In recent years, more and more retailers have collaborated with influencers to advertise their product lines online.

From luxury retailers such as Harrods and Selfridges to popular fashion brands such as Sezane and health and beauty retailer Boots, everyone seems to be collaborating with influencers.

A popular consensus among creatives is that influencer marketing makes brands feel more authentic. But does it?

We speak to some experts from the marketing industry to find out.

According to Chris Cookson, CEO and co-founder of social-first creative agency Uncovered, influencer-led marketing can “enhance” authenticity. But he adds a caveat, explaining it’s only effective when it’s rooted in “genuine understanding” rather than just reach.

He says: “The most effective collaborations are with creators whose voices and communities naturally intersect with a brand’s values.”

Scott Morris, CMO of social media management tool Sprout Social, concurs.

He explains, “Influencer-led marketing can absolutely make brands feel more authentic. As social feeds become saturated with AI-generated and overtly promotional content, consumers are increasingly quick to tune brands out.

“Influencer-led marketing works because it flips that dynamic. Instead of pushing messages from branded channels, brands can show up through creators who already have the trust, attention and cultural relevance of their audience. When that alignment is right, the content feels like a recommendation rather than an ad, and that’s what drives authenticity and strong ROI.

When working with Tesco, Cookson and Uncovered built a “creator collective” of chefs whose expertise aligned with the brand’s role.

He says: “Rather than promoting products, they help customers cook with more confidence, embedding Tesco into moments of real utility and inspiration. The result is creator content that feels additive to people’s lives, not promotional, strengthening trust through genuine value.

Jill Boobyer, creator hub director at Smarts, adds: “Working with creators can allow retailers to become more authentic by creating relatable, human connections with their consumers.

But how does influencer marketing go down with consumers?

According to Scott Morris, the technique works as it “connects” with audiences in a way traditional brand content often cannot.

He says: “Businesses see an average return of $6.50 (£4.78) for every $1 (£0.73) invested, which is a level of efficiency most channels can only aspire to. Meanwhile, 92% of marketers say sponsored creator content outperforms organic brand posts in reach.

And while there may be those out there who believe shoppers are fatigued by the technique, Morris disagrees.

He explains: “While there’s clear weariness with over-polished content from influencers, our most recent State of Influencer Marketing Report shows that 86% of consumers still make at least one influencer-inspired purchase yearly, with nearly half influenced daily, weekly or monthly.

“Fatigue hits hardest with repetitive formats, undisclosed AI content or overly salesy mega-influencer posts. This is why nano-influencers and employee advocates, who come across as genuine community voices, are seeing higher levels of engagement and trust. Just like brands, influencers must ensure they are adjusting their content to fit the preferences of today’s consumers.”

Commerical interests

Retailers also have to balance commercial goals and brand guidelines alongside influencer creativity.

According to Morris, retailers have been increasingly using influencers and creators as “strategic partners”, which is changing the way briefs are written.

He says: “Many creators now expect to be involved earlier in campaign development so the content feels authentic to their tone of voice. We are also increasingly seeing these creators contributing beyond social – where brands are integrating creator content into non-social channels like web, advertising, events and more.”

Cookson thinks that the strongest campaigns come from a “genuine” partnership between the agency, brand and creator, and agencies play a “key role” in “translating commercial objectives into creative opportunity”.

When working with Nationwide, Cookson’s agency partnered with TikTok Creator of the Year, Bus Aunty, using a “co-creation” model.

He says: “The work preserved her distinctive voice and humour, while collaboratively weaving in Nationwide’s key messages and brand assets in a way that felt native to the platform. By treating brand guidelines as creative parameters rather than constraints, the content delivered both cultural relevance and commercial clarity”

Boobyer adds: “When they [brands] collaborate with influencers who perfectly align with their brand’s values, personality and customer base, it means their marketing recommendations are genuinely personal, trustworthy and authentic.

“Moving away from the perception of retailers as ‘faceless’ corporate chains with one-off Christmas ads, to working with people with influence, who they can co-create with.”

“It’s about bringing co-creation into every stage of the process, giving the creator guardrails, guidelines and key messaging yet allowing them to interpret the brief in their own way and equally bring ideas to the table. This is where the true magic happens.

Consumer experiences in store

Influencer marketing has changed the way consumers interact with retail. According to Boobyer, it is the “biggest game changer” for retail marketing in the modern age.

She explains: “The retail brands winning today are those that recognise creators not just as marketing add-ons, but one of the most valuable marketing tools available to them.”

“We’re seeing platforms such as Meta, TikTok and YouTube continuing to pave the way for transforming online shopping into live experiences – with creators at the core. To put this into context, TikTok Shop has reportedly seen about one item sold every 30 seconds during livestreams.

She continues: “Retailers such as Sainsbury’s are reaping the rewards – their partnership with the influencer Rachel Spicer not only generated 6.6m views, but their Christmas pyjamas sold out completely in under a week.

Cookson adds: “Influencer narratives extend a brand beyond its physical walls and product pages into lived culture.

“Online, creators turn products into stories people feel part of; in-store, the anticipation built through authentic social content can make visits feel like extensions of that narrative.

“A social-first approach allows brands to enable this at scale through mass advocacy, turning authentic, peer-driven storytelling into a constant layer of the retail experience – before, during, and beyond the point of sale.”

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