Everyday Consumers Outrank Celebrities With Indonesian Shoppers

By Tom Whitfield

Everyday consumers influence the purchasing decisions of 37% of Indonesian online adults in food and beverage, more than one and a half times the 22% who cite celebrities, according to new YouGov Custom Research. The survey of 2,066 Indonesian online adults aged 18 and over ran from 3 to 7 September 2026 and was weighted by gender, age, socioeconomic class and city tier to reflect Indonesia's adult online population, based on BPS estimates.

The gap widens in durable goods. For home appliances, 37% of respondents name everyday consumers, including verified e-commerce buyers and regional voices, against 18% for celebrities. In consumer electronics the split is 35% versus 22%. Fashion and apparel is the closest contest: celebrities reach 35% against 36% for everyday consumers. Beauty and skincare shows a similarly narrow margin, 28% versus 32%.

Where niche creators take the lead

Micro and nano creators with 10,000 to 100,000 followers top three specialised categories:

• Healthcare and medical services: 36%, versus 24% for everyday consumers
• Fitness and wellness: 28% versus 23%
• Banking, finance and insurance: 26% versus 22%

Larger creator tiers trail across the board. Mega influencers with over one million followers peak at 15% in both fashion and beauty. Macro influencers, with 100,000 to one million followers, reach their high of 18% in travel and tourism. Certified experts, including doctors, trainers and financial advisers, register 15% in fitness and wellness and 14% in food and beverage. None of these three groups leads any surveyed category.

How does peer influence hold across the purchase journey?

Everyday consumers rank first at every stage, from awareness to repeat purchase. Some 39% of Indonesian online adults say everyday consumers shape their awareness and curiosity about a brand, and the figure holds at 38% for initial trial and conversion and for positive brand impression, then 36% for regular or repeat purchases.

Micro and nano creators sustain influence between 23% and 28% across the four stages. Celebrity influence starts at 27% at the awareness stage and falls to 21% for repeat purchases, comparable to niche creators but consistently below everyday consumers.

What happens after shoppers watch creator content?

Creator content rarely triggers an immediate sale. Among viewers of verified e-commerce buyer and affiliate content, 46% say they frequently search for reviews and ratings after watching, and 44% check prices and promotions. Another 27% save a post for later. Only 13% report purchasing immediately.

The pattern repeats across creator types. Among viewers of micro and nano creator content, 40% search for reviews, 31% save a post for later and 12% buy immediately. Among mega influencer viewers, 39% search for reviews against 10% who buy straight away. YouGov notes these actions are not mutually exclusive; consumers may research, compare and then purchase.

Respondents could select multiple creator types, so percentages do not total 100%, and post-viewing behaviour results have varying base sizes. YouGov also cautions that online panels are not strictly probability-based.

What it changes for marketers

The findings carry two practical implications. First, everyday consumers match or exceed celebrities across most retail categories, while niche creators lead in specialised sectors such as healthcare and finance. Second, creator engagement seldom converts on the spot, because consumers report researching reviews, comparing prices and saving products for later.

YouGov concludes that evaluating creator campaigns beyond direct sales, from awareness and consideration through purchase and repeat engagement, gives marketers a more complete picture of which creator types actually move shoppers through the retail journey.