Social media platforms are becoming increasingly shoppable, with Instagram and TikTok leading the way with their in-app shopping capabilities. Even Twitter recently debuted its own commerce feature. Most importantly, with Walmart being the first retail brand to use ‘Live Shopping’ on the platform.

As social commerce grows. Most importantly, so does the opportunity for influencers  to become the ‘shop window’ for brands.

A more authentic source of shopping inspiration

So, we know that brands are increasingly investing in influencer-driven marketing. Most importantly, but is this being reflect in more than just surface-level engagement on social? And do consumers even trust influencers nowadays, given previous controversy over ASA guidelines?

Ward argues that influencers can actually help brands to generate deeper levels of trust. Most importantly, by acting as a “more authentic source of shopping inspiration to consumers.”

Consequently, when it comes to influencer content versus traditional advertising, Ward says that the former instils a much more immediate sense of trust, which “ultimately,” he says, “helps brands drive greater sales opportunities and build longer-term customer loyalty.”

An acceleration of long-term partnerships

Long-term influencer partnerships have been gaining popularity for some time, but Ward says that there has been a real acceleration of this over the course of the last year, with the vast majority of brands transitioning from one-off campaigns to ‘always-on’ strategies.

“This shift has been underpinned by a boom in the creator commerce industry, as retailers put more of their focus on ecommerce channels with proven performance when it comes to sales and conversion,” he says. “The creators have a strong understanding of the brand, and when they are treated as ambassadors, the business priorities and messaging is better instilled and relayed back to their audiences.” In turn, he says, “when a consumer sees repeat brands being incorporated in their favourite creators’ everyday life, this increases consumer confidence in purchase and the versatility of a brand. This will yield greater performance over time.”

Filling the gap between online and in-person retail 

With consumers becoming increasingly comfortable shopping on social channels like Instagram, LTK aims to capitalise on this behaviour with its own app, which enables users to shop directly from their favourite creators (giving them a more focused experience). But, how does LTK encourage users to shift away from Instagram?

Interestingly, Ward suggests that influencers presidents email database are “filling the gap in the market between online and in-person retail.” In other words, offering both shopping inspiration and valuable advice on how to wear items. At the same time, he proposes that the LTK app is a way for users to avoid the bombardment of online content they see daily, instead offering “a curated and personalised way to filter through tried and trusted recommendations.”

“Conversion rate inside the LTK app is four times higher than when a consumer clicks on a shoppable link on social media. “We’ve also seen a 32% increase in product searches in the LTK app in the UK alone over recent months.”

Delivering the right influence at scale

While Instagram tends to be focus on driving advertising for its own benefit. Most importantly, Ward says that LTK’s business model is innately geare around how it can benefit both creators and brands. (LTK takes a cut of the affiliate commission that creators earn from content.)

Ward says that LTK’s “three-sided marketplace can offer a range of valuable insight on brand, creator, and consumer sales data. As a result,” he explains, “LTK can offer expert consultancy with the ability to deliver the right influence at scale.”

This also means that brands can reach both mainstream and niche audiences on a global scale. Most importantly, as well as “accurately measure the reach and genuine sales driven from creator commerce. It allows them to comprehensively review and assess creator campaigns and their ROI in real-time.”