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The Influence of Influencers: New Research Unveiled

We are proud to announce the unveiling of our new research study, “The Influence of Influencers,” at Vidcon today.  gen.video and and Geometry Global, an award-winning shopper marketing and brand activation agency network, partnered on this landmark study to better understand the impact of Influencers and video content on the shopping behaviors of 1000 shoppers.

We found that 90 percent of social media users are influenced to make a purchase after seeing content on social media and is most effective in consumer electronics, fashion, food/beverage, health/beauty and travel. There has been a dramatic shift in shoppers most trusted source for  purchase decisions – Social media influencers are now  the most effective and trusted source at driving sales, 94 percent more than friends/family and more than 6X celebrities.

This morning at VidCon, the world’s largest online video conference for fans, creatives, and industry professionals, gen.video’s President Jessica Thorpe and Geometry Global’s Tish Allés, will present the research on the Industry Keynote Stage during their session: Research Debut: Just How Effective Are Influencers in Driving Sales.

The Influence of Influencers” is available for download here.

Pie Chart

Here are some of the the Key findings from our research:

Influencers Impacting Sales:

  • One-third (33 percent) of respondents said social media influencers are their most trusted sources for shopping. Nearly doubling friends/family (17 percent) and more than brands/manufacturers and stores combined (30 percent). In addition, social media influencers are trusted nearly 7X more than celebrities.
  • Shoppers are also reliant on social media and influencers for information, as 84 percent of respondents agree, “It is important to hear about the experiences of others before I buy a product,” while 77 percent responded, “Social media is my main source of inspiration for the products I buy” and “I trust the information other consumers provide on social media.”

The Importance of Video:

  • Video is the most effective influencer content at driving sales.
  • More than 75 percent of respondents believe video is more ‘enjoyable, relevant, believable and credible’ than other type of content.
  • Video is also nearly twice as effective in driving sales, especially at Amazon and Walmart, and in categories including electronics, fashion, food/beverage, health and beauty, and travel.
  • Those influenced by video are highly valuable because they are active shoppers. They actively browse social media and as a result, are more likely to be influenced to purchase across a range of categories based on their social media ‘discoveries’.
Video Influences/other

Influence on Shoppers:

Consumers of influencer video are influencers themselves. Sixty-one percent share, like or click video content at least once per day vs. 37 percent of other shoppers.

  • Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of respondents watch influencer video to completion “no matter what.”
  • Surprisingly, 79 percent of respondents are “willing to spend more on a product after watching a social media video.”

We want to thank Geometry Global for their partnership and amazing insight, and hope The Influence of Influencers will provide brands marketers with the critical insights into what content formats have the greatest impact on sales and platform preferences of shoppers.