000+ brand partners, and now runs a consumer‑facing shopping destination that turns creator curation into ongoing earnings. ^[8]
• Action today: Build topic‑based lists (“$50 hostess gifts,” “Derm‑approved actives”) and cross‑post your lists to Shorts/Reels with a clear “open my ShopMy list” CTA.

3) Sephora “My Sephora Storefront” (beauty‑specific, brand‑owned)

• What it is: An integrated creator storefront on Sephora.com/app with curated collections, analytics, and evergreen commissions — keeps shoppers in Sephora’s ecosystem. ^[9]
• Why now: Beauty spend spikes over Black Friday/Cyber Monday; curated bundles (routine stacks, shade matches) convert better than lone product links.

4) Shopify’s Shop Campaigns (for creators who also sell — or who consult for brands)

• For merchants you advise (or your own brand): Shop Campaigns is a CPA‑style acquisition program inside the Shop channel. U.S. and Canada buyers earn 1% Shop Cash on Shop Pay purchases; merchants can boost via targeted offers. Creators can negotiate a performance fee tied to campaign lift. ^[10]
• Billing and attribution specifics: Orders tagged “Shop Cash Offer Acquired” are attributed to the campaign and billed accordingly — align your fee model to that attribution. ^[11]

Smart stacking: pair discovery with conversion

• Discovery boost: Pinterest is auto‑ingesting high‑quality LTK creator posts into feeds during a pilot — an extra surface for your gift guides to travel without extra effort. Repurpose your LTK images and link out to your YouTube Shopping Collection or ShopMy list. ^[12]
• Tactical spend levers: Impact.com’s 2025 holiday data shows 46% of Gen Z/Millennials plan to use AI to find deals and 32% of shoppers expect to use BNPL this season — feature price‑comparison hooks and BNPL callouts in captions to lift conversion. ^[13]

Comparison: fastest alternatives if Collabs onboarding is closed

Playbook: 48 hours to rebuild your Q4 revenue

Hour 0–6: Lock supply and surfaces

• Apply/confirm access to YouTube Shopping Affiliate; open Affiliate Hub; request samples only for products you can film by Sunday. ^[18]
• Stand up a ShopMy list (or two): “Under‑$50 stocking stuffers” and “1‑minute bathroom upgrades.” ^[19]
• If you have beauty audience, begin My Sephora Storefront onboarding; compile 12‑item routine bundles. ^[20]

Hour 6–18: Produce high‑intent shoppable content

• Film 3 quick formats:
  • Longform anchor (6–8 min) with on‑screen tags and a pinned Collection. ^[21]
  • Two Shorts “deal explainers” with price overlays and a BNPL mention if relevant. ^[22]
  • Image carousels for LTK/Pinterest with comparison shots; let Pinterest’s pilot amplify distribution. ^[23]
• Script beats that answer: Who is this for? What problem does it solve this week? What’s the “why now” (limited colorways, bundle pricing, or Shop Cash boosts)? ^[24]

Hour 18–36: Conversion layering

• Build a single “Holiday Collection” in YouTube Shopping; mirror the exact lineup in ShopMy; use identical titles/thumbnails so viewers connect the dots across surfaces. ^[25]
• Pin the Collection to your Store tab, description, and first comment; add timestamps so tags trigger at peak mention moments. ^[26]

Hour 36–48: Distribution and retargeting

• Re‑share your top two LTK images to Pinterest (pilot ingestion adds extra reach) with a CTA back to your YouTube Collection. ^[27]
• If you advise a merchant: spin up a Shop Campaign targeted to lapsed buyers and align your creator performance fee to attributed Shop Campaign orders. ^[28]

Pricing and payout notes creators ask me about

• Collabs payout processing: Automatic payouts can carry a 2.9% processing fee. If you’re still on Collabs via invite, bake that into your EPC. ^[29]
• YouTube Shopping thresholds: Broad U.S. affiliate access is available to YPP creators with 20k+ subs; merchants and features continue to expand. ^[30]
• Program scale: YouTube cites 5x GMV growth YoY and 500k+ enrolled creators — a practical signal that tagging supply and brand demand are robust for Q4. ^[31]
• Shop ecosystem: U.S./Canada buyers earn 1% Shop Cash on eligible Shop Pay purchases; this can meaningfully lift conversion on Shop Campaigns offers. ^[32]

If one door closes before Black Friday, monetize the hallway. Your job isn’t to wait on approvals — it’s to route demand to the highest‑yield checkout you can control this week.

Actionable takeaways