Social commerce is no longer just a trend; it’s reshaping how consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products. Fueled by younger generations, platforms such as TikTok Shop, Instagram Shops, and YouTube Shopping have transformed shopping into an interactive, content-driven journey. By 2030, the social commerce market is projected to reach $5.32 billion to $8.5 trillion, making it one of retail’s fastest-growing sectors.

“92% of consumers trust recommendations from individuals over brands,” according to Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising Report. That stat tells you everything you need to know about why influencer marketing has outpaced traditional advertising in 2025. It’s not about flashy campaigns - it’s about trust, relevance, and connection.

At Torro Media, we’ve spent years helping brands in Boston and beyond navigate the evolving digital landscape. We’ve launched influencer campaigns, tested platforms, tracked ROI, and one thing is certain: the influencer economy is no longer optional. It’s essential.

Brands generate 46% higher affiliate-based sales out of their total e-commerce sales when working with affiliates and influencers vs those who only work with affiliates. How? By targeting every stage of the buyer’s journey: covering awareness, education, and promo codes.

While CMOs are pressured to deliver the same growth yearly with fewer resources, many are combining the power of affiliates and influencers to:

Discover the trends and consumer behavior shaping the fashion industry and expert insights for leveraging them in your own influencer marketing strategy. We surveyed hundreds of Gen Z and Millennial consumers to understand their shopping and social media habits. In this guide, you’ll get the latest consumer data and trends, plus actionable strategy advice from the marketers behind some of today’s most innovative fashion programs.

Finding that perfect influencer means understanding your target audience and finding creators who represent them. That means you’ll need an effective vetting process to ensure your demographics, mission, and values align. Each social media platform is developing more robust ways to track account and content performance. For now, many of those metrics are only available to the creator. But there are other ways to perform your own influencer audience analysis.

Gen Z is more online than any generation before it, and its purchasing behavior is guided by a desire for personalization and a commitment to sustainability. Generation Z is a tech-savvy, ethically minded generation with incredible spending power. Amazon was founded before any Gen Zers were born, and the iPhone debuted when the eldest of the generation was only 11 years old. Capturing market share from this smartphone and online shopping-native generation—now sitting on billions of dollars in disposable income—is a significant opportunity for ecommerce businesses.

With over 86% of US marketers planning to partner with content creators in 2025, influencer marketing has become a mainstay in modern brand strategy. So the question isn’t really should you partner with influencers, but rather, should you go big, or stay small? In 2025, this answer is increasingly nuanced. With everything from evolving platform algorithms to changing consumer behavior, brands are rethinking how they invest in creator partnerships.

Paid media advertising is a cornerstone of digital marketing, allowing businesses to reach targeted audiences and maximize their visibility online. According to an Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers study, the digital marketing industry generated $225 billion in ad revenue in 2023. That number should continue growing in the years to come.

As we approach 2025, paid media is evolving because of technological advancements and shifting consumer behaviors. Staying ahead is important for brands that want to remain competitive and make the most of their advertising budgets.