Jason Zeng, a serial entrepreneur and trailblazer in social commerce, has built a career bridging emerging technologies and innovative business models. From shaping the trajectory of global tech companies to founding ShoppeDance, Jason’s career has centered on empowering creators and revolutionizing how people shop online. His latest venture, CreatorBonus, is making waves by redefining both e-commerce and the creator economy, generating $1 million in monthly gross merchandise value on TikTok Shop. In this interview, Jason shares his vision for CreatorBonus and explores how platforms like his are revolutionizing the online shopping experience.
What inspired the launch of CreatorBonus, building on your success with ShoppeDance?
E-commerce is evolving into something much more personal—a blend of shopping and social interaction. People don’t really respond well to the traditional advertising model, because so much of it feels intrusive and impersonal. They’re gravitating more toward creators they trust—people whose curated content feels like a personalized shopping guide. It’s almost like getting recommendations from your friends.
CreatorBonus was largely inspired by that. We wanted to create something that helps creators turns creators’ passions into sustainable careers while providing brands with innovative ways to engage consumers. TikTok, being the leading platform for social content, is the perfect ecosystem for this kind of innovation. Today, we’re working with over 18,000 creators. Our tools automate affiliate campaigns, use analytics to match creators with brands, and enable shoppable content that’s far more effective than traditional channels like email blasts or app notifications. And these experiences aren’t disruptive. People actively seek them out. It’s a win-win: creators grow their influence and receive free product samples, merchants can find the right creators and audiences that are already engaged, and consumers enjoy a richer, more interactive shopping experience.
The creator economy is booming, with over 40 million economically significant creators around the world. How do platforms like CreatorBonus help them reshape e-commerce?
We’re seeing one of the largest shifts in how people discover and buy products—arguably the biggest since Amazon came on to the scene. Amazon perfected the static product page, but it’s a model built for efficiency rather than engagement. They rely on ads that are refined over time, focusing on purchase histories and sheer volume. User-generated content flips that model on its head, directly connecting consumers with creators who already align with their lifestyles and interests.
So, CreatorBonus taps into this by turning shopping into a story-driven experience. Through short-form videos, livestreams, and other shoppable formats, creators bring products to life in ways that static pages never could. And when consumers see a creator they trist using a product, it creates a connection in an immediate and personal way that traditional advertising can’t replicate. It’s the natural evolution of e-commerce, where community-building and storytelling become a bigger part of the shopping experience.
What sets CreatorBonus apart in such a competitive market?
We’ve doubled down on automation and AI to simplify the process for both creators and brands. Running a successful affiliate campaign can be complex and extremely time-consuming, so we’ve developed tools to simplify the process. Merchants list their products on TikTok’s Affiliate Marketplace, define their criteria, and let our platform handle the matchmaking. Our algorithm pairs creators with brands that align perfectly with their audience demographics and interests. It’s targeted and delivers ROI much more reliably and quickly.
We also take a hands-on approach to boosting visibility. Through curated newsletters, our vibrant Discord community, and omnichannel outreach, we go out the way to make sure the most promising products get into the hands of the right creators.
It sounds like CreatorBonus is empowering creators in a big way. Can you share some success stories?
Of course. Emily Pickett (@thick_fil.a) and Stacey Maria (@staceymaria_ugc) are two creators who have seen remarkable success on our platform. Both have earned over $20,000 on CreatorBonus just by producing authentic, shoppable content for an audience that already follows them. What’s striking is that they’re not celebrities—they’re relatable, everyday creators with engaged followers who trust their recommendations. In the new creator economy, success isn’t tied to follower count, which is really encouraging for anyone considering a career as a creator.
You’re also launching ReCre.AI. How does it fit into your vision for the creator economy?
We created ReCre.AI to lower the barriers to entry for aspiring creators. Not everyone is comfortable on camera or has the resources to produce polished content, and that shouldn’t hold them back. All you need to do is record a short video saying “1, 2, 3, 4,” and our AI handles the rest. Using advanced lip-syncing and voice cloning technology, RecRe.AI generates a completely new video where you’re delivering a polished script—flawlessly and naturally. It saves creators from spending hours perfecting every take.
Our goal is to democratize content creation. If you have a phone, you should have everything you need to share your ideas with the world. We believe ReCre.AI will empower everyone from hobbyists to full-time creators to express themselves in ways that weren’t possible before. It’s a bigstep toward a more inclusive and diverse creator economy.
The creator economy is still evolving. Where do you see it heading?
I feel like the future of e-commerce and the creator economy are becoming inseparable. Creators will increasingly be at the center of how products are discovered, purchased, and even designed. We’re moving toward a world where creators are not just brand ambassadors but fully integrated storefronts in their own right.
We’re anticipating platforms like CreatorBonus and tools like ReCre.AI will drive that change. As AI continues to improve, we’ll see even more personalized content and smarter matchmaking between creators and brands. The line between entertainment, social media, and commerce will likely blur even further. For consumers, this means shopping will feel less like a transaction and more like an engaging experience that’s built around a community. It’s an exciting transformation that will reshape how we think about commerce.
