Creators Now Rival Search Engines as Gen Z's Product Discovery Channel

For young adults, the path to a purchase no longer starts with a search bar. It starts with a streamer, a creator, a familiar face in the feed. New data from YouGov confirms how far that shift has gone: 41% of Gen Z now discover new products through social media influencers or bloggers, essentially level with search engines (42%) and ahead of product reviews on websites and blogs (37%).

The generational contrast is stark. Just 19% of Gen Z discover products through TV or radio commercials, less than half the influencer figure. Among Baby Boomers the pattern is inverted: 41% cite TV or radio, only 13% influencers. For anyone marketing to adults aged 18 to 24, the discovery layer of the funnel now runs through creators.

The YouGov Profiles dataset, drawn from 52 weeks of rolling surveys among US adults, places influencers as the ninth most common product discovery route overall (27% of all consumers), but the Gen Z figure of 41% tells the real story. Friends and family recommendations still lead (51% of all adults), yet among the youngest adults, creators have become the digital version of word of mouth: trusted, native and always on.

Brands that build their strategy around this are already pulling ahead. Dunkin's multi-year partnership with Charli D'Amelio and Unilever's move to an "influencer-first" model, with executives saying up to half of media spend will go to social and creator-led channels, are the headline examples. And the effect is measurable: Dunkin' records a Consideration score of 44% among Gen Z who discover products via influencers, versus 38% among Gen Z overall. CeraVe, built on dermatologist creators and "skinfluencer" content, scores 43% versus 37%. e.l.f. Cosmetics shows the same gap: 28% versus 21%.

The mechanism behind these numbers is not audience size. Research published this year in Frontiers found that influencer credibility and product evaluation are what strongly shape purchase intentions, while follower count has a limited impact. YPulse's latest Celebrities and Influencers report points the same way: most Gen Z and Millennials trust online creators in 2026, but that trust is shifting away from the biggest names.

This is the structural advantage of streamers, KOLs and niche creators over celebrities. A young adult does not experience a Twitch streamer they watch three times a week as media; they experience them as a reference point. When that creator plays a game, joins a platform or uses a product, the recommendation carries the weight of a friend's tip, not an ad slot.

The influence of creators on young adults does not stop at discovery. Complementary industry data shows around 69% of Gen Z trust influencer recommendations, 72% of their social media time goes to short-form video platforms like TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and 57% have already purchased directly through social platforms. The funnel from "I saw it on a stream" to "I tried it" is shorter than it has ever been.

For gaming and iGaming brands the implication is direct. Game installs, platform registrations and first deposits are decisions made by exactly this demographic, in exactly these environments. A creator with a credible voice in a specific community can outperform a broad awareness campaign both in conversion rate and in the quality of the users acquired, because the trust transfer happens before the click.

Our reading is threefold. First, if your media plan for 18-to-24 audiences still treats creators as a support channel, the data says it should be the backbone: this generation discovers through people, not placements. Second, optimize for credibility, not follower count. The Frontiers and YPulse findings are clear that trust is the variable that converts, which is why vetted mid-tier creators with real community standing so often outperform bigger names on CPA and retention. Third, measurement closes the loop: creator campaigns aimed at young adults convert so reliably that they deserve the same rigor as paid media, with per-creator tracking of clicks, registrations, FTDs and LTV rather than reach reports.

Do influencers really affect the decisions of adults over 18, or just teenagers?

The data covers adults. YouGov's figures are drawn from a nationally representative sample of US adults 18+, and the 41% discovery figure refers to adult Gen Z, roughly 18 to 24 years old.

Does influencer marketing work for considered purchases, or only impulse buys?

The brand data in the YouGov analysis spans skincare, cosmetics, food and beverage, all categories where consideration matters. The mechanism, credibility transferred from a trusted creator, applies equally to considered decisions like choosing a game, a platform or a service.

Is bigger always better when choosing creators?

No. Current research shows follower count has a limited impact on purchase intention compared to credibility and product fit. Trust is also migrating from the largest celebrities toward mid-sized creators with tighter communities.

YouGov: Influencer marketing insights 2026 · Frontiers in Human Dynamics: Digital influencers as drivers of purchase intentions · YPulse: Celebrities and Influencers Report 2026 · Archive: Influencer marketing platforms to reach Gen Z