Two thirds of eCommerce retailers want to work more closely with social media influencers, with the majority believing it would ‘vastly improve’ their marketing efforts, according to new research by affilinet.
The survey revealed that two thirds of eCommerce retailers are looking to use social media influencers in their future marketing campaigns, with beauty vlogger Zoella and plus-sized model Tess Holliday voted as the ‘dream influencers’ to work with.
Performance marketing network affilinet polled over 500 eCommerce retailer decision makers as part of the research
Under a quarter (24%) said they had experience of working with bloggers or social media influencers already. However more than half stated they wanted to be more active when it came to working with bloggers and even more said the same about influencers.
Those who had already worked with social media influencers and bloggers said offering exclusive discounts/vouchers’ (71%), ‘in-depth reviews’ (39%) and ‘giveaways and freebies’ (14%) were the best ways of driving sales through these channels.
The decision makers also outlines who their top five dream influencers/bloggers would be to work with, if budget was unlimited:
- Zoella (21%)
- Tess Holliday (19%)
- Kayla Itsines (17%)
- Sophie Hannah Richardson (15%)
- Jessie Pavelka (14%)
Commenting on the research, UK managing director at affilinet, Helen Southgate, said those who have yet to work with influencers are missing out.
“Providing that there is total transparency when retailers work with influencers, it's certainly one of the best ways to generate a wider general awareness and help to increase sales. After all, bloggers aren't referred to as influencers for no reason; they have huge sway on their audience's opinions and buying habits."
Last year, research by McKinsey revealed people are more swayed by influencers than perhaps previously thought. Social recommendations led to 26% of purchases across all product categories, according to the report, which adds recommendations played a ‘critical role’ at point of purchase.
To read more about working with influencers, check out:
- Case study: How influencers can cut through the social noise
- Are you targeting the wrong influencers?
