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Jonathan Chew · · 5 min read

The rising star that is Indonesian affiliate marketing

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Hello reader,

Last year, I read some articles about how a significant number of young people wanted to be social media influencers. While those tended to be from surveys in the US, there’s definitely a similar effect in place in Asia too.

After all, people like the idea of being rich and famous, or making money from being famous. Now, we’re just adding “high-flying influencer” to that list.

I don’t think it’s inherently wrong to want a job that gets you fame and fortune – you do you. I’m not going to be that grandpa who always complains about how the younger generation is “so spoiled these days.”

However, I do think that like most jobs, a lot of people aren’t really aware of what it entails. Sure, there are other occupations that are probably more tiring, more stressful, and with less payoff.

But being an influencer – like with most things related to social media – means that lots of glitz gets shown off without people knowing what goes on behind the scenes.

And, just like many jobs, we usually focus on the high-flyers but end up forgetting the lower-profile influencers who are probably just trying to make ends meet too. Paydays can be few and far between if sponsorships or endorsements deals don’t go your way.

The business model of affiliate marketing could prove valuable to these everyday influencers. In Indonesia, these programs are usually provided by Tokopedia or Shopee, giving these key opinion leaders another way to boost their income.

Today we look at:

  • How affiliate programs are faring in Indonesia
  • Ecommerce platform Temu expanding to South Korea
  • Other newsy highlights such as Crypto.com’s partnership with Line Xenesis Corporation, as well as Google and Microsoft reporting a stellar quarter.

Premium summary

Influencer girls, in an influencer world

Image credit: Timmy Loen

For the unfamiliar, affiliate programs allow participants to earn commissions off product sales on ecommerce platforms. Typically, these people will share specific product links on their social media accounts and then earn commissions if their followers buy the products through those links.


Now I am become Temu


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TIA Writer

Jonathan Chew

Has a strange liking for grabbing tiny plastic things on wooden walls