Vendor reportSprout Social, 2026

87% of marketers want their brand on more networks in 2026

Channel validation

87%

of marketers say they want their brand to show up on more networks in 2026

Reader Note:: Based on Sprout's survey of 1,200 marketing leaders in the US, UK and Australia whose responsibilities include social media, fielded May 30 to June 20, 2025. The figure is the share who said they want their brand to show up on more networks in 2026. The quote also says leaders were more likely than individual contributors to think this was a good idea, but it does not give the breakdown here.
Evidence:: Self-reported behaviour
Vendor interest:: Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Online surveys of 2,305 consumers in the US, UK and Australia with at least one social media account and following at least five brands, plus 1,200 marketing leaders in the US, UK and Australia responsible for social media.

Good for

A rough sense of size and direction, and deciding what to look at first.

Not for

Exact numbers, or saying that one thing caused another.
This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.

4.4x

How much better an AI search visitor converts compared to an organic search visitor, on average

of Google searches that showed an AI summary ended with a click on a link inside that summary (US, March 2025)

20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials discover new brands through influencer endorsements, vs 12% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers

Share of each generation who discover new brands via influencer endorsements
Generation	Share who discover brands through influencers (%)
Gen Z	20%
Millennials	17%
Gen X	12%
Baby Boomers	5%

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11.4%

of shopper sessions in the US involved an AI tool as of June 2026, up 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier

is the short-term ROI index for influencer campaigns in the UK, right on the market average with 4.5% of short-term sales (excluding campaigns that produced no result)

21–26%

of consumers in the US, UK, and Germany report using AI tools to research products online, per Statista's 2026 Global Survey (Jul 2025–Jun 2026).

87% of marketers want their brand on more networks in 2026

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Not for

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