How Shopee’s Affiliate Program Is Helping Filipino Small Businesses Turn Creators Into Customers

From relatable product reviews to everyday demonstrations, Shopee is helping Filipino MSMEs reach more shoppers, build consumer trust, and grow their online sales through creator partnerships.

A small business can have an excellent product, competitive prices, and a promising idea, but getting customers to notice it is another challenge altogether.

For many Filipino micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), reaching the right audience can be difficult, especially when marketing budgets are limited. Traditional advertising may generate visibility, but it does not always give shoppers the personal connection or practical information they need before making a purchase.

This is where content creators are making a difference.

Through Shopee’s Affiliate Program, local businesses can work with creators who introduce products to their audiences through relatable videos, honest recommendations, and everyday demonstrations. Instead of relying solely on traditional advertisements, sellers can let people show how their products look, work, and fit into real-life routines.

The result is a more personal shopping experience that benefits both sides. Businesses gain opportunities to connect with potential customers, while creators can earn commissions by promoting products they genuinely believe in.

The approach is already delivering promising results. Affiliate-driven traffic and sales on Shopee have grown by more than 1.5 times, highlighting how creator partnerships are becoming an increasingly valuable part of online retail in the Philippines.

For three homegrown businesses, Herah, Hyperbrands, and B Coffee Co., the program has opened different opportunities to connect with shoppers and turn engaging content into actual purchases.

Herah Shows How Simple Product Demonstrations Can Drive Sales

For Filipino innerwear brand Herah, one of the biggest marketing challenges was finding a way to communicate the value of its products beyond what shoppers could see in an online listing.

The brand creates comfortable, well-designed essentials for Filipina women, but explaining product features through photos and written descriptions alone was not always enough.

Then came an unexpected breakthrough.

An affiliate creator posted a video demonstrating how Herah's nipple covers could be washed using ordinary dishwashing liquid. It was a simple demonstration, but it answered a practical question that potential customers might have had before buying. The video quickly gained attention and generated an unexpected increase in sales.

The experience showed Herah that effective marketing does not always require celebrities or creators with massive followings. Sometimes, an authentic demonstration from someone who knows how to present a product can make a much stronger impression.

With Shopee's Affiliate Program, Herah began working with niche creators and using performance data to understand which content formats and partnerships generated the best results. As its affiliate network expanded, the company eventually established a dedicated internal team to manage creator collaborations.

For the brand, every recommendation also represents a responsibility to its customers.

“Hindi ka mapapahiya when you recommend Herah. When someone recommends us to their friends, family, and followers, they’re putting their own reputation behind the product. We want to make sure we deserve that trust,” said Ryan Uy, CEO of Herah.

Hyperbrands Uses Creator Feedback to Strengthen Its Pet Care Brands

For pet owners, choosing food and treats is rarely just about attractive packaging or catchy product descriptions. They want to know whether a product is safe, effective, and worth buying for their beloved pets.

Hyperbrands, the company behind pet-care brands Dentalight and Moochie, understands how much firsthand recommendations matter to this audience.

Through affiliate partnerships, the company works with creators who are often pet owners themselves. They can share their experiences with products, demonstrate how their pets respond to treats, and offer relatable insights that fellow pet lovers can appreciate.

These personal stories help shoppers understand products in a way that conventional advertisements may not always achieve.

But Hyperbrands does not leave its strategy to guesswork. The team uses Shopee's affiliate performance data to evaluate creator content, identify which formats attract shoppers, and determine which collaborations generate meaningful results.

Some videos have even outperformed the company's initial expectations, showing that fresh creative approaches can lead to opportunities that brands might otherwise overlook.

For Hyperbrands, every campaign offers another opportunity to learn, improve, and find better ways to connect with pet owners.

“Those moments remind us that there is always more to learn. Even when we think we have found a winning approach, creators bring fresh ideas that encourage us to keep experimenting and exploring,” said Luis Gan, CEO of Hyperbrands.

