Shopthru, the embedded checkout platform transforming commerce across the open web, has announced that Mark Walters, former CEO of Awin and a globally recognised leader in affiliate and performance marketing, has joined its Board of Directors.
Walters, a key figure in the evolution of the affiliate industry into today’s multi-billion-pound global channel, brings exceptional expertise in scaling trusted platforms that benefit both retailers and publishers. His decision to take an equity stake and accept a board position at Shopthru reflects strong confidence in the company’s mission to revolutionise commerce for the publishing world—empowering creators, media brands, and content platforms in a digital landscape driven by agentic technologies, embedded experiences, and storefront-first models.
“Shopthru is the kind of solution that addresses a variety of issues faced within the channel,” said Walters. “It doesn’t just solve some of the friction we see today, it completely reimagines how commerce can flow across content, creators, and the web. This is a platform built for the future of performance marketing.”
Shopthru’s proprietary embedded checkout technology and smart storefront features enable retailers to create shoppable journeys across numerous touchpoints—from influencer content to editorial features and digital outdoor media. This gives publishers and creators a powerful new monetisation avenue that maintains attribution accuracy and drives direct revenue.
Designed for the new age of agentic commerce, Shopthru empowers creators to operate as standalone storefronts—curating, converting, and monetising in real time, with complete transparency and incentive alignment. For retailers, it presents a forward-looking way to expand beyond closed platforms into trusted digital spaces—without relinquishing control over their checkout experience, brand identity, or data.
“It’s not just Mark’s experience that matters, it’s the belief in what we are doing,” said Matt Parkinson, founder of Shopthru. “His decision to back us at this stage validates our vision and accelerates our trajectory. We’re solving the problems of today and building the rails for tomorrow, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner on the journey.”
Shopthru is currently onboarding major retailers, publishers, and content platforms, while also engaging with key strategic players across the affiliate, media, and ecommerce landscapes. With momentum building rapidly, the company expects to reveal new partnerships and funding updates in the near future.
