URLgenius & impact.com Survey: Key Insights for Brand Marketers in Holiday Shopping

Latest Commerce Creator Lighting Survey by URLgenius & impact.com Identifies Creator and Brand Insights Poised To Shape The Season

In a strategic collaboration, URLgenius, an industry pioneer in intelligent app linking, and impact.com, the world’s leading partnership management platform, have unveiled key insights from their latest Commerce Creator Lightning Survey. The findings highlight new opportunities for brand marketers to connect with Commerce Creators, particularly in the face of evolving consumer shopping behaviors and economic uncertainties during the holiday season.


Consumer Behavior Amid Economic Uncertainty
Brian Klais, CEO and founder of URLgenius, emphasized the significant role Commerce Creators play in influencing consumer buying decisions and fostering brand loyalty during challenging economic times. "In this climate, Commerce Creators have a direct impact on audience buying decisions and brand loyalty, as shoppers become more selective with their spending," he stated. Notably, 51% of creators have already initiated their holiday campaigns, signaling that brands still have time to refine their partnerships for success in 2025.


Key Insights from the Commerce Creator Lightning Survey


Fierce Competition

  • 45% of creators identified rising competition for audience attention as their top challenge this holiday season.
  • Additional challenges include the pressure to produce fresh content (25%) and the struggle to maintain work-life balance (23%).


Compensation Balancing Act

  • 47% of brands prefer a flat-fee compensation model with performance bonuses, while nearly half of creators cited rate negotiation as their biggest challenge when collaborating with brands.
  • However, the survey revealed that the pay-per-post plus commission model emerged as the preferred compensation structure across all follower counts, creating a mutually beneficial scenario that shares both risks and rewards.


Unease of the Unknown

  • Both brands and creators depend on measurable outcomes to gauge success but are concerned about factors beyond their control.
  • Brands prioritize sales figures and engagement metrics, with 41% reporting difficulty in measuring campaign effectiveness as a common challenge.
  • On the creator side, 64% expressed concern over the impact of shifting social media algorithms on their income and business stability.


Creative Differences

  • More than half of the brands surveyed indicated a preference for strong creative control, while 35% of creators preferred complete creative freedom to maintain authenticity for their audience.
  • Balancing brand safety with creator authenticity is essential for fostering trust in these partnerships.
  • Additionally, 40% of brands prioritized brand fit when selecting creator partners, reinforcing the importance of long-term relationships over merely follower counts.


Cristy Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer of impact.com, remarked on the timely engagement between brands and creators, noting, "September is not over, and we’re already seeing half of creators actively share holiday content. Brands should be engaging with influencers now to leverage a cost-effective and ROI-driven channel that aligns with how today’s buyer makes purchases." She emphasized the potential for brands and creators to build stronger connections through authentic content, including trusted reviews and recommendations, ultimately driving consumer conversions.


Also published in: MartechEdge

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