MANILA — A recent study by Unbox and Ripple8 has revealed that social media influencers significantly impact the buying decisions of Filipino Millennials and Gen Z.

The findings were presented at an event on Monday at the Manila Polo Club.

The study titled “LIKE, FOLLOW, BUY,” surveyed 1,110 Filipinos aged 12-42. It was found that platforms like TikTok and Facebook are now primary tools for product research, especially among younger users. 

About 86 percent of respondents use these social media channels to check product reviews, surpassing traditional search engines in influence.

Influence played a crucial role in shaping consumer behavior. Nearly 90 percent of Filipinos follow influencers, relying on them for reliable product information. 

Authentic reviews and genuine content are highly valued, with many consumers also considering feedback from other users and community comments.

The study showed that influencers are broadening consumer interest beyond beauty and fashion into areas like food, education, and daily vlogs. 

It also highlights a trend toward valuing authenticity in influencer marketing, with consumers discerning between engine recommendations and paid promotions.

Carlo Ople, founder and chairman of Unbox Group, stressed the need for marketers to adapt to social search strategies. 

He noted that social search is evolving from traditional search engines and may eventually be replaced by AI-driven conversational searches. “It’s like the evolution of search,” Ople said.

“You start with search engines, now we’re social search. Eventually, it will become conversational searches with the rise of AI and different types of applications that allow for you to have an assistant to talk with that assistant to get recommendations… The key thing that we have to learn is that [there can] be changes this evolves,” he said.

Bianca Ulan, founder of Pareto Consulting, said that while social search is growing, it will not fully replace search engines stating, “I don't think that Social Search will entirely replace search engines.”

"Social search makes it easier for information to be digested, but technically, it doesn't mean it will replace, at all, search engines," Pareto added and mentioned that younger, visually-oriented generations prefer engaging visual content over reading text-based information.

Bobby Vito, managing Director of Ripple8, pointed out that social and traditional search engines serve complementary roles. 

While social search is currently popular, traditional search engines ramen essential for detailed research.

“The role of search engines and social search [is] complementary because it still has to go through search engines to deep dive into [certain things],” said Vito.