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Influencers: The New Besties For E-commerce? Influencer marketing has become a potent tool for e-commerce companies looking to connect and interact with their target audience in the current digital era. As social media sites such as Instagram and Tiktok gain popularity, customers are more likely to look to reputable influencers for advice before making a purchase.

By Arundhuti Banerjee Edited by Kavya Pillai

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Diggity Marketing

Influencer marketing has become a potent tool for e-commerce companies looking to connect and interact with their target audience in the current digital era. As social media sites such as Instagram and Tiktok gain popularity, customers are more likely to look to reputable influencers for advice before making a purchase. Hardik Banga, a Digital Content Creator shared, "Influencer have huge impact on their audience so if the product is genuinely good and the influencer integrates it well then ecom brands can derive a lot of business from it."

Building Trust and Credibility

Influencers have built devoted followings and are regarded as reliable authorities in their online communities; when they genuinely recommend a good or service, it feels more like a friend's recommendation than a conventional advertisement, and their followers are more likely to believe them and take the recommendation into consideration. This is one of the main benefits of influencer marketing in e-commerce.

E-commerce companies can establish their brand's image and tap into a preexisting trust by utilizing the influencer's credibility and engaged audience. Celebrity content creator Nitibha Kaul shared, " One has to consistently create authentic content. Once the unique voice is established and the steady audience is developed, the next step is doing market research. It is important to research the current trend and where a creator can place their authentic voice through the trend to stay relevant. Then, comes the next step of finding a sweet spot where one can create trending content, that's authentic but also relatable to more audience so that authenticity is maintained, trend is followed and also a steady audience growth is in place."

Brand Plans and The Impact

Through programs like Amazon Live, Brands can leverage Amazon Live through two types of paid engagements: (a) Brand-owned storefronts – this is the baseline engagement where brands can sign up as a partner on Amazon Live and run Livestreams from their store fronts (just like any other creator) (b) Sponsored Content where Amazon will own execution of the livestream(s). Brands can suggest the influencer, products to be showcased and creative suggestions for the livestream but Amazon will retain final decision on each of these. The livestream will be merchandized on premium slots thereby guaranteeing visibility. For both engagements, brands will receive a performance report with engagement and sales data after the stream is over.

For influencers, Streaming on Amazon will give them monetary benefits linked to the sales and traffic you drive on Amazon. Amazon's large product catalogue, customer trust, convenient shopping experience coupled with special, Live-only offers will help them meaningfully augment their income. Live will also expand their brand reach to millions of Amazon customers - helping them build a following within this engaged customer base. "We will also share insights that will help them create the right type of live content that drives sales & followers. Finally, participating in Live will also enroll them in the Amazon Influencer Program, which offers additional monetization opportunities," shared Kishore Thota, Director of Shopping Experience, India & Emerging Markets, Amazon.

Keeping It Real

Influencers possess a special talent for producing accessible, interesting material that appeals to their audience. E-commerce firms may leverage influencers' creativity and knowledge to present things in a compelling and authentic way by working with them. The audience is emotionally connected to this user-generated material, which entices them to learn more about the company.

Arundhuti Banerjee

Former Content Editor

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