Do UK influencers have to label paid posts for your Shopify store?

Which posts need an Ad label in the UK?

Any post you pay for. Rule 2.1 of the CAP Code requires marketing to be “obviously identifiable”. The CMA's guidance for brands counts money, commissions, discounts and free products as payment: such a post needs a label even if you ask for nothing back.

The CMA recommends “Ad” or “Advert”, upfront. The ASA advises against “sponsored”; a brand tag, discount code or affiliate link alone is not enough, says the CMA's guide for creators.

Is your brand responsible when a creator skips the label?

Yes. Under the ASA's rules brand and influencer are both responsible, and for affiliate content it goes further:

The ASA can act, for example, when you control a post or it carries affiliate links. The CMA says DMCC Act rules, enforced by it and Trading Standards, reach further: they apply to brands even without control over the content.

Since April 6, 2025, the CMA can fine a company breaking consumer protection law up to 10% of its global turnover, by its own account.

What should your creator brief and Collabs terms require?

The CMA's guidance for brands asks for:

• a rule in every contract, formal or informal: each post labeled “Ad” upfront, including posts about free gifts;
• the same briefing for agencies you work through;
• your own checks of posts that mention your brand;
• action on unlabeled posts: keeping a creator who repeatedly misses puts you at risk.

Shopify is not a party to your Collabs program agreement, per the Collabs Terms, and no Collabs Help Center page or Terms clause we read in October 2026 requires labels, so the “Ad” rule has to come from your own brief and program terms.

For US audiences, see our answer on FTC affiliate disclosure.