Does Influencer Marketing Impact Gen Z When Making Purchase Decisions?

May 28, 2024 Dominic Lill

Broadly categorised as anyone born between 1997-2012, Gen Z is soon set to overtake millennials as the largest consumer group on the market.

Like millennials, Gen Z is leading a conscious consumer age that often centres around authenticity and online activity. In particular, around half of Gen Z users follow and purchase from online influencers.

In this article, we’ll consider whether influencer marketing impacts Gen Z purchasing decisions as much as that statistic suggests. We’ll also look at what brands can do to tap into Gen Z preferences moving forward.

Understanding Influencer Marketing in a Gen Z Age

Put simply, influencer marketing is a collaboration between certain social media users and brands. This collaboration typically consists of agreements that may include paid product mentions or reviews of products received for free. When done right, this more personal approach to advertising can help brands to access trusted, relevant audiences, especially amongst millennial and Gen Z age groups.

Gen Z Influencer Marketing: The Statistics

So, does influencer marketing impact Gen Z’s purchase decisions? The simple answer is yes. What’s more, the trust developed from this recommendation-based relationship can help brands secure a loyal Gen Z client base. Don’t believe us? Consider the following statistics which bring that point home:

84% of Generation Z follow influencers
63% of Gen Z trust influencer recommendations
45% of Gen Z are more likely to buy influencer items than items they’ve seen celebrities or friends use

How Does Influencer Marketing Impact Gen Z Purchasing Decisions?

To understand why influencer marketing has such an impact on Gen Z, you simply need to consider the power of word-of-mouth. Recommendations have always had sway, and influencers with a seemingly personal connection to sometimes millions of Gen Zers have more sway than most for reasons that include:

Increased authenticity: Influencers typically make their living by sharing their lives, struggles, and joys online. This authentic public image taps directly into Gen Z priorities, and can lead to more meaningful brand connections based on genuine product mentions and reviews.
Relevant product mentions: 44% of Gen Z consumers discover new brands through social media influencers. When brands tap into relevant influencer audiences, these discoveries can feel organic and well-suited to Gen Z lifestyles.
Immediate trust: Gen Z trusts influencers who, in many cases, they’ve grown up watching. When an influencer recommends a product, Gen Z is far more likely to make a purchase and feel instantly connected to a brand they’ll likely buy from again.

How Can Brands Attract Gen Z Audiences with Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is undeniably powerful amongst Gen Z consumers, but pushing your products on any old influencer might prevent any potential benefits. Instead, brands looking to get Gen Z onside should approach influencer marketing in the following ways –

# 1 – Set Clear Goals

Influencers make their living working with brands just like yours. If you don’t have the courtesy to provide them with a clear pitch, they probably won’t consider you. Even if they do, a confused influencer campaign is unlikely to see you picking the right representatives, or appealing to their audiences in any real way. This is why it’s vital to set clear campaign goals with the help of a professional digital marketing agency in London. That way, you’ll be in no doubt about the right influencers to work with, the right influencer formats to choose, and the frequency with which you should implement those campaigns.

# 2 – Choose Platforms Wisely

You can find influencers on pretty much any social platform, but not every outlet will prove lucrative for your Gen Z purposes. For example, only 50% of Gen Z users have an X account, while Gen Z TikTok usage is up by an astounding 325%. It’s also worth considering your medium – if images would work best for your brand deals, then Instagram could be good. Meanwhile, video-based platforms like TikTok and YouTube would be better for spoken, reusable content.

# 3 – Collaborate Authentically

Authenticity is the main sway of influencer marketing for Gen Z, and brands need to respect that. If you match your products with the wrong influencers or don’t consider audience specifics, influencer marketing will be far less lucrative. Ensure significant returns by considering things like influencer niche (e.g. fashion, books, gaming), and make sure that there’s a place for your products within that category.

Influencer marketing already holds a lot of sway with millennial audiences, and it’s only set to become more vital as Gen Z comes to the fore. Ensure the best influencer campaigns in your industry by working with The Good Marketer digital marketing agency in London to bring your influencer dreams to life.