The explosive growth of the Creator Economy, particularly over the last couple of years, is a clear signal that consumers want more avenues of professional content than just media and marketing—and with leading creators having a big influence on consumer behavior, especially the now-powerful Gen Z segment but significantly across all generations, influencer marketing is looking like a slam-dunk strategy for the soon-to-arrive (sooner than you think!) holiday-shopping season. New research from creator platform LTK showcases the latest trends ahead of the season, with a particular focus on consumers who engage with creators and make purchases based on their campaigns.
According to the firm’s 2024 Holiday Shopper Study, an overwhelming majority of shoppers make purchases from creators now—75 percent of Gen Z, 64 percent of Millennials and 58 percent of the general population. The new study highlights the striking differences between the behaviors, trends and preferences of consumers that shop from creator recommendations by taking a look at insights from shoppers on the LTK platform.
Increased buying power
Shoppers that purchase from creators are set to make a significant impact this holiday season with their buying power up an impressive 38 percent YoY, while the buying power of the general population decreased 8 percent from last year.
The study reveals four major categories that creator-inspired shoppers plan to buy more or the same this year than the general population. When it comes to entertaining essentials, 75 percent of consumers that engage creators plan to buy more or the same compared to just 53 percent of the general population. As for home goods and decor, 79 percent of these shoppers plan to buy more or the same—a 39 percent increase over the general population. Plans to purchase entertaining essentials and home products align to cooking and recipes being the top watched creator content amongst consumers during the holidays. Creator shopping communities also plan to spend more or the same on gifts and themselves this season.
- Entertaining essentials: 75 percent of LTK shoppers vs. 53 percent of general population
- Gifts: 79 percent of LTK shoppers vs. 74 percent of general population
- Home: 79 percent of LTK shoppers vs. 57 percent of general population
- Myself: 79 percent of LTK shoppers vs. 55 percent of general population
Earlier holiday shopping
Creators see their communities shopping even earlier than the general population with 70 percent of those shoppers planning to start their holiday shopping by late September—a notable 18 percent YoY increase. In comparison, 38 percent of the general population plans to start shopping by late September while Gen Z shoppers tend to start later, with 50 percent planning to begin their shopping in early November or later.
Higher value on brand loyalty and availability
During the holidays, deals are important to most shoppers. This year, the general population continues to prioritize price over brand and quality with more consumers planning to shop during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to save money than last year. However, for those that shop from LTK creators, availability and brand rank highest in priority. While price is still important to these shoppers, the availability of products is more important, which indicates the need for retailers to keep items well stocked.
Download the full report and watch the firm’s video presentation of findings here.
The reported data is from a survey conducted in June 2024 among 1,125 participants, reflective of the US population with 97 percent confidence.