B Coffee Co. Makes Premium Home Coffee More Approachable Through Creators

Not every product sells through a quick demonstration. Sometimes, shoppers first need to understand why they might want or need it in their everyday lives.

That was the opportunity for B Coffee Co., a Filipino-owned coffee capsule brand established in 2020 with a mission to make premium coffee more accessible.

The company offers barista-quality coffee at the press of a button, giving consumers a more convenient and affordable way to enjoy their favorite coffee at home.

However, for shoppers unfamiliar with coffee machines and capsule systems, product specifications alone may not be enough to convince them to make a purchase.

B Coffee Co. found an effective way to bridge that gap through creator content.

Instead of simply listing machine features or describing coffee flavors, affiliates showed how the products could become part of an ordinary day. From preparing a morning cup before work to enjoying coffee beside a laptop, these videos helped shoppers picture how convenient home brewing could be.

The difference is that creators do more than explain what a product does. They help potential buyers understand how it could improve their daily routines.

“A product listing can explain what a coffee machine does. A creator can show why you would want one beside your laptop or on your kitchen counter,” said Miguel Guerrero, CEO of B Coffee.

Another advantage is that shoppers can purchase products directly on Shopee after watching affiliate content. This creates a more convenient journey, allowing customers to move from seeing a product to considering it and completing their purchase without leaving the platform.

“For a growing brand, having inspiration and checkout in the same journey is powerful,” Guerrero added.

Beyond its existing affiliate partnerships, B Coffee Co. has also participated in Shopee's KOLLAB, an initiative that brings businesses and creators together to build new working relationships.

Shopee KOLLAB Opens More Doors for Filipino MSMEs and Creators

While brands like Herah, Hyperbrands, and B Coffee Co. have already seen the benefits of affiliate marketing, building the right creator network can still feel overwhelming for businesses that are just getting started.

Finding creators who understand a product, connect with its target audience, and produce engaging content takes time and effort.

To help address this challenge, Shopee introduced KOLLAB, an initiative designed to bring sellers and creators together through opportunities for direct networking and potential collaborations.

In 2026, Shopee organized more than 30 KOLLAB events, connecting over 100 brands with more than 500 creators and affiliates.

Importantly, these opportunities are not limited to businesses based in Metro Manila. Shopee has also brought KOLLAB to Cebu and Davao, partnering with local creator networks to help brands connect with content creators who understand their communities and regional audiences.

This regional approach gives MSMEs more opportunities to build meaningful partnerships with creators who can communicate with shoppers in a familiar and relatable way.

By making these connections more accessible, Shopee aims to help businesses of different sizes strengthen their digital presence and find new ways to grow through affiliate marketing.

"Through our Affiliate Program and initiatives like KOLLAB, we're making it easier for MSMEs to connect with the right creators and turn content into real business results. We'll keep investing to make these opportunities accessible to more businesses and creators across the country," said Jack Ng, Head of Commercial, Shopee Philippines.

Helping Filipino Businesses Grow One Creator Partnership at a Time

The experiences of Herah, Hyperbrands, and B Coffee Co. show that there is no single formula for successful affiliate marketing.

For some businesses, a straightforward product demonstration can answer customer questions and encourage purchases. For others, authentic reviews, creative storytelling, and everyday recommendations can help shoppers better understand unfamiliar products.

What these brands have in common is their ability to use creator partnerships to build stronger connections with potential customers.

As more Filipinos turn to online shopping and social content when deciding what to buy, opportunities for MSMEs to grow through affiliate marketing continue to expand.

Through its Affiliate Program and KOLLAB initiatives, Shopee is helping make these opportunities more accessible, giving local businesses additional ways to reach customers while allowing Filipino creators to turn their content into income.

For small businesses looking to grow, sometimes the next big opportunity begins with something as simple as a creator showing someone why a product is worth buying.