Almost 82 percent of respondents in a survey accepted that social media influencers impact their buying decisions and only 17 percent opined that celebrity-endorsements are more credible, according to a new report.

iCubesWire, a leading ad-tech platform, surveyed 2,987 Indian consumers and released a report, ‘Influencer Marketing 2024 Reflections, Audience Outlook Forecast 2025’ and in a media statement said the report surveyed consumers covering all the relevant demographics from cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi with income group ranging from Rs. 5-20 lakhs.

Some of the highlights of the insights and future trends shaping the influencer marketing landscape includes the following, iCubesWire said in the statement:

# Size of Influencer following: 84 percent respondents trust Influencers with followers below one million.

# Impact on brands: 84 percent of the respondents believe Influencers can impact a brand’s reputation.

# Influencer recommendations: 82 percent of the respondents acknowledge that Influencers impact their buying decisions.

# Credibility of Influencer Content: Only 17 percent of the respondents believe that celebrity endorsements are more credible.

#Preferred platform: 48 percent respondents prefer Instagram, while 34 percent prefer LinkedIn, which ranks second, surpassing YouTube and X.

# Loss of Trust: 45 percent of the respondents lose trust in Influencers who promote unrelated products, while 32 percent are turned off by repetitive content.

# Top Influencer Trait: 40 percent of the respondents prefer Influencers with niche expertise, followed by 28 percent who prioritize audience connection.

#Social Media Shopping Use: 68 percent of the respondents are not interested in social media shopping features like Instagram and Facebook shopping.

Speaking on the findings of this report, Sahil Chopra, Co-Founder and CEO at iCubesWire, said in a statement, “We at iCubesWire strongly believe in the value of consumer insights and this survey is an eye-opener. The consumer today builds deep connect with Influencers and is more active on LinkedIn than we anticipated. Influencer marketing is no longer just a branding exercise but has a significant impact on the entire customer purchase funnel.”