CHICAGO – June 22, 2026 – Circana LLC today announced the release of new insights from its latest report, The Value of Influence. The research provides a market-backed view of how influencer marketing drives measurable business outcomes and responds to the growing demand from brands, retailers, and media partners for more accountable measurement of influencer activity beyond standard engagement metrics.

“Brands are investing heavily in influencer marketing, but many still lack a clear understanding of its true business impact,” said Yeimy Garcia-Smith, senior vice president of Global Measurement Strategy at Circana. “Our new research brings a much-needed level of accountability to the space. By connecting creator activity to measurable sales impact across the full market, we are helping clients move beyond engagement metrics to make confident decisions and optimize their media investments.”

The comprehensive report analyzes influencer performance using advanced marketing mix modeling and proprietary retail data. This methodology allows Circana to quantify both the short-term sales impact and the long-term brand contribution of influencer campaigns. By connecting creator activity directly to measurable sales outcomes and full-market performance, Circana enables brands to move beyond engagement metrics and make decisions based on incremental sales and business impact.

Key findings from the report benchmark influencer return on investment directly against other media channels. The research establishes that small and mid-sized brands often see stronger returns from creator campaigns. It also highlights distinct category-level strengths, with influencer marketing delivering exceptionally strong performance in the beauty and specialty retail sectors. Most notably, the data reveals that 75% of brands still possess significant headroom to increase their influencer investment and drive additional growth.

These new insights offer significant benefits for marketers seeking to optimize their media allocation. Brands can now measure the incremental sales lift driven by influencer activity and compare that performance directly against traditional media channels. This capability helps retailers and brands identify where influencer investment is underutilized or over-indexing, allowing them to build more effective creator strategies based on proven business outcomes rather than reach alone.

“This report reflects the strength of the capabilities Circana has brought together through acquisition and integration, and it is one of many examples of the value this combination is creating for the marketplace,” said Emma Delserieys, senior vice president of Global Media at Circana. “By combining advanced marketing mix modeling with full-market measurement and retail intelligence, we are helping clients gain a clearer understanding of incrementality, performance, and where influencer investment can drive additional business growth.”

About Circana

Circana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana’s predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behavior driving it, and accelerate their growth. Circana’s Liquid Data^® technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality data set and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Learn more at circana.com.

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Shelley Hughes

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