Inmar Intelligence on Influencers Being Vital to a Social Commerce Strategy

It’s happened to the best of us: scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest without any specific aim that ends in a purchase we didn’t expect to make. For Leah Logan, vice president of social commerce at Inmar Intelligence, that’s how she knows the platforms—and the influencers rising in prominence across them—are doing their job. “People aren’t searching” on Amazon or Google with shopping intent, she shared during “Influencers Are Revolutionizing Social Commerce; “they’re seeing an Instagram post and seeing an outfit that they like. It’s going to be a completely different purchase path than the traditional commerce path that you’re used to.” Easing the customer experience For Logan, social commerce is a matter of shortening the path from inspiration to investment. Ecommerce that doesn’t take full advantage of social commerce strategies is rife with interruptions, and those interruptions can dampen the urgency of these purchasing decisions. Social commerce is powerful because it makes shopping seamless. “How do you make it a more seamless experience for them to shop?” Logan posed during her session. The tools used to clear hurdles might include things like chatbots, in-platform shopping or added value experiences like reviews or virtual try-on. Ultimately, she says, “anything you can do to ease that purchase, improve that shopping journey,” will work in your brand’s favor. 'Influencers are the missing link to more effective social commerce' Sixty-nine percent of consumers ages 18 to 34 admit that influencers affect their purchasing decisions. And 97 percent of Gen Z shoppers report turning to influencers for inspiration and direction on usage. It’s not just this segment of shoppers who are impacted by influencers. Inmar’s research shows that influencer marketing is having a powerful effect on buying decisions across the four major buyer generations (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers). Influencers can have a powerful and varied impact across the many platforms they may inhabit. Logan offered a tech influencer as an example: on a YouTube channel, they may share product reviews and simulations of usage; on Instagram, they may show behind the scenes footage and photos of their home setup and how these products fit into their daily life. Each premise has the potential to influence buyers, but in different ways. The trust they engender by welcoming followers into their homes, sharing authentic opinions and experiences, help them to be “people who are seen as friends, or a trusted relationship.” The proof is in the (dairy-based) pudding This trusted relationship can drive purchasing decisions beyond what to wear or play. Logan shared an example of a dairy brand hoping to fend off competition from nondairy counterparts. Their strategy? Rather than elevating it as a product to drink, they worked with influencers who would position it as an integral ingredient to fun and well-styled recipes. The influencer content produced for this campaign drove over $80,000 in purchases across Walmart, Target and Instacart—all while driving 426% greater engagement than category benchmarks. Noting that traditionally brick-and-mortar stores benefitted from this placement, Logan noted, “Social media is now becoming the place where we can discover or get inspired by products as well as, if not better than, stores.” And it’s with that framing in mind—influencers as a means to make purchases easier, more trusted and more exciting for the consumer—that will allow social commerce to thrive toward its targeted projected revenue of 50 billion dollars by 2023. How Headspace Became a Trusted Pandemic Partner for Health and Happiness in 2020