Top Influencer Marketing Trends to Watch in 2025

Remember when influencer marketing was just a fun idea for brand awareness? Those days are long gone. Today, it’s a ​​​​$35 billion industry, helping brands not only spark interest but drive sales and build deep customer relationships. We’re in the age of full-funnel influencer marketing—boosting consideration and converting fans into buyers like never before.

Rakuten Advertising took a global deep dive into consumer trends and found some big takeaways for brands and marketers alike. We uncovered five key trends across the UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, and the US shaping the future of influencer marketing. We’ll walk you through these trends, show you why they’re working, and share pro tips to level up your influencer game.

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Trend 1:  Full Funnel, Full Impact

Think influencers are only there to boost awareness? Think again. Influencers are now part of every step in the customer journey, from grabbing attention to driving actual sales. In fact, 61% of people bought something because an influencer recommended it in the past six months.

However, measuring influencer impact is still a struggle for many brands. The solution? Combine traditional metrics with affiliate-style tracking for a clear picture of your ROI. This way, you’re not just looking at likes and shares—you’re tracking clicks, orders, and conversions at every stage. So you can make data-driven decisions.

How to Up Your Game:

• Consider strategies and tactics that unlock value for all journey phases, not just the top of the funnel.
• Find the perfect mix of influencers for each stage in the journey—don’t rely on just one type.
• Test out affiliate tracking tools that let you optimise performance across the board, proving ROI to ramp up budgets where it counts.

Trend 2: Trust: The Ultimate Currency

Authenticity is key in influencer marketing, and followers can sense when influencers are genuinely recommending a product versus pushing something just because it pays. Almost 85% of followers said they’d unfollow influencers who seem fake, so credibility matters more than ever. Influencers know this and are careful about their partnerships.

Interestingly, while most people like clicking embedded links for influencer-driven purchases, some (27%) hesitate due to privacy concerns. Enter “clickless affiliate tracking”—think discount codes that let customers buy without any extra steps. It’s a simple tweak that makes customers and influencers happy. And it wins back more conversions for brands.

How to Up Your Game:

• Pick influencers who really ​​​​resonate and align with your brand values.
• Encourage influencers to stay transparent about partnerships and sponsored content—this keeps the authenticity strong.
• Implement easy clickless tracking options (like unique discount codes) to make buying smoother.
• Make sure you’re up to speed on advertising and tax rules so you stay compliant with local ​​laws and disclosure guidelines.

Trend 3: Rise of the Micro-Influencers

Sure, mega-influencers are impressive with their millions of followers, but micro-influencers (those with 10k–99k followers) are now the fastest-growing group in the influencer world. Why? They’re experts in specific niches, building real relationships with their communities, which often leads to higher engagement and better conversion rates.

As trusted specialists, ​​​​​​​​Micro-influencers typically attract followers who are already in the market for their product, so they’re gold for brands looking to hit niche audiences.

How to Up Your Game:

• Partner with micro-influencers in your niche—they’re affordable, relatable, and effective.
• Dive into the data to see which influencer segment (mega, macro, micro, nano) gives you the best return for your goals.
• Don’t forget your brand’s natural ambassadors—sometimes, your biggest fans are employees or loyal customers who are influencers in their own right.

Trend 4: When Content Clicks, Engagement Sticks

Short-form video is on fire! Consumers across the globe are loving it, especially on platforms like TikTok. Quick, engaging videos give influencers a chance to show off their personality, and data shows that short-form content has way higher engagement rates.

With TikTok hitting ​​​​1.6 billion monthly users, it’s clear that influencers who are pros at creating short videos have a serious edge. And it’s not just about TikTok—brands are even repurposing influencer videos for ads across social and TV because they connect in a way traditional ads often don’t.

How to Up Your Game:

• Focus on video content, especially short-form, across all social channels.
• Explore more popular platforms like TikTok if you haven’t already. Don’t be afraid to diversify from Instagram—it might surprise you.
• Think multi-use! Use influencer content for everything from social ads to in-store screens.

Trend 5: The Next Big Thing

As traditional media struggles to reach younger audiences, influencers are stepping up to fill the void. Nearly two-thirds of consumers say they discover new products weekly or even daily through influencer recommendations.

And it’s not just Gen Z. People across age groups—yes, even Boomers—are jumping on the influencer bandwagon. In fact, 40% of respondents age 65 and older are purchasing through influencers! It shows that influencers are powerful not just for quick buys but for big-ticket items, too.

How to Up Your Game:

• Include influencers when launching new products or targeting younger demographics.
• Add affiliate-style tracking to influencer programs so you get valuable data on clicks and post-clicks.
• Try dynamic commissioning based on your goals, whether it’s acquiring new customers or focusing on high-value products.

Country-Level Toplines

Here’s a quick look at key trends across countries from the 2024 Rakuten Advertising Global Influencer Marketing Study:

• United Kingdom: With a 13% growth in influencer marketing, TikTok is the platform of choice for younger British audiences, and they’re buying higher-ticket items based on influencer recs. Short-form video rules, and Brits are more open to influencers as a source of new products.
• Australia: Influencer marketing is booming, with over 70% of consumers spending big on influencer recommendations. Australia’s multicultural vibe means influencers from different backgrounds can resonate strongly.
• Brazil: Influencer marketing is growing at 10% a year and video is king! Instagram and YouTube rule here, and TikTok is gaining momentum. Brazilians are more likely to make big purchases influenced by creators, so it’s a promising market for video-based influencer marketing.
• France: French audiences follow influencers they trust and rely on for product recommendations at an 8% higher level than other countries. Gaming influencers are popular here, thanks to brands like Ubisoft keeping the community strong.
• Germany: Quality over quantity. Germans are all about value, preferring longer-form content and trusting influencers with expertise. Influencer-driven purchases over €500 are quite common.
• United States: Americans spent an astounding $20B+ on influencer marketing in 2024. They love image posts and podcasts more than most, showing how unique preferences can shape campaigns. They’re loyal to Instagram but not as quick to try new platforms. However, influencer recommendations still drive serious sales.

This global look into influencer marketing is all about helping you boost your strategy. Ready to up your game? Rakuten Advertising’s expert teams are here to take your influencer campaigns from planning to ROI tracking. From managing creators to optimising affiliate links, we can help you deliver diverse, high-quality content to drive results across all channels.

Let’s connect and make those influencer campaigns work harder for you!

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