The holiday season is historically the most important time period for retail e-commerce. In 2017, total e-commerce sales and payments reached $2.3 trillion. By 2021, sales are projected to reach $3.5 trillion and 30 percent of these transactions are made during the holidays.
So how does a brand stand out among the massive wave of retailers vying for attention and boost their sales to close out the year? The answer is one of the biggest buzzwords in marketing: influencers. The right use of influencers can attract consumers to a brand, increase sales and boost payment volume.
Influencer marketing has been around for quite some time, starting with celebrities as spokespeople or endorsing brands. But social media changed this drastically — allowing non-celebrities to gain popularity and become sources of inspiration within their communities.
So why are we talking about influencer marketing like it’s a new thing? Personally, it feels like it’s been a part of every social media trends list I’ve read in recent years.
Yet, when you look at Google Trends, interest in influencer marketing has never been higher.It has even overtaken the topic of social media marketing about 12 months ago.
It’s not just Google Trends. People have been talking about influencer marketing a great deal all over the internet.
But why is influencer marketing such a hot topic today? Trust in media is at an all-time low, impact of traditional advertising is declining, and consumers have limited trust in brand content.
Brands are looking for new ways to reach customers. Up until now, brands had mainly been experimenting with influencer marketing. My prediction is starting in 2019, things will get serious. Influencer marketing will be an integral part of the strategy for all forward-thinking companies, because, whether you want it or not, influencers are already discussing and having an impact on your brand.
Using influencer marketing this holiday season can help retailers overcome these challenges. Influencer campaigns are an excellent way to grab consumer attention in the crowded holiday space, and not incorporating influencer marketing into your brand strategy would be like refusing to have a social media presence 10 years ago. A word to the wise: Be smart about who you choose as your influencer and how you plan to use them within a campaign. Consumers crave authenticity from brands and can pick up when an influencer relationship isn’t genuine.
