Influencers — yeah, we love them. We watch, like, subscribe and follow — from global stars to complete unknowns. But do we buy?
Our latest research underscores that influencer recommendations carry some weight — and also surface some surprises. More than half of U.S. consumers at least occasionally buy something based on an influencer’s recommendation. Roughly 1 in 8 do so frequently. Interestingly, nearly half of all shoppers return items less frequently if they buy them based on an influencer’s recommendation.
However, influencers may not be as powerful as they would like to think. Among consumers who have made an influencer-recommended purchase, 95% normally do some other research before buying. Most check more than one alternative source of information, including consumer product reviews, online forums and price comparisons across shopping platforms.
These are just some of the findings detailed in “Generational Pulse: Just How Influential Are Influencers?” a PYMNTS Intelligence exclusive report. The edition examines the role of influencers in consumer shopping behavior and preferences and draws on insights from a survey of 3,196 consumers conducted from Jan. 10 to Jan. 15.
Influencers Go Mainstream
More than half of U.S. consumers sometimes make purchases based on influencer recommendations.
Influencers have gone mainstream. Each year, 56% of consumers make an influencer-recommended purchase at least once, and 12% do so more than six times. The younger the shopper, the more likely they are to buy something based on an influencer. Generation Z, born in 1997 or after, is the most likely to do so at least once a year, at 80%. Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are at 72%. The rate drops to 58% for Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and just 28% for baby boomers (1965 and earlier).
Income plays a role as well. High-income consumers are the most likely to make influencer-recommended purchases, with 61% doing so at least once a year. This compares to 57% for middle- and 48% for lower-income shoppers.
Beyond purchases, influencers appear to have significant sway in averting returns. Overall, 44% of consumers say they return influencer-recommended purchases less often than other buys. Meanwhile, barely 1 in 4 (24%) say they return them more often. Return rates vary little across age groups — with one big exception. Boomers are especially likely to keep influencer-recommended purchases, with nearly 6 in 10 (59%) returning such items less frequently.
Not That Influential
Influencers may not be that influential — nearly all shoppers still do their own research before buying a recommended product.
Influencers reach sizeable shares of consumers — but just how influential are they? Among consumers who have made an influencer-recommended purchase, 95% typically do at least one form of additional research. Nearly half of such consumers typically read customer reviews, and 1 in 4 say this is their most used research source. Online forums, comparing prices across platforms and manufacturer websites rank as some of the other most common methods.
Digging further into the data reveals crucial differences between influencer-driven consumers who buy frequently versus occasionally. For example, frequent buyers are 61% more likely than occasional ones to rely on multiple influencers as their top source of research. Frequent buyers are also twice as likely to say that consulting family or friends is their most used research method. Meanwhile, frequent buyers are less likely to rely on customer reviews, although doing so still ranks as the most popular method.
Hungry For Influencers
Food and cooking influencers take the cake with widespread appeal that drives purchases across age groups.
Consumers have an especially strong appetite for food and cooking influencers. Among shoppers who have made at least one purchase based on an influencer, 47% trust food and cooking influencers for product recommendations, far ahead of influencers in other categories. Moreover, 19% most often make purchases based on these influencers. The closest runners-up — professional experts and technology reviewers — are the most followed influencers, at 13% each.
Food and cooking influencers also have the most consistent pull across age groups when it comes to driving purchases. Several other types of influencers also rank highly across multiple age groups. For example, entertainment influencers take first place for Gen Z, second for zillennials (born between 1991 and 1999) and third for millennials. Technology influencers, meanwhile, make the top three for millennials and all older age groups. Notably, those influencers also lead with shoppers who frequently make influencer-recommended purchases, edging out food and cooking.
Impulsive Boomers
Contrary to conventional wisdom, baby boomers are the most likely to make impulsive purchases from influencers.
Influencers may have the greatest sway with their loyal followers, but they also drive purchases among new followers. In fact, 23% of consumers who made an influencer-recommended purchase in the last year say they are open to doing so based on their first encounter with that influencer. Another 29% say they might purchase after following for less than a month.
Contrary to common belief, older consumers are the most likely to impulsively buy based on first-time encounters. Three in 10 boomers say they are open to doing so, followed closely by Gen X, at 27%. The share falls to roughly 20% for younger consumers, with bridge millennials — older millennials and younger Gen X born between 1978 and 1988 — at 17%.
This points to a notable divide within Gen X. That cohort’s older members, like baby boomers, are especially likely to make impulsive purchases from first-time influencer encounters, while younger Gen Xers behave much like millennials.
Turning to influencer types, a few categories have outsized potential to spark impulse purchases from new followers. Home and lifestyle influencers lead, with 1 in 3 consumers making an influencer-recommended purchase in the last year saying they are open to buying based on a first-time encounter. Beauty and makeup follow, at 25%, just ahead of food and cooking, at 24%.
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Methodology
“Generational Pulse: Just How Influential Are Influencers?,” a PYMNTS Intelligence exclusive report, is based on a survey of 3,196 U.S. consumers conducted from Jan. 10 to Jan. 15. The edition examines the role of influencers in consumer shopping behavior and preferences. Population weights are utilized to ensure that the analysis remains representative of the U.S. adult population.
