Later expands social commerce capabilities with $250 million Mavely acquisition

Later, a Boston-based social media and influencer marketing company, announced today its acquisition of Mavely, a social commerce platform that enables content creators to monetize through direct product sales. The $250 million deal, announced on January 3, 2025, marks a significant consolidation in the influencer marketing technology sector.

According to Later CEO Scott Sutton, the acquisition was funded through a strategic investment from global growth equity investor Summit Partners. The deal brings together Later's influencer marketing and social media management capabilities with Mavely's network of over 120,000 creators who have generated more than $1 billion in gross merchandise value across major retail brands.

"Mavely has developed deep technology around the tracking of product sales," Sutton explained. "Through this integration, marketers can now see that an individual contract with an influencer generated specific posts, and track the aggregated sales by SKU back to individual posts to understand marketing return on investment."

The acquisition addresses a longstanding challenge in influencer marketing: measuring direct sales impact. According to data from market research firm eMarketer, U.S. spending on influencer marketing reached $7.02 billion in 2023, representing a 17.4% increase from the previous year. The sector is projected to grow to $9.29 billion by 2025.

Industry analysts note that this deal follows a broader trend of consolidation in the influencer marketing technology sector. Recent notable transactions include Publicis Groupe's $500 million acquisition of Influential in July, and Stagwell's purchase of Leaders and its InfluencerMarketing.AI software. Live Nation also recently acquired a majority stake in Timeline, a talent management firm representing digital creators.

The combined company aims to provide enhanced capabilities for both marketers and content creators:

For marketers, the platform will offer:

• AI-driven creator matching based on sales performance data
• Return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) based campaign management
• SKU-level sales attribution across creator content
• Integration with over 1,400 major retail brands including Nike, Anthropologie, Lululemon, Macy's, Old Navy, and Adidas
• Access to first-party performance data from Mavely's creator network

For content creators, new features include:

• Same-day monetization opportunities through affiliate sales
• Enhanced commission structures with performance bonuses
• Access to an expanded brand partner network
• Granular analytics for tracking sales performance
• Integration of brand partnerships with affiliate earnings

Chicago-based Mavely has built its business by focusing on what it terms "Everyday Influencers" - content creators who maintain authentic connections with their audiences regardless of follower count. The company's technology enables creators to generate shoppable "SmartLinks" that can be shared across social platforms, with built-in tracking and attribution capabilities.

Mavely's leadership team will join Later in key roles. CEO Evan Wray, CTO Sean O'Brien, and CFO Kevin Kenefick will help guide the integration of the two platforms and future product development.

"Our vision has always centered on empowering creators to build sustainable businesses through authentic content," said Wray. "By joining Later, we can accelerate this mission while providing brands with more sophisticated tools for measuring and optimizing their creator partnerships."

Later, which was founded in Vancouver as Latergramme, has undergone its own evolution. The company was acquired in 2022 by influencer marketing platform Mavrck, subsequently adopting the Later brand name in 2024. The company's platform currently serves major brands including Adobe and Pottery Barn.

The acquisition comes as brands increasingly seek to consolidate their influencer marketing activities with fewer, more comprehensive technology partners. Traditional boutique influencer marketing agencies, which previously managed one-to-one brand-creator relationships, have given way to platforms that can automate and scale these partnerships while providing detailed performance metrics.

During the transition period, both companies will maintain their existing services while working to integrate their technologies. Later plans to incorporate Mavely's sales tracking and attribution capabilities into its broader social media management and influencer marketing platform over the coming months.

The transaction represents the latest step in the maturation of the influencer marketing industry, as it moves from awareness-focused campaigns to more performance-driven partnerships that can demonstrate clear return on investment. This shift mirrors broader changes in digital marketing, where advertisers increasingly demand precise measurement and attribution for their spending.

Market observers note that this consolidation trend is likely to continue as brands seek more comprehensive solutions for managing their creator partnerships and social commerce initiatives. The ability to track and attribute sales directly to creator content represents a key capability that many platforms are working to develop or acquire.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.