The holiday season is influencer prime time! If you’re a creator or a brand with an influencer marketing strategy, this is your chance to cash in. A recent Mavely survey of 1,000 U.S.-based influencers shows just how vital these months are for boosting income.
Nearly 40% of all surveyed influencers — and 76% of influencers whose primary source of income is from influencing — earn more than half of their annual income during this time.
Planning Ahead of Black Friday for Success
While nearly half of surveyed creators (43%) say that Black Friday through Cyber Monday is when they see the biggest increase in winter holiday shopping from their followers [Graph 1], creators aren’t winging it. In fact, 52% of influencers start making holiday content at least a month before Black Friday [Graph 2].
On average, influencers begin crafting their holiday posts a little more than two months in advance of Black Friday, ensuring their content is front and center when shoppers are ready to buy. And it’s no wonder, because sales go through the roof during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
What Sells Best for the Holidays
People love holiday shopping for clothing (45%), toys & gaming (32%), and beauty products (30%) [Graph 3] — the top 3 product categories that creators said sell the most during this time — and influencers know exactly how to tap into these trends.
So, what are influencers posting to bring in those holiday sales? Gift hauls, unboxing videos, and DIY tutorials are popular content types [Graph 4]. When it comes to content that converts, holiday decorating (49%), gift guides (36%), and recipes (36%) are some of the hottest themes to drive sales and engagement during the holiday shopping season [Graph 5].
And while the content itself is important, influencers also rely on resources like early access to deals (33%) and reusable Instagram templates (26%) to make their lives easier and posts more engaging. Easy-to-use, mobile-friendly influencer marketing tech (16%) also made the list of important sales-driving resources [Graph 6].
Why Influencers Choose Certain Brands
Influencers are strategic about which brands and products they promote. The top motivators for influencers to promote a brand or product for their holiday recommendations [Graph 7] are:
- Limited-time sales (40%)
- Deal pages that aggregate many items (37%)
- High commissions (37%)
- Gift guides (31%)
- Exclusive promo codes (31%)
Authenticity is key too—creators need to trust a brand before they share it with their followers:
- 67% of influencers said it was important to only promote products and brands that they actually use and like.
- 74% said it was important to trust the quality of a brand’s products.
This is crucial for influencers who are building trust with their own audiences:
- 70% of influencers said it’s important to come across as authentic to their followers.
How Brands Can Stand Out to Influencers
Brands looking to drive sales during the holidays would do well to focus heavily on influencers as a sales and marketing channel. Our survey found that 59% of influencers post affiliate links to drive sales, with that number jumping to 66% of influencers under the age of 45.
With influencers managing the majority of their business from a mobile device (65%), it’s no wonder that 67% of influencers said it’s important to have a mobile app that makes it easy to create affiliate links. Their audience’s user experience is even higher on the list, with 73% of influencers saying it’s important that their followers have an easy time making purchases on a brand’s app or website.
When it comes to choosing to promote one brand over another, influencers cited gift guides (34%), inspiration from other influencers (28%), advance notice of upcoming sales (28%), and influencer contests (24%) as some of their top motivators. Nearly 150 respondents (16%) also said they’d like more connection to brands through virtual and in-person events [Graph 8].
How Influencers Can Make the Most of the Holiday Shopping Season
This survey isn’t just a gold mine for brands—it’s a blueprint for creators too. By starting early, posting consistently, and focusing on high-engagement content, influencers can maximize sales and grow their audiences during the most lucrative time of the year. Plus, leveraging tools like affiliate links and building partnerships with brands that offer high-quality products and deals can give influencers an edge over the competition.
About the Survey
This Mavely 2024 Influencer Winter Shopping Season Survey was conducted by Censuswide and included 1,000 U.S. influencers across various niches such as fashion, beauty, music, family/parenting, gaming, finance, fitness, and many more. Most influencers said they share content on platforms like Facebook (56%), TikTok (50%), Instagram (49%), and YouTube (38%), with affiliate links serving as a key revenue driver for 59% of respondents.
Survey Methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide among a sample of 1,000 influencers in the United States. The data was collected between September 20–24, 2024. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
