The Future of Influencer Marketing: The 2026/2027 Outlook

The UK, seen through 154 decision-makers

No market in this study is as commercially minded as the UK. The study's archetype for it is the Commercial Accelerator: influencer marketing treated as a core growth driver, measured hard on return, and scaled through agencies rather than headcount. Where other markets are still arguing about the channel's place in the mix, UK marketers are arguing about its contribution to revenue.

Four traits stand out across the 154 UK responses.

A core growth driver

38% of UK brands call influencer marketing a core growth driver, ahead of every other market and the 31% European average. And where most markets default to seeing it as a supporting channel, the UK is the least likely to: 37%, against 48% Europe-wide. It earns its keep. Half of UK brands say influencer marketing drives 11 to 25% of their marketing-driven revenue, 11 points above the European average, and 11% credit it with more than half of their marketing revenue. Taken together, 30.5% of UK brands put the contribution at 26% or more.

Measured hard on performance

The UK scorecard is unashamedly commercial. Campaign ROI is used as a KPI by 38.3% of UK marketers against a European average of 30.2%, one of the market's two standout over-indexers. The other is conversions and lead generation, at 30.5% against 21.3%. Website visits sit above the norm too, at 35.7% against 30.1%, while softer signals fall away: sentiment is used by just 9.1% of UK marketers, against 15% across Europe. Selection runs on the same logic, led by engagement rate at 48% against 38%, rather than by content quality.

Scaled through agencies

To scale, the UK reaches outside. No market hands more of the work over: 30% of UK brands fully outsource influencer marketing against a European average of 23%, and another 29% pair an in-house team with agency support against 25%. Rosters run large to match. One in five UK marketers works with 250 to 999 influencers a year (20% against 15%), and 44.1% work with 100 or more, against 36.8% Europe-wide.

Bullish, and built on standards

Confidence is high and climbing. 31% of UK brands expect to grow their influencer roster significantly in the year ahead, against a European average of 22% and far above every other market. Short-form video tops their opportunity list at 55% against 49%. Standards carry weight alongside the ambition: the UK is the most demanding market in Europe on clear disclosure of sponsored content, at 49% against 41%, and sits above average on compliance with advertising rules, at 52% against 48%.

"The biggest shift needs to be from awareness-first thinking to commerce-first thinking. As attribution improves, influencer marketing will move from being viewed as a media channel to becoming a genuine revenue channel."

Jamie Love, CEO & Founder, Monumental Marketing

The UK against Europe: the gaps that matter

Two readings are available. The UK buys more, measures harder and outsources more of the work than its neighbours. It is also the market most exposed to the risk that runs through this year's data, which is that spend is scaling faster than the operating model around it.

The maturity gap: budgets are moving faster than strategy

Across Europe, the study documents a clear lag. 89% of brands and agencies expect to raise their influencer marketing spend over the next 12 months, up from 75% a year ago and 54% in 2024. Median annual spend reaches €312,000 (approximately £265,000) at companies with 500 or more employees and €367,000 (approximately £312,000) at those with 1,000 or more. Across the full cohort the median is €144,000 (approximately £122,000).

The study was fielded in euros across seven markets. Sterling figures are indicative, converted at €1 = £0.85.

Yet only 10% of brands describe influencer marketing as fully integrated across the marketing mix. 79% treat it as a core growth driver or an important supporting channel, and just 3% still call it experimental. The money is moving ahead of the organisation.

"Systems beat effort. Yet, for some brands, creator marketing has scaled faster than its infrastructure. Thankfully, our members are seeing a rapid shift here. Today, CMOs debate strategic issues covering impact, integration, scale, and governance, replacing the historic battles to simply 'sell in' the channel's value and fight for larger budgets."

Scott Guthrie, Director, Influencer Marketing Trade Body, UK

More creators, held to higher standards

85% of European brands and agencies grew the number of creators they work with over the past year, and 85% expect to grow it again. The share working with 100 or more influencers has doubled since 2024, from 18% to 37%, while the share working with fewer than 50 has fallen from 65% to 44%.

