Over half of young adults have made online purchases as a direct result of seeing a product or service promoted by an online influencer, according to new research.
The study, from affilnet, indicates that clothing, make-up and video games emerged as the items respondents were most inspired to buy.
UK consumers aged 18-30 were five times more likely to purchase something promoted or reviewed by an influencer, blogger or YouTuber they follow than something endorsed by a traditional celebrity, according to a new study.
In order to find out more about the online purchasing habits of millennials during the past twelve months, the team at affilinet polled 2,293 UK adults aged 18-30 on what they believed had most affected their purchasing behaviour and encouraged spending.
All those taking part were initially asked if they regularly watched videos filmed and uploaded by YouTubers or read content written by influencers online, with just two thirds (63%) admitting they did so at least once or more a week. A further 28% revealed that they did so on fortnightly basis. When asked how many influencers they made a conscious effort to subscribe to the pages or channels of, the average answer emerged as 18.
Next, all participants were asked if they’d bought any items or experiences during the past twelve months that they’d seen as a result of an influencer they follow promoting or discussing it on their platforms. More than half (51%) confessed that they had done so on at least one occasion. The most common purchases made emerged as follows:
1. Clothing items – (44%)
2. Make-up /beauty products – (36%)
3. Video games – (21%)
4. Furniture/home furnishings – (16%)
5. Kitchen appliances/utensils – (12%)
When asked to estimate how much money they’d spent in the last year purely on items they’d seen an influencer discuss, the average amount was disclosed as £285.
Finally, all respondents were asked if they’d been inspired in the same way to buy items traditional celebrities had been associated with, with just 1 in 10 (9%) admitting they’d parted with money in an attempt to replicate the look or lifestyle of a celebrity.
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.”