Most ecommerce brands know influencer marketing exists, but many still don’t realize how impactful it’s become. What started as a few sponsored social media posts is now a multi-billion-dollar channel that’s changing how people discover and buy products.

If you’re not sure whether to invest in this strategy for your ecommerce business, these statistics on the state of influencer marketing will convince you to prioritize it. 

Growth of the influencer marketing industry

With more brands turning to content creators for measurable impact, 2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for the industry. Here are influencer marketing stats on how the industry is growing and where it’s heading, based on recent data:

Size of the industry

• The global influencer marketing industry is expected to reach $32.55 billion by the end of 2025, up from $24 billion in the last year (2024) and just $1.4 billion in 2014.
• This reflects a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 33.11% within the influencer industry over the past decade.
• From 2024 to 2025 alone, the market size is projected to grow by 35.63%, outpacing traditional advertising growth rates.
• In 2024, social media became the world’s largest advertising channel, with $247.3 billion in global ad spend, set to grow to $266.92 billion in 2025.
• As of 2025, there are 6,939 influencer marketing service providers, a sharp rise from just 1,120 in 2019.
• The daily time spent on these platforms by social media users has grown by nearly 40% since 2014, reaching 143 minutes per day.

Country-wise breakdown

• In terms of the number of influencer posts,
  
  • The U.S. leads with 18.9 million sponsored posts in 2024, making up 22.7% of global influencer content.
  • Brazil follows with 12 million posts (14.5%), while India contributed 5.57 million posts (6.7%).
• In terms of Instagram influencer count, the top three countries are:
  
  • Brazil with 3.83 million influencers (15.8%)
  • U.S. with 3.78 million influencers (15.6%)
  • India with 1.99 million influencers (8.2%).
• Emerging markets like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Latin America are seeing double-digit growth in influencer marketing budgets, driven by an increased focus on regional relevance and local partnerships.

Platform-specific trends shaping influencer marketing

TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and even Facebook offer different strengths from content format to audience behavior. Here’s how each platform is currently shaping influencer strategies:

TikTok

TikTok remains a core marketing channel, especially for brands targeting younger, highly engaged audiences.

• 51.6% of brands include TikTok in their influencer marketing strategy.
• TikTok influencers with 1K to 19K follower count (nano-influencers) see an average engagement rate of 18%, the highest engagement rate among all social media platforms.
• Nearly 1 in 10 Gen Z users are more likely to rely on TikTok than Google as a search engine.
• TikTok usage dropped by 17.2% YoY, partly due to its US ban.

Instagram

While its usage has declined, Instagram remains a top priority for brands focused on visuals and consistent posting, especially with Reels dominating the channel.

• Instagram is used by 57.1% of brands, down from 76% in the previous year.
• Brands publish an average of 5 sponsored posts on Instagram per week.
• Instagram’s influencer economy hit $17 billion in 2023
• Instagram grew slightly by 0.5% YoY as TikTok declined

YouTube

Long-form content and higher production value keep YouTube relevant, especially for mid-tier influencers.

• 36.7% of brands rely on YouTube for influencer marketing campaigns
• According to Statista, YouTube influencers with more than one million followers see the highest engagement of 3.4%.
• Sponsored videos typically start at $2,500 per post; often much higher
• YouTube usage increased slightly by 0.7% YoY

Facebook and LinkedIn

• Facebook is seeing reduced brand activity but still supports specific use cases.
  
  • Only 28.4% of brands use Facebook for influencer marketing
  • Average engagement rate continues to drop due to declining organic reach.

• LinkedIn, while still niche, is a good option for B2B and professional content.
  
  • Used by 11.6% of brands
  • Up by 2.2% YoY, showing slow but steady growth

Influencer marketing spending

How do brands prefer to pay creators? 49.6% of brands now prefer commission-based partnerships over flat fees. This model aligns better with performance goals like conversions and revenue, rather than just impressions.

The amount you pay depends largely on the type of influencer and the digital marketing platform you’re targeting. 

Here’s a clear look at how much brands are spending on influencer pricing in 2023:

Nano-influencers (500 to 10K followers)

With an engagement rate of 2.53%, nano-influencers witness the highest audience involvement across tiers but charge the lowest rates:

• $10 to $100 for an Instagram post
• $20 to $200 for a YouTube video
• $5 to $25 for a TikTok video

Micro-influencers (10K to 100K followers)

These influencers are often used for targeted campaigns with niche target audiences. These social media influencers charge between $25 and $1,250 per social media post.

• $100 to $500 for an Instagram post
• $200 to $1,000 for a YouTube video
• $25 to $125 for a TikTok video

Mid-tier influencers (100K to 500K followers)

Mid-tier influencers offer a balance between reach and engagement. They are preferred by 81% of marketers for partnerships. 

According to Shopify’s findings, they typically earn:

• $500 to $5,000 for an Instagram post
• $1,000 to $10,000 for a YouTube video
• $125 to $1,250 for a TikTok video

Macro-influencers (500K to 1M followers)

Macro-influencers have a wider reach, but engagement typically drops. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, their rates range: 

• $5,000 to $10,000 for an Instagram post
• $10,000 to $20,000 for a YouTube video
• $1,250 to $2,500 for a TikTok video

Mega-influencers (1M+ followers)

This tier of influencers charge the highest:

• $10,000+ for an Instagram post
• $20,000+ for a YouTube video
• $2,500+ for a TikTok video

Celebrity rates can go much higher. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo gets paid $2.3M per post while Kylie Jenner earns $1.8M per post.

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Strategy-specific influencer marketing insights

As brands refine their influencer marketing strategies, there’s a clear shift towards smaller, frequent campaigns and diversified platform choices.

Here’s a breakdown of the most important stats shaping campaign strategy and execution across the board.

What objectives do brands have when running a campaign? 

There’s a blend of performance goals and long-term brand development:

• Sales (35.6%) is the top objective
• Brand awareness (24.4%)
• User-generated content (18.9%)
• Community building (12.4%)

How are campaigns managed?

• 60.4% of brands manage campaigns in-house, compared to 39.6% that rely on agencies or managed services.
• Nearly half of brands (49.6%) work with just 1–5 influencers per campaign, while only 2.8% engage more than 100.

What kind of campaigns do brands run?

• Monthly campaigns (37.1%)
• Quarterly (28.7%) 
• Product launch-based campaigns (15.6%)

What challenges do brands face when running influencer campaigns in-house?

The biggest in-house challenge for brands is a clear gap in tools and workflows. Here’s what brands struggle with:

• Finding influencers (30%)
• Measuring return on investment or ROI (26.2%)
• Managing contracts (14.2%)
• Processing payments (13.5%)

How do brands pick influencers to work with?

When evaluating influencers, brands usually focus on:

• Engagement or clicks (25.8%)
• Content category (25.1%)
• Views/reach (21.8%)
• Sales impact and influence on purchasing decisions (20.7%)

How do brands run influencer campaigns?

64.7% of brands prefer campaign-based influencer strategies, which are focused. 35.3% experiment with always-on approaches to build stronger, ongoing audience connections.

Format-specific strategies

• Live streaming is the most preferred type of content at 52.4%, thanks to its authenticity and high engagement potential.
• Short-form video content follows closely at 38.1%, favored for its virality and ability to capture attention quickly.
• Social commerce is highlighted by 31.7% as a key growth area, integrating content and conversion in real-time.

Key trends shaping influencer marketing in 2025

Based on insights from over 100 industry leaders, here are some important trends that are changing how brands and creators operate:

• 91% of experts say technology is the primary driver of change in influencer marketing efforts. This includes the rise of AI-generated content, advanced influencer discovery tools, automated campaign management, and real-time analytics.
• 40.1% specifically highlight AI’s role in automating workflows and optimizing performance contracts.
• 6.9% point to predictive analytics as a key enabler of personalization and campaign efficiency.
• 35.3% of experts highlight a growing preference for authenticity and niche content. This means that audiences are more likely to trust influencers who share relatable, topic-specific content (especially in categories like wellness, finance, or parenting) over broad lifestyle influencers.
• Micro-influencers are becoming central, making up 27.3% of subtheme mentions due to their deep audience connection.
• Community building leads creator priorities, with 46.9% of experts focusing on sustained engagement over one-time promotions.
• 27.5% of the expert conversation is centered on the need for precise metrics and performance visibility.
• Within that, 51.2% of mentions focus on real-time performance tracking, and 38.4% on ROI effectiveness.

Turn influencer marketing into a scalable growth channel with revenue-driven tracking!

Influencer marketing is moving beyond vanity metrics and one-off collaborations. To build consistent, performance-driven results, brands need tools that streamline execution and tie influencer activity directly to revenue.

Social Snowball allows brands to launch performance-based partnerships by turning influencers into affiliates, sharing a unique referral code, automatically tracking sales they bring in, and rewarding them based on actual sales. This simplifies payouts and makes sure that every influencer collaboration is tied to measurable outcomes.

Want to learn how Social Snowball can help you track sales driven by influencers and reward them?

Schedule a demo now!

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