Creator Economy Survey: ’Tis the Season for Ecommerce Influencers and Holiday Marketing

Published on October 21, 2024

Holiday URLgenius and Impact Survey Creator Economy creep is real and the creep in question isn’t the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge. “Holiday creep” in the lexicon of marketing refers to the practice of promoting seasonal merchandise far ahead of time. Below, we’ll look at what this and other holiday statistics and trends mean to ecommerce creators like you, and how you can take advantage of them to grow followers and earn more commissions.

Among influencers surveyed in the Commerce Creator Lightning Survey commissioned by URLgenius & Impact.com'), 31% of creators began promoting Christmas content in August, with another 20% starting in September. By the time Halloween rolls around, all but 12% of creators will have unveiled at least some Christmas-related content.

Influencers aren’t the only ones channeling the holiday spirit early. Nearly one-third (32%) of consumers surveyed by Gartner also planned to begin their holiday shopping between July and October—with another 16% shopping for gifts year-round. And among respondents to a Bankrate survey, 12% of consumers began their holiday shopping before the end of August, 13% planned to start in September, and 24% in October. So get started now if you haven't already!

The what and where of the season for influencer affiliate marketing

Instagram is the most widely used social platform among the influencers we surveyed with 75% using the social platform with Facebook a close second (70%). TikTok (38%), Pinterest (25%), and YouTube (18%) lag far behind.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) plan to engage with followers by offering exclusive discounts and deals, while 59% will run interactive polls and quizzes. One in four expects to collaborate with other influencers to boost engagement.

Ecommerce Influencer Marketing Survey 2024

As for the type of content ecommerce creators plan to produce this holiday seasons, gift guides were by far the most popular: 72% of influencers surveyed planned to create them this holiday season, with 65% creating product reviews and recommendations. Half of the influencers intend to offer holiday giveaways and contests. Roughly 35% plan to post holiday-themed tutorials and DIYs, and slightly fewer expect to push behind-the-scenes and holiday prep content.

Competition and concerns among ecommerce influencers

Forty-five percent of the content creators in our survey said increased competition for audience attention was their number-one challenge this holiday season. In contrast, only 25% cited generating fresh content ideas to be their top challenge.

Influencers, Affiliate Marketing, Creator Survey Insights

Competition was also a concern among retailers, though not their most pressing one. A survey by First Insight found that 35% of retailers said that online marketplaces such as Amazon were a top concern. Appreciably more—81%—worried that inflation would reduce consumers’ spending on gifts and other nondiscretionary items.

Those concerns are justified to some degree. One-third of consumers surveyed by Bankrate intend to spend less this holiday season than last. Then again, if you’re a glass-half-full type of person, you can take solace in the fact that 24% plan to spend more and 43% the same as last year.

In addition, younger shoppers are more apt to spend more this year than older ones are. Forty percent of Gen Z (those born 1995-2010) anticipate spending more this holiday season than last, as do 31% of millennials (those born 1980-94). Only 19% of Gen Xers (born 1965-79) intend to spend more this holiday season, however, as do just 15% of boomers (born 1946-64).

What this means for ecommerce influencers

What do all these statistics mean to you as an ecommerce creator or influencer?

Consider producing a variety of holiday content in different formats and get the opinion of the brands you work with if you can. Gift guides and product recommendations are tried-and-true content categories, but playing with something new and different can help you stand out from the competition. Don’t swap out types of content that have worked for you before, of course, but instead add something new to your mix.
Ask your followers what they’d like to see—and ask them again later in the season. You might discover that after Black Friday/Cyber Monday, most of your followers will have had their fill of holiday content. Or maybe they’ll be done with gift shopping but looking for decorating tips, wrapping advice, or something else you might not have considered.
Try a holiday theme. “12 Days of Christmas Prep” or “Holiday Look Advent Calendar” will encourage followers to come back for the next installment.
When reaching out to brands, remind them that working with influencers can be like an extension of their markeitng team. Ask them for marketing materials and product details! Adobe Analytics expects traffic from influencers, affiliates, and other retail partners to account for more than 17% of online spending this holiday season. That’s up more than 7% from the 2023 holiday season, making influencers and affiliates the fastest-growing marketing channel.
When promoting retailers links on social media, be sure to maximize your conversion rates and average order value with a app deep-linking URLgenius. A whopping 89% of influencers who participated in the URLgenius & impact.com Commerce Creator Lightning Survey enjoyed higher Prime Day conversion rates after implementing URLgenius or other app-linking solutions—and the plurality of them (26%) saw conversion improve by 26%-50%. A survey we conducted earlier this year found that 78% of influencers saw their average order value rise after implementing URLgenius.

We're experts in all things ecommerce influencer marketing. Learn more about how URLgenius can boost your income and help you get started before the holiday peak!

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