LTK’s “2025 Holiday Playbook” reveals that 77% of consumers now trust creators primarily for their honest reviews. Creator trust has increased by 34% year-over-year among LTK users, positioning creators as the most trusted source for holiday purchases among Gen Z and Millennials, outranking traditional advertising and celebrity endorsements.
The report, based on a June 2025 survey of 1,034 U.S. participants, shows approximately 70% of the general population now makes purchases based on creator recommendations, a 21% increase from the previous year.
According to LTK, this growing trust in creators represents an important shift in consumer decision-making. “Trust is the gift that keeps on giving,” notes the report, highlighting how consumers increasingly follow creators they trust and, by extension, the brands the creators endorse. The quality of personal content and transparency about brand partnerships further strengthen this trust relationship, creating a positive cycle of influence and engagement.
The importance of this trust extends beyond mere popularity, as it changes how consumers interact with retail environments both online and in physical stores.
UGC and Creator Personalization
Within the broader field of user-generated content (UGC), creator-generated content has emerged as the clear preference for consumers. The research shows a clear ranking, with creator content outperforming both brand imagery and traditional UGC in consumer preference. According to the report, “LTK users prefer creator-generated content over branded messaging and traditional UGC.”
The demand for creator content appears across multiple touchpoints in the shopping journey. Three out of four consumers want to see creator content while shopping, with product pages, brand emails, and advertisements ranking as the top locations where consumers expect to find creator content. This integration of creator voices throughout the customer journey reinforces the trust relationship and provides consumers with consistent guidance from their preferred influencers.
The Era of ‘Me Media’
This change in creator influence has given rise to what the LTK report identifies as “the era of me media,” where consumers gravitate toward creators who reflect their personal taste and lifestyle. The desire to see oneself represented in content has become the primary driver of creator relationships, with “reflect my personal taste or be similar to me” ranking as the number-one creator shopping preference among consumers.
This personalization extends to geography as well, with a majority of consumers following local creators who understand regional preferences and lifestyle nuances. The report states that 67% of consumers return to search for creator content for recommendations. LTK reports that user searches for specific creators during the holiday season increased by 98% year-over-year.
Creator Influence Expands to Bigger Screens
As creator trust grows and personalization increases, the influence of creators is simultaneously expanding beyond mobile devices to larger screens. The majority of Gen Z and Millennials now want to see creator content integrated into streaming experiences on Connected TV, extending the creator relationship into new contexts and environments.
Cultural moments serve as powerful catalysts for creator-driven purchases, with streaming shows influencing 61% of LTK users to make purchases through creators. This is followed by TikTok trends, awards and celebrity moments, concerts, and sports events. Overall, 85% of the general population reports being influenced by cultural sources to make purchases through creators, highlighting the integration of creator recommendations into broader entertainment and lifestyle experiences.
The report cites the “Wicked” movie release as an example, showing how LTK creators built organic buzz leading up to the film’s premiere. This creator activity generated thousands of related posts and hundreds of thousands of views, demonstrating the power of creators to amplify cultural moments and translate them into shopping behavior.
Digital and Physical Retail
The research emphasizes that creator influence has successfully connected the gap between digital and physical retail environments. A notable 92% of LTK shoppers report making an in-store purchase based on a creator video, highlighting how digital content directly drives offline sales.
When shopping in physical stores, consumers engage with creator content through various channels, primarily via social media on their phones, followed by brand websites, QR codes on signage, and in-store tablets. This multi-channel approach to creator content enables consumers to maintain a connection with trusted influencers, regardless of where they shop, thereby creating a consistent experience across the retail setting.
Holiday Shopping Begins Earlier
The report identifies a notable shift in holiday shopping timing, with 43% of the general population planning to start holiday shopping by September, representing a 13% year-over-year increase. This acceleration corresponds with a 29% decrease year-over-year in consumers planning to start holiday shopping after October.
Inventory concerns appear to be the primary driver behind this behavioral change, with 53% of consumers believing a lack of inventory will be a problem for holiday shopping in 2025. These concerns extend to creator expectations, with 61% of consumers believing that creators should suggest alternative products due to potential inventory issues. This trend highlights the advisory role creators now play in helping consumers find products despite supply challenges.
