The partnership management platform impact.com and the global app-linking platform URLgenius have published the findings of their recent Commerce Creator Lightning Survey. The study presents key insights about the upcoming holiday season to help brands navigate the competitive sales period.
According to the survey, just over half (51%) of creators have already started their holiday campaigns. CEO and Founder of URLgenius, Brian Klais, commented on this finding: ‘In this climate, Commerce Creators have a direct impact on audience buying decisions and brand loyalty, as shoppers become more selective with their spending. While 51% of creators have begun their holiday campaigns, brands still have time to refine partnerships and position themselves for success in 2025.’
Rising competition surfaced as the top challenge (45%) for creators this holiday season. Other concerns include the ‘pressure to produce fresh content’ (25%) and maintaining work-life balance (23%). Looking ahead, a whopping 64% of creators pointed to changes in social media algorithms as their biggest concern for the new year.
While 35% of the surveyed creators said they want complete creative freedom, more than half of the brands interviewed prefer to have ‘strong creative control’. Zeroing in on brands, the study further found that they assess the success of influencer marketing campaigns based on sales figures and engagement metrics. 40% also revealed that they look beyond the number of followers when choosing which creators to partner with, prioritising brand fit instead.
Cristy Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer at impact.com, advised brands to begin engaging with influencers now if they wish to ‘leverage a cost-effective and ROI-driven channel that aligns with how today’s buyer makes purchases’.
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