This week in FMTC’s Affiliate Roundup: Ten predictions examine how creators, platforms, and brands may evolve in 2026. Instacart ended its AI pricing test and returned to uniform pricing and promotions. Affiliate marketing delivered £19 billion in 2025 but still lacks CMO recognition.


impact.com and Evertune are collaborating to help brands track and act on AI search visibility by linking AI Brand Monitoring data with partnership activation tools.

• A set of 2026 predictions explores how creators will monetize, collaborate with brands, and adapt to new platforms, formats, and AI-driven discovery.

• Instacart is discontinuing its AI pricing experiment that allowed variable pricing for identical products, opting instead for stable pricing and promotions amid consumer trust concerns.

• Affiliate marketing generated £19 billion in 2025 yet remains undervalued at the CMO level due to ongoing perception, measurement, and investment gaps.

• Ten defining creator economy trends in 2025 spanned platform revenue shifts, brand collaborations, creator storefront growth, algorithmic control, and AI-generated content.

• Facebook is testing a $9.99 monthly subscription that allows users to share more than two links per post, a move that could matter for affiliate marketers navigating link restrictions on the platform.

• More brands are adding affiliate and hybrid, commission-based compensation into creator partnerships this holiday season as tighter budgets and demand for measurable results push marketers away from flat-fee deals.

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The post Affiliate Roundup: Instacart Ends AI Pricing Test, Affiliate Delivers £19B but Lacks CMO Recognition, Creator Predictions for 2026, & More appeared first on FMTC.