Self-Gifting
The holiday season increasingly encompasses both gift-giving and self-purchasing, with 89% of consumers planning to buy items for both themselves and others during the holiday season. This dual-purpose shopping behavior creates multiple opportunities for brands and creators to position products.
The report details how top gift categories vary by generation, with Millennials prioritizing entertainment, beauty/personal care, and fashion, while Gen Z favors beauty/personal care, entertainment, and fashion. Self-purchase categories follow similar patterns, with beauty/personal care ranking first for both demographics. However, Millennials show a greater interest in experiential purchases, while Gen Z gravitates more toward video games and health and wellness products.
Distinct Purchase Priorities
The research highlights notable differences between LTK shoppers and the general population regarding purchase priorities. LTK shoppers rank availability and brand as their top two considerations, followed by quality, price, and convenience. In contrast, the general population prioritizes price and quality first, followed by availability, brand, and convenience.
This distinction suggests that LTK shoppers are less price-sensitive and more brand-conscious than average consumers, making them a particularly valuable audience for premium and luxury brands. Their emphasis on availability also aligns with the broader trend toward earlier holiday shopping to avoid inventory disappointments.
Approaches for Brand Marketing
The report outlines several strategic approaches for brands heading into the holiday season. These include leveraging creator UGC for cost efficiencies and extending content lifetime, including Connected TV in holiday campaigns to expand content reach, and using personalized recommendations to simplify holiday shopping for consumers.
The report also recommends prioritizing longer-form videos for storytelling and building consumer trust with UGC on product pages. For holiday promotions specifically, the report suggests promoting bundle deals and showcasing creators sharing holiday joy with loved ones, while also preparing for inventory challenges by having creators promote alternative products for sold-out items.
The report concludes that authentic engagement across channels is a lasting source of value for brands working with creators to connect with holiday shoppers.
Image credit: LTK. The full report is available here.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
LTK’s “2025 Holiday Playbook” reveals that 77% of consumers now trust creators primarily for their honest reviews. Creator trust has increased by 34% year-over-year among LTK users, positioning creators as the most trusted source for holiday purchases among Gen Z and Millennials, outranking traditional advertising and celebrity endorsements.
The report, based on a June 2025 survey of 1,034 U.S. participants, shows approximately 70% of the general population now makes purchases based on creator recommendations, a 21% increase from the previous year.
According to LTK, this growing trust in creators represents an important shift in consumer decision-making. “Trust is the gift that keeps on giving,” notes the report, highlighting how consumers increasingly follow creators they trust and, by extension, the brands the creators endorse. The quality of personal content and transparency about brand partnerships further strengthen this trust relationship, creating a positive cycle of influence and engagement.
The importance of this trust extends beyond mere popularity, as it changes how consumers interact with retail environments both online and in physical stores.
UGC and Creator Personalization
Within the broader field of user-generated content (UGC), creator-generated content has emerged as the clear preference for consumers. The research shows a clear ranking, with creator content outperforming both brand imagery and traditional UGC in consumer preference. According to the report, “LTK users prefer creator-generated content over branded messaging and traditional UGC.”
The demand for creator content appears across multiple touchpoints in the shopping journey. Three out of four consumers want to see creator content while shopping, with product pages, brand emails, and advertisements ranking as the top locations where consumers expect to find creator content. This integration of creator voices throughout the customer journey reinforces the trust relationship and provides consumers with consistent guidance from their preferred influencers.
The Era of ‘Me Media’
This change in creator influence has given rise to what the LTK report identifies as “the era of me media,” where consumers gravitate toward creators who reflect their personal taste and lifestyle. The desire to see oneself represented in content has become the primary driver of creator relationships, with “reflect my personal taste or be similar to me” ranking as the number-one creator shopping preference among consumers.
This personalization extends to geography as well, with a majority of consumers following local creators who understand regional preferences and lifestyle nuances. The report states that 67% of consumers return to search for creator content for recommendations. LTK reports that user searches for specific creators during the holiday season increased by 98% year-over-year.
Creator Influence Expands to Bigger Screens
As creator trust grows and personalization increases, the influence of creators is simultaneously expanding beyond mobile devices to larger screens. The majority of Gen Z and Millennials now want to see creator content integrated into streaming experiences on Connected TV, extending the creator relationship into new contexts and environments.
Cultural moments serve as powerful catalysts for creator-driven purchases, with streaming shows influencing 61% of LTK users to make purchases through creators. This is followed by TikTok trends, awards and celebrity moments, concerts, and sports events. Overall, 85% of the general population reports being influenced by cultural sources to make purchases through creators, highlighting the integration of creator recommendations into broader entertainment and lifestyle experiences.
The report cites the “Wicked” movie release as an example, showing how LTK creators built organic buzz leading up to the film’s premiere. This creator activity generated thousands of related posts and hundreds of thousands of views, demonstrating the power of creators to amplify cultural moments and translate them into shopping behavior.
Digital and Physical Retail
The research emphasizes that creator influence has successfully connected the gap between digital and physical retail environments. A notable 92% of LTK shoppers report making an in-store purchase based on a creator video, highlighting how digital content directly drives offline sales.
When shopping in physical stores, consumers engage with creator content through various channels, primarily via social media on their phones, followed by brand websites, QR codes on signage, and in-store tablets. This multi-channel approach to creator content enables consumers to maintain a connection with trusted influencers, regardless of where they shop, thereby creating a consistent experience across the retail setting.
Holiday Shopping Begins Earlier
The report identifies a notable shift in holiday shopping timing, with 43% of the general population planning to start holiday shopping by September, representing a 13% year-over-year increase. This acceleration corresponds with a 29% decrease year-over-year in consumers planning to start holiday shopping after October.
Inventory concerns appear to be the primary driver behind this behavioral change, with 53% of consumers believing a lack of inventory will be a problem for holiday shopping in 2025. These concerns extend to creator expectations, with 61% of consumers believing that creators should suggest alternative products due to potential inventory issues. This trend highlights the advisory role creators now play in helping consumers find products despite supply challenges.
Self-Gifting
The holiday season increasingly encompasses both gift-giving and self-purchasing, with 89% of consumers planning to buy items for both themselves and others during the holiday season. This dual-purpose shopping behavior creates multiple opportunities for brands and creators to position products.
The report details how top gift categories vary by generation, with Millennials prioritizing entertainment, beauty/personal care, and fashion, while Gen Z favors beauty/personal care, entertainment, and fashion. Self-purchase categories follow similar patterns, with beauty/personal care ranking first for both demographics. However, Millennials show a greater interest in experiential purchases, while Gen Z gravitates more toward video games and health and wellness products.
Distinct Purchase Priorities
The research highlights notable differences between LTK shoppers and the general population regarding purchase priorities. LTK shoppers rank availability and brand as their top two considerations, followed by quality, price, and convenience. In contrast, the general population prioritizes price and quality first, followed by availability, brand, and convenience.
This distinction suggests that LTK shoppers are less price-sensitive and more brand-conscious than average consumers, making them a particularly valuable audience for premium and luxury brands. Their emphasis on availability also aligns with the broader trend toward earlier holiday shopping to avoid inventory disappointments.
Approaches for Brand Marketing
The report outlines several strategic approaches for brands heading into the holiday season. These include leveraging creator UGC for cost efficiencies and extending content lifetime, including Connected TV in holiday campaigns to expand content reach, and using personalized recommendations to simplify holiday shopping for consumers.
The report also recommends prioritizing longer-form videos for storytelling and building consumer trust with UGC on product pages. For holiday promotions specifically, the report suggests promoting bundle deals and showcasing creators sharing holiday joy with loved ones, while also preparing for inventory challenges by having creators promote alternative products for sold-out items.
The report concludes that authentic engagement across channels is a lasting source of value for brands working with creators to connect with holiday shoppers.
Image credit: LTK.
The full report is available here.
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