LTK, a global creator marketing platform and shoppable social media app, released its 2023 Gen Z Shopper Study on Thursday, which shows that the majority of Gen Z’s shopping is initiated by social media and creator recommendations.

According to the report, creators are driving a majority of Gen Z’s shopping decisions online and in stores, with 75% of Gen Z saying they make purchases online from creator recommendations (21% higher than the general population), with 77% now shopping in store from creator recommendations.

“Social commerce has had a major impact on Gen Z shopping behaviors, and we expect this only to continue,” the company stated in a recent press release, citing its finding that 79% of Gen Z’s shopping originates from social media.

The study also found that creators are the most trusted on social media by Gen Z with the overwhelming majority saying they trust creators more than social media ads and celebrities. Creators were even 3.5 times more influential to Gen Z consumers than social media ads.

Gen Z also said that they follow creators because of their authenticity, personality and relatability. When asked why they turn to creators for style and shopping recommendations, the top reasons included authenticity for style and product quality, discovery of new products and brands and authentic opinions on fit.

Creator guided shopping seemed to be having an impact on post-purchase confidence as well. Nearly half of Gen Z reported they are less likely to return an item after seeing a creator describe it in their video content, showing the impact creator guided shopping has had on purchase satisfaction.

Furthermore, Gen Z shoppers are represented by various lifestyles and have found connections with micro influencers for recommendations to better represent their unique interests and styles.

According to LTK’s report, micro influencers with a following of 10,000 to 100,000 were just as popular as macro influencers with a following of 100,000 to 1 million.

As for brands, the top factors Gen Z shoppers consider are trendy & budget friendly (63%), those with an environmental impact (43%), and resale companies (33%). And the top categories Gen Z is looking to creators to help with recommendations are beauty and personal care, fashion, food, electronics, cleaning supplies and gaming.

LTK released its 2023 Gen Z Shopper Study Thursday, which shows that the majority of Gen Z’s shopping is initiated by social media and creator recommendations.