Endorsers, bloggers and YouTubers appear to have a strong influence over what their millennial followers buy next, a new study suggests.
Research undertaken by the Affilinet network asked 2,293 UK adults aged 18 to 30 what they believed had the most affected their purchasing behaviour and encouraged spending. According to the study, the participants were five times more likely to purchase something promoted or reviewed by someone they follow on social media than something endorsed by a traditional celebrity. More than half (51%) said they had bought an item in the last year that they had seen an influencer discuss on their platform. By contrast, 9% had bought an item to try to replicate the look or lifestyle of a celebrity. Asked how much they had spent on items they had seen an influencer discuss, the average answer was £285.
Among the most common purchases are clothing items (44%), make-up and beauty products (36%), video games, (21%), home furnishing (16%) and kitchen appliances (12%).
Respondents were asked if they regularly watched videos filmed and uploaded by YouTubers or read content written by influencers online. Two-thirds (63%) said they did so at least once or more a week. A further 28% reported that they did so on fortnightly basis. In addition, when asked how many endorsers they have made a conscious effort to subscribe to the pages or channels of, the average answer was 18.
Richard Greenwell, head of affiliate development at Affilinet, said: “It seems that influencers are the new A-listers when it comes to inspiration for how we dress, look, decorate, cook and live our lives. Not only are many YouTubers and bloggers relatable in the sense many of them still live relatively ‘normal’ and down-to-earth lives, there is also the notion in many consumers’ minds that they can much more easily attain the lifestyles of some of the more well-known and successful influencers if they set up their own blog, YouTube channel or Instagram page.”
