Marketing platform LTK’s new 2023 Gen Z Shopper Study shows that 79% of the demographic's shopping is initiated by social media and creator recommendations.
According to the report, creators drive a majority of Gen Z’s shopping decisions both online and in stores, with 75% of Gen Z saying they make purchases online from creator recommendations, which is 21% higher than the general population. In addition, 77% now use the same creator recommendations for shopping in store as well.
“Social commerce has had a major impact on Gen Z shopping behaviors, and we expect this only to continue,” the company stated in a recent press release about the study. The study also found creators were the most trusted by Gen Z on social media, with the majority saying they trust creators more than social media ads and celebrities. Creators were even 3.5 times more influential to Gen Z consumers than social media ads.
Micro influencers with a following of 10,000 to 100,000 were just as popular as macro influencers with a following of 100,000 to 1 million. And the top categories Gen Z is looking to creators to help with recommendations are beauty and personal care, fashion, food, electronics, cleaning supplies and gaming.
The report found Gen Z followed creators due to their authenticity, reliability, and personality. When asked why they turn to creators for style and shopping recommendations, the top reasons included authenticity for style, product quality, the ability for the discovery of new products and brands and authentic opinions.
Confidence in the products also included a lack of returns. Nearly half of Gen Z reported they are less likely to return an item after seeing a creator describe it in their video content, showing the impact creator guided shopping has had on purchase satisfaction.
The most important factors Gen Z shoppers consider when looking at brands were trendy & budget friendly (63%), having an environmental impact (43%), and resale companies (33%).