SIMPACT, a portmanteau of "simple" and "impact," emphasizes a content strategy focused on the essentials.
The most searched keyword in this year's featured video was "group buying"… Actively utilizing influencers as a direct sales channel.
Coupang is the overwhelming leader among affiliate marketing-linked shopping platforms.
Featuring, Inc. (CEO Ji-Hoon Jang), a global SNS data analysis company, published the '2026 Influencer Marketing Trend Report' and selected 'SIMPACT' as the key keyword for next year.
Featuring analyzes marketing trends that have changed year-over-year based on its own social data engine, "Featuring AI," and publishes key keywords every year for brand marketing practitioners to reference when developing their annual strategies.
'SIMPACT' is a combination of the words 'simple' and 'impact'. While the focus has been on channel expansion and increased exposure in the past, it recently reflects a trend of focusing on essential communication strategies to create differentiated brand influence.
The detailed trend items presented are ▲Continued strength of short-form content (Short-ified) ▲Participation and immersion (Interactive·Immersive) ▲Precise targeting (Micro·Macro) ▲Process economy (Process economy) ▲Affiliate marketing (Affiliate) ▲Group purchase (Commerce) ▲Trust-to-Transaction (T2T).
◆ Short-form content continues to gain traction ( short-ified)
Short-form content, meaning short videos, is expected to maintain its solid dominance on social media. According to data, 77% of clients who used Featuring's marketing campaign agency services this year requested short-form video production for platforms like Instagram (Reels), YouTube (Shorts), and TikTok, and this trend is expected to continue next year. Featuring explained that short, intuitive content formats have an advantageous algorithmic structure on social media, leading to greater user engagement and greater dissemination.
◆ Participation and immersion (Interactive·Immersive)
In terms of content, we expect a rapid expansion of engagement-driven content that moves beyond simple viewing and allows content to respond to users' touches, swipes, and physical movements. This user-interactive content will not only enhance brand experiences by increasing immersion, but also positively impact actual purchase conversions.
◆ Precision target (Micro·Macro)
Compared to mega-influencers with over a million followers, micro- and macro-influencers, who have smaller follower counts but solid fan bases, are expected to become key strategies for driving stable purchase conversions. Indeed, the most frequently searched influencer follower range among featuring solution customers was ▲10,000 to 100,000 (38.5%), followed by ▲100,000 to 1 million (24.3%) and ▲1,000 to 10,000 (18.8%).
◆ Process economy
Recently, on social media, the "process" itself, rather than the simple outcome, is gaining traction as a key content element that drives consumer empathy and trust. Consequently, establishing a long-term brand storytelling strategy is expected to become increasingly important. Marketing campaigns that emphasize brand authenticity by publishing a series of stories about product development processes or the behind-the-scenes stories of brand operations are leading to the creation of a loyal customer base.
◆ Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing, centered on influencers, is expected to expand across the entire commerce industry, driven by major distributors. Affiliate marketing involves a partnership between a company or brand and an influencer. When the influencer posts product links on their social media, the influencer receives a commission on any purchases made through those links.
According to an analysis of affiliate content posted on Korean YouTube from January to November 2025, approximately 38,000 affiliate marketing videos were published in the third quarter, a 130% increase compared to the first quarter. The shopping platforms linked to the content were Coupang (64.3%), Naver Shopping Connect (7.8%), and ZigZag (4.4%), and the content types were Longform (79.8%) and Shorts (20.1%).
◆ Group Purchase (Commerce)
Influencer marketing is expected to strengthen its role as a commerce-centric channel that not only increases brand awareness but also drives direct purchases from potential customers. The most frequently searched keyword within Featured Solutions this year was "tools" (30%), demonstrating that brands are leveraging influencer-driven direct sales as a key means of increasing sales.
◆ Trust-based Transition (T2T·Trust-to-Transaction)
Influencer content acts as a catalyst for consumer purchasing decisions, further strengthening its influence in the commerce sector. TikTok Shop, with its tightly integrated structure that integrates content and commerce, from product search to review content and purchase, is driving a shift in the global social commerce ecosystem. Following this trend, various attempts are being made in Korea to build trust and drive purchases through content.
Jang Ji-hoon, CEO of Featuring, said, “In 2026, among the diverse influencer marketing tactics, simpler yet focused content will become the key driving force behind performance.” He added, “We will continue to advance our own data analysis system to provide meaningful insights to brands and marketers, and strive to provide specific guidance that can be immediately utilized in the field.”
Meanwhile, the '2026 Influencer Marketing Trends' report, which contains detailed information by keyword, can be downloaded from the Useful Resources menu on the official featuring website.
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