The creator’s role in the buying journey
Discovery → understanding → trust → evaluation → purchase
Wenying He · EchoUp Marketing ·
Creators influence buying decisions through five connected functions: discovery → understanding → trust → evaluation → purchase. Their effect is not a simple recommendation-to-sale shortcut.
Function 01
Discovery
Creators introduce products within videos or other content that audiences already choose to watch. An unfamiliar product can therefore reach relevant customers who would never search for the brand by name.
For an unfamiliar brand, useful measures include qualified reach, audience geography, new website visitors and branded-search growth, rather than total views alone.
Function 02
Product education
Creators translate specifications into customer benefits through demonstrations, tutorials and realistic use cases.
Instead of merely stating that a power bank has a 20,000 mAh capacity, a creator can demonstrate:
- Which devices it can charge
- How many charges it provides
- Whether it fits in a pocket
- Charging speed in everyday use
- Whether it is suitable for flights or travel
Informational value is especially important for functional and experience-based products, where buyers need evidence to reduce uncertainty.
Function 03
Trust
A creator does not automatically transfer trust to a brand. The process depends on several factors:
- The audience evaluates the creator’s expertise and honesty.
- It assesses whether the product naturally fits the creator.
- It evaluates the usefulness and credibility of the content.
- These factors influence attitudes toward the brand.
- Improved brand attitudes can then affect purchase intention.
For European