Influencer Marketing in Asia 2025: the region leads social commerce, but under-invests in influencers
Asia has already moved to social commerce as a core mode of marketing, and within that system influencers are the connective tissue — linking channels, stories and products across an otherwise fragmented media landscape. Enthusiasm is uneven: China leads, followed by growth markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and India, while Japan and South Korea sit at the low end, in some respects less progressive than the US and EU.
Despite that leadership, influencer investment remains well below what the volume of social commerce would imply. Influencer spend in the US equals 6.8% of an $80 billion social commerce market; in Asia it is only 0.75% of an $800 billion market. To reach US parity, Asian influencer spend would need to rise from roughly $6 billion to $54 billion — close to a tenfold increase.
With budgets constrained and the economy slow, brands increasingly treat influencers as "silver bullets" — a single resource that combines audience, content creation, consideration and conversion. Totem's survey of 3,813 consumers (fielded with Rakuten Insight Global) and 54 senior brand leaders maps where that shift is furthest advanced and where the gap between consumer behaviour and brand spending is widest.
Asia leads social commerce but starves it of influencer budget.
Social commerce GMV in Asia is roughly ten times the US ($800B vs $80B), yet influencer spend is a fraction of the US share — 0.75% against 6.8%. The report frames this as the region's largest unexploited efficiency, not a reason for caution.
Enthusiasm splits sharply by market.
Totem's enthusiasm index ranks China first, then Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, India, South Korea and Japan last. TikTok is the single largest driver: where it is fully functional (with "Shops"), enthusiasm indexes higher; where it is limited (Japan, Korea) or banned (India), it is notably lower.
Marketplaces convert; influencers accelerate.
86% of consumers have used an online marketplace versus 59% a brand website, and 80% of brands plan to raise marketplace-ad spend. Influencers rarely close the sale themselves — they move customers toward the point of conversion, playing a top-of-funnel role brands rate most important for awareness (72%) over post-purchase (35%).
Status scales in favour of larger influencers.
Consumers rate mega-influencers roughly twice as impactful as nano-influencers (65% positive vs 31%). This runs against the industry drift toward micro-creators; the report argues brands should "niche down" to communities they can own rather than chase mass reach.
Livestream commerce is mainstream — and ahead of the West.
84% of Asian consumers have watched or bought from a livestream, and 46% of GenZ have bought from one. Other data cited puts Chinese livestream buyers above 75% of netizens versus 29% of Americans. Seeing the product demonstrated is the number-one reason to buy (83% of GenZ live-buyers).
China sets the template the rest of Asia is following.
China led the next-closest market by eight percentage points on experience with influencers and livestreaming. The report argues Asia (ex-Japan and Korea) is trending toward China's ecosystem rather than the US's, with TikTok acting as a ready-made package of the China model.
Affiliate economics decide category winners.
Fashion leads influencer/affiliate selling (46% of consumers bought on a recommendation) partly on innate impulse characteristics, but also because it pays the highest commissions — often five points above beauty, the next category. Indonesia, India and Thailand pay the highest affiliate fees in the region.
How under-invested is influencer marketing in Asia?
Sharply. Influencer spend is 0.75% of Asia's ~$800B social commerce GMV, versus 6.8% in the US. Reaching US parity implies roughly $54B of Asian influencer spend, up from about $6B — close to tenfold.
Which Asian markets are most enthusiastic about social commerce?
Totem's index ranks China first, then Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and India. South Korea and Japan rank lowest, with Japan showing the region's highest resistance and scepticism.
Do influencers actually drive sales?
Indirectly. Marketplaces dominate final conversion (86% of consumers use them), while influencers accelerate discovery and consideration and move buyers toward the point of sale. Brands rate influencers most important for awareness.
How large is livestream commerce in Asia?
84% of consumers have watched or bought from a livestream and 46% of GenZ have purchased from one — well ahead of the West, where cited data puts US livestream buyers near 29%.
Who produced the report and how big is the sample?
Totem, drawing on a consumer survey of 3,813 people across seven markets by Rakuten Insight Global (July 2025) plus Totem's own survey of 54 senior regional brand leaders.
The report covers seven Asian markets — China, India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. Its core evidence is a consumer survey of 3,813 people conducted in July 2025 by Rakuten Insight Global, balanced roughly 50:50 by gender and split evenly across GenZ, Millennial, GenX and Boomer cohorts. This is paired with a Totem survey of 54 senior brand-side respondents (Marketing Directors and CMOs) across fashion, beauty, gaming, travel, auto and electronics. The report builds on Totem's 2024 analysis "The Rise of Social Commerce" and is intended to be read alongside it. --- *Note: some external market figures (Statista, Accenture, Mordor Intelligence, Precedence Research) are cited by the report and attributed to those sources in the copy above.*
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