Gen Z Consumers 117% Likelier to Shop From Influencers

As social commerce comes to occupy a growing role in retail overall, Generation Z consumers are the most likely to seek shopping inspiration from influencers.

By the Numbers

The PYMNTS Intelligence special report “Generation Zillennial: How They Shop” is based on responses from more than 3,600 U.S. consumers, seeking to understand how shopping habits differ across generations.

The results revealed that only 13% of consumers in the country said they had made a purchase in the last month at least partially because of a social media influencer or celebrity. That share more than doubled for Gen Z, as 28% of these young shoppers had done so in the previous 30 days.

In contrast, only 22% of zillennials (younger millennial and older Gen Z consumers born between 1991 and 1999) and millennials had done the same, as had 20% of bridge millennials (the bridge generation between millennials and Generation X). The share plummeted sharply to 6% of Gen X consumers and just 2% of baby boomers and seniors.

Those older consumers were more likely to be swayed by articles and recommendations from friends and family.

The Data in Context

With the evolution of social commerce, influencers have the ability beyond product promotion to engage in storytelling, adding an authentic layer that resonates with their audience, as Kit Ulrich, general manager of creator shopping at LTK, told PYMNTS in the fall. Ulrich said the shift has the potential to democratize the promotion of diverse brands.

“Creators are becoming this new distribution channel that can do that very authentically,” Ulrich said.

With the future of TikTok continuing to hang in the balance, the influencer commerce space could be in for a shakeup, as Nadya Okamoto (4.1 million followers on TikTok), CEO and co-founder of August (363,000 followers), explained to PYMNTS in an interview.

“In case of a potential ban, I definitely will keep focusing on building platforms on other channels,” Okamoto said, adding that where once she spent 90% of her time on TikTok, recently she’s reduced that to half, dedicating the other half to content “across Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads.”

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