Is collaboration the new growth hack for independent brands?

Competition is a mindset that feels synonymous with retail—especially during the holiday season. Be the best and beat the rest right? In the world of commerce, where success is measured by competitive edge, some brands are charting a different course: collaboration. This isn't about forcing out the competition; it's about embracing them. Some of the smartest players in commerce are discovering that the key to success lies not in isolation, but in partnership.

“More often, I’m seeing collaboration as a major driver of success for brands. Going out on your own, and doing things by yourself, it’s just not economically efficient anymore,” says Ella Peinovich-Griffith, the CEO and founder of Powered by People, a sustainable wholesale marketplace for independent makers. Her brand has used Shopify Collective since 2023 to power their collaborations with crafters around the world. 

In advance of Black Friday Cyber Monday, brands are using technology like Shopify Collective to rewrite the rules of commerce. With Shopify Collective, merchants can sell products from other Shopify stores within their own store—without the hassle and cost of managing additional inventory. It makes it easier to scale market reach, enhance product offerings, and ultimately increase revenue for both parties. In 2024, Shopify Collective saw more than a 300% increase of retailers using the tool year-over-year.

Many entrepreneurs are illustrating that the path to success is best walked with others. Here, we celebrate the good that comes from opening doors, rather than closing them.

Collaborative commerce that empowers artisans 

Some brands are doing more than being open to collaboration, they’re making it foundational to their mission. Powered by People leverages Shopify Collective to connect nearly 200 independent artisans from around the globe with the United States market. Their partners range from rug weavers in India to ceramicists in Mexico. 

Ella recognized early on that the traditional competitive model of ecommerce was limiting. With Shopify Collective, they've created a two-sided platform that empowers both makers and retailers. For artisans, particularly those in remote or underserved regions, Powered by People offers a gateway to international markets without the overwhelming barriers of logistics, finance, and market access. For retailers, it provides a curation of unique, small-batch products that can differentiate their offerings and attract consumers looking for authenticity.

"We understand the curse of inventory, Shopify Collective allows us to operate without that burden, focusing instead on curating a selection that aligns with our values and meets the demands of conscious consumers,” says Chad Smith of Powered by People. 

This approach not only enhances the sustainability of their business model but also supports independent makers who might struggle to gain traction in a competitive market. 

"We're not just about selling products; we're about creating connections and uplifting craftsmanship," says Ella. “Retailers need to think differently about how they source products. They can be part of this community of commerce because the technology is there.”

A way for legacy brands to partner with emerging designers 

While collaboration offers smaller brands a path to growth in the international market, it allows large legacy brands to access new audiences. Buybuy BABY is a 30-year old retail brand known for being a one-stop-shop for everything new parents need. 

“Our heritage is fulfilling all the different needs of parents. But we had to figure out how to do that in new ways. How are we going to reimagine this brand for the next generation of parents?” says Raina Khumush, the senior director of marketing and ecommerce at buybuy BABY.

In 2024, they made Collective a transformative part of their sales strategy by partnering with emerging and popular babycare brands. This pivot revitalized buybuy BABY's offerings with products from trendy suppliers—suppliers they wouldn’t have been able to onboard without wholesale orders. And for the smaller brands, it offered an opportunity to reach a broad, established customer base.

“Buybuy BABY is a best-in-class merchant in this space. We’re able to offer something to these brands that they may not get from other partners, which is a lot more exposure to our customers,” says Raina.

Buybuy BABY used Collective as a crucial bridge to integrate new products into their catalog without a bunch of logistical complexities. Typically, onboarding a new supplier could take months, but with Collective they could have a new supplier on the site in as little as 24 hours. 

Adds Raina, “When it comes to working with new suppliers there's a certain amount of risk that's associated with that. You don't know what products will resonate. With Shopify Collective a lot of that is taken off our plate.”

This approach allows buybuy BABY to focus on what truly matters—supporting parents and their children.

A bridge between livestreams and live sales for creators

Then over at Stage TEN, software entrepreneurs are using Collective to bridge another gap, the one between creators and merchants. Monetizing a following can be challenging for creators who just want to make cool content, while tapping into a following is hard for merchants who want to focus on running their business. 

Stage TEN, a live shopping platform, has made it possible for hundreds of thousands creators to feature and sell products from Shopify merchants during their live streams. Collective empowers Stage TEN to create a unified shop where they can assemble countless products from different merchants.

“With Shopify Collective and Shopify Collabs, we can assemble this multi-merchant superstore with an amazing array of products. Creators are able to pick what resonates with their content and audience,” says Dave Lazar, CEO and founder of Stage TEN.

The unique challenge that Stage TEN solves is the limitation creators face when tied to individual brand deals, which restricts them to products from a single brand. Stage TEN with Shopify Collective creates a dynamic experience where live content and commerce converge seamlessly. This model not only uplifts creators but also provides merchants with a compelling way to reach and engage new audiences through interactive live shows.

"We're bringing together creators and merchants to break that bottleneck and bring live shopping to scale,” says Dave.

A new vision for collective, collaborative retail

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday loom, the retail space can feel like a battlefield. Yet, some brands are changing tact and redefining what victory looks like. By championing collaboration, these savvy, future-facing players are crafting a retail experience that's fairer, more diverse, and more sustainable. 

The end result is a shopping world where partnership and collaboration is the default—where independent artisans, legacy brands, innovative creators, and more can all thrive alongside each other.