For important purchases, shoppers — whether bricks-and-mortar-oriented or online-oriented — often seek out information from other parties and are willing to spend time in doing so.

Recently, eMarketer did research on Influencers:

“Retail uses social influence throughout the path to purchase, as explored in a new eMarketer report, ‘Influencers in U.S. Retail: The YouTube Stars, Reviewers, and Superfans Consumers Trust.’ Because much of their attention has been on the bottom of the purchase funnel, retailers have relied on brand partners to create the product-level awareness and positioning that has powered the growth of influencer marketing.”

“As a result of their focus further down in the funnel, retailers have been relatively slow adopters of influencer marketing. Despite being late to the party, retailers are learning to use influencer marketing to create the type of awareness that drives traffic to stores and sites.”

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