The conditions attached to those relationships are hardening, and the fastest movement is in values-led requirements. Standing up against bullying and discrimination is up from 25.1% to 34.4%, raising environmental awareness from 16.8% to 29.6%, and disclosing the use of filters from 14.5% to 24.4%. New for 2026, 28.9% of brands require creators to hold a Responsible Influence certificate or complete training, across the markets where such schemes exist. That question was not put to UK respondents, so the study carries no UK figure for it.

Measurement follows the money, confidence has yet to

Engagement rate remains the most-relied-on KPI across Europe at 37.2%, ahead of views (34%) and sales (32.9%). Confidence is the weak point: only 41% of marketers are extremely confident even in engagement rate, and confidence collapses on brand metrics, with sentiment and EMV heading the list of KPIs marketers trust least. Certainty is strongest in Spain and the UK, and weakest in Germany.

The other signal of the year is platform churn. TikTok use fell 12.5 points to 66.5% and lost ground in all seven markets, while Instagram held at 90.6% and LinkedIn climbed to 40.2%. UK brands are also the most likely in Europe to put creator content behind paid media as ad creative, at 37%.

AI and platforms become the infrastructure

84% of European organisations use AI or automation in their influencer work. The UK is among the deepest users in Europe, with 44.2% using it extensively across multiple use cases and 46.1% for specific use cases. The applications remain analytical rather than predictive: audience analysis and fraud detection (62.1%), content analysis (58.9%) and campaign planning (52.4%) lead, while predictive performance trails at 13.9%.

Dedicated platform use has jumped from 38.8% to 65% in a year. Among those still without one, the barrier is capacity rather than doubt: a lack of internal resources or expertise leads at 44%, ahead of cost at 38.2%.

Where does your strategy stand? The Impact Model

With B2B International, we analysed the responses of 848 brands to isolate the eight practices that actually move influencer-driven revenue. The assessment takes three minutes and returns a score out of 100, broken down into operational readiness, campaign execution and market reach.

Take the Impact Model assessment, freely available, with no download required.

Methodology

Quantitative online survey of 1,123 marketing decision-makers at brands and agencies across seven European markets: France (191), Spain (183), Italy (170), Germany (167), the United Kingdom (154), the Nordics (132) and Benelux (126). It is the largest sample in the study's history, up from 613 respondents in 2025 and 373 in 2024.

Roughly seven in ten respondents hold director-level roles or above, and 96% either make the final decision on influencer strategy, budgets and partner selection or provide direct input. Two-thirds work at companies with more than 100 employees. Brands account for 848 respondents (75.5%) and agencies for 275 (24.5%).

Fieldwork was carried out by B2B International in May and June 2026. The two prior waves were run by NewtonX. Results are shown unweighted. Significance testing uses a False Discovery Rate correction at p = 0.05. Base sizes vary by question, because some questions were asked only of relevant sub-groups, and year-on-year figures are reported only where the base is robust.

A note on the ethics data. The 2026 wave added a new answer option, requiring creators to have completed a Responsible Influence certificate or training. Respondents still name three conditions on average, so the percentages recorded against existing conditions fall year on year without any drop in standards, and the leading behaviours keep their ranking. This option was shown only in countries where such programmes are available. It was not offered in the UK, so no UK figure exists for it.

The numbers that matter

• 1,123 marketing decision-makers surveyed across 7 European markets, 154 of them in the UK
• 38% of UK brands call influencer marketing a core growth driver, the highest of any market, against a European average of 31.2%
• 92.8% of UK organisations expect to raise their influencer marketing spend over the next 12 months, effectively level with Spain (92.9%) and above the 89.7% European average
• 39.6% of UK organisations spend more than €200,000 (approximately £170,000) a year, against 35.7% across Europe
• 44.1% of UK marketers work with 100 or more influencers a year, against 36.8% Europe-wide, and 31.2% expect their roster to grow significantly again
• 38.3% of UK marketers rely on campaign ROI as a KPI, against 30.2% across Europe, while only 9.1% rely on sentiment, against 15%
• 30% of UK brands fully outsource influencer marketing, against a European average of 23%, the highest reading in the study
• 44.2% of UK organisations use AI extensively across multiple use cases and a further 46.1% for specific use cases
• 11.6% of UK brands describe their influencer marketing as fully integrated across the marketing mix, against 9.8% Europe-wide

Source: Kolsquare, The Future of Influencer Marketing: The 2026/2027 Outlook, 3rd annual edition, fieldwork by B2B International, May to June 2026, 1,123 respondents.

Frequently asked questions

How much do companies spend on influencer marketing in 2026?

Median annual spend across the full sample is €144,000 (approximately £122,000), rising with company size to €312,000 (approximately £265,000) at organisations with 500 or more employees and €367,000 (approximately £312,000) above 1,000. Some 60% of organisations invest more than €100,000 a year and 36% more than €200,000. The share spending under €50,000 has fallen to 16%, from 24% in 2025.

Will influencer marketing budgets rise in 2027?

Yes, and the intent is accelerating. 89% of European brands and agencies expect to increase spend over the next 12 months, up from 75% in 2025 and 54% in 2024. Appetite is highest in Spain (92.9%) and the UK (92.8%), followed by Benelux (91.3%), and coolest in the Nordics (83.4%). Agencies plan steeper rises than brands, with 43% eyeing increases of 20% or more against 38%.

Which KPIs do UK marketers use to measure influencer marketing?

Engagement rate leads in the UK at 40.3%, followed by campaign ROI (38.3%), website visits (35.7%), views (31.2%) and engagement volume (31.2%). Two metrics mark the UK out as a standout over-indexer against Europe: campaign ROI (38.3% against 30.2%) and conversions and lead generation (30.5% against 21.3%). Sentiment is used far less than elsewhere, by 9.1% against a European average of 15%.

What do UK brands require from influencers on disclosure and compliance?

The UK sets Europe's firmest line on transparency. 49% of UK brands require clear disclosure of sponsored posts, against a European average of 41%, the highest reading of any market. Compliance with advertising rules is required by 52%, against 48% Europe-wide. The Responsible Influence certificate question was not asked in the UK, so the study reports no UK figure for formal creator certification.

How many influencers does a brand work with in a year?

Across Europe, 44.1% work with fewer than 50 creators a year, but the centre of gravity is shifting upward: 36.8% now work with 100 or more, against 18.2% in 2024. The UK sits well above that, at 44.1% with 100-plus rosters, and one in five UK marketers works with 250 to 999 influencers a year (20% against 15%). Roster size scales with company size.

Do UK brands run influencer marketing in-house or through an agency?

The UK outsources more of the work than any other market. 30% fully outsource influencer marketing, against a European average of 23%, and another 29% pair an in-house team with agency support, against 25%. Only 15% run an in-house team with no platform support, the lowest reading in Europe. Across the region, 77% keep the work in-house in some form, while full outsourcing has jumped from 10% to 23% in a year.

How many brands use AI in influencer marketing?

84% of European organisations use AI or automation in influencer marketing, 39.4% extensively and 44.8% for specific use cases. The UK is among the deepest users, with 44.2% using it extensively and 46.1% for specific cases, behind only Spain on extensive use (51.9%). The leading applications are audience analysis and fraud detection (62.1%), content analysis (58.9%) and campaign planning (52.4%).

Which social network dominates influencer marketing in 2026?

Instagram, used by 90.6% of brands and agencies, more than 20 points clear of anything else. The story of the year is TikTok, down 12.5 points to 66.5% and losing ground in all seven markets. YouTube follows at 63.5%, Facebook has climbed to 62.7% and LinkedIn to 40.2%. WhatsApp tripled to 14.7% as brands test messaging channels.

How mature is influencer marketing in the UK?

Commercially advanced, structurally unfinished. 26.4% of UK brands describe their strategy as established, 19.8% as advanced and 11.6% as fully integrated across the marketing mix, above the 9.8% European average. Yet 13.2% are still at the very early stage and 28.9% are developing. Ambition is running ahead of process, which is the gap the study documents across every market.

How was the Kolsquare 2026/2027 study conducted?

Quantitative online survey conducted by B2B International for Kolsquare in May and June 2026, among 1,123 marketing decision-makers at brands and agencies across seven European markets, including 154 in the UK. Roughly seven in ten hold director-level roles or above. Results are unweighted, with significance testing using a False Discovery Rate correction at p = 0.05. The 2024 and 2025 editions were run by NewtonX.

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