The creator economy is maturing, and it’s time the data caught up

New Delhi: For years, being an influencer in India was treated like a digital hobby, a side hustle fuelled by likes and the occasional barter deal. But as we move through 2026, the "hobbyist" era is officially dead. The creator economy has transitioned into a high-stakes industry, and the tools used to manage it are finally getting a much-needed professional upgrade.

According to recent industry data, India’s influencer marketing industry reached a staggering Rs 3,375 crore ($400 million) by the end of 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25%. With millions of creators now vying for attention in the Indian ecosystem, the differentiator between a viral sensation and a sustainable business isn't just "vibes", it's data. 

Neha Kulwal, Managing Director of APAC region at Mitgo, shared insights based on collaboration of an influencer monetisation platform, Trendweave (a project by Mitgo), with hundreds of influencers in India. They show how bloggers' demands on advertising platforms have changed and how direct access to data impacts their income.

The Transparency Deficit

Despite the influx of capital, creators have long been flying blind. If you’re a creator in 2026, you’ve likely dealt with the "black box" of attribution: orders that vanish into thin air, "pending" payments, and cancellation rates that lack context.

Attribution Logic

Advertising platforms that pay influencers based on results (orders or clicks made by their followers) often prefer not to disclose information about why some orders are included in the database and others are not. Content creators are in dire need of public attribution rules, offering clarity on "lookback" windows and multi-touch logic. 

Lack of clarity easily undermines bloggers' trust in platforms, which is why we're currently seeing a very slow shift toward openness. Many influencers working with Trendweave consider open data a basic requirement for the modern influencer economy.

Predictable Cash Flow

In any other industry, "pending" doesn't pay the rent. The influencer economy has to shift to fixed payment schedules, allowing creators to treat their earnings as predictable revenue rather than a random bonus. Payment deadlines are also important – while influencers used to have to wait up to a month for payment, platforms are now trying to reduce this period to 24 hours.

As I mentioned at the beginning, blogging for most people isn't just a fun hobby but a real profession that can grow into a full-scale business. In business, it's crucial to manage your financial flows so you can plan not only your expenses but also your investments in growth. That’s why influencers are flocking to the platforms that can offer reliable and predictable cash flow. 

Approval Context

Unclear cancellation terms are the bane of the performance-based model. By providing data on which specific products are being returned, creators can pivot their content strategy away from "high-return" items and toward high-retention brands and products. Over 80% of influencers collaborating with Trendweave rated this information as one of the most important for their income.

India’s Influencer Economy: By the numbers

To understand why this shift is happening now, look at how the Indian market changed over the last 12 months: 70% of brand briefs now include a "pay-per-performance" or hybrid component. Brands are no longer willing to work with bloggers solely on a content-based basis. They prefer a combination of traditional advertising formats with more transparent and predictable pay-for-action models. 

This has led to influencers, who previously disliked performance-based advertising, gradually finding themselves drawn into the world of high-volume professional marketing, where numbers rule. Now, data is needed not only by advertisers but also by content creators themselves.

Owning Your "Digital Equity"

Perhaps the most radical shift Trendweave is observing is the concept of data ownership. Historically, if a creator left a platform, their performance history stayed behind. In an era where data is the new collateral for securing business loans or brand contracts, this was a massive disadvantage.

By allowing creators to export their income history and "content-order-payout" chains, advertising platforms will acknowledge that a creator’s data is their intellectual property. This approach will soon become a new standard in the influencer marketing industry. 

The Bottom Line

As we look at the beginning of 2026, the power dynamic is shifting. Both brands and influencers are no longer just looking for "reach"; they are looking for ROI. For the Indian creator, this means the days of "post and pray" are over.

The future belongs to those who treat their analytics as seriously as their aesthetics. The creator economy is finally ready to be treated like the multi-billion-dollar industry it is.