Are influencers losing their lustre?

Less polish, more relatability. That’s the consumer sentiment behind a recent Field Agent Canada survey that found only 5% of consumers view influencers as their most trusted source when making a purchasing decision. The majority (55%) said their most trust source is people they know, while 40% said they trust online reviews from everyday consumers the most. 

The survey polled more than 2,000 Canadians to better understand how they feel about influence, social media recommendations and online trust. The results show that people are increasingly looking for authenticity, relatability and real-world experiences over polished sponsored content. 

“It seems like Instagram and TikTok have taken social media to a different level from an advertising perspective because it is such high context,” says Jeff Doucette, general manager of Field Agent Canada. “But even I find myself scrolling through posts like, ‘I’ve partnered with Tide…’ because it’s too polished, too salesy and too controlled. And so, we wanted to understand what people think about [influencer marketing] and what the alternatives are.” 

The survey also found that more than two-thirds of Canadians (68%) are most likely to consider a product recommendation shared on social media by someone they know. By comparison, 24% say they would consider a recommendation from an influencer they follow and only 8% would trust a recommendation from an influencer who appeared in their feed. 

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When asked who influenced their last purchase, 60% of respondents said a friend, family member, co-worker or other acquaintance; 32% said an online review from a real consumer; and 9% said an influencer. 

The survey also found that 71% of respondents have posted about a product they genuinely liked without being asked or paid. In addition, 97% said they read reviews before making a purchase decision. 

“Real experiences in real life win the day—seeing a product being used in its everyday context by someone you know or trust,” says Doucette. “It’s not to say that influencers are bad. Maybe there are too many of them or there aren’t enough really good ones. And so, they all get chased by the same companies and they’re just pumping out branded messages. It’s the same reason why people are a bit skeptical of super celebrities.” 

In the survey, open-ended responses highlight why consumers are skeptical of influencers. According to Field Agent, many consumers believe influencers are motivated by money, saying content feels transactional because influencers are often paid, sponsored or incentivized to promote products. 

“Ironically, with ‘sponsored by’ posts, influencers and brands are trying to be transparent, but it ends up taking a lot of credibility away from what the person is saying because you know that ‘Molly Loves Coupons’ is getting a thousand bucks from P&G to talk about Gain laundry detergent,” Doucette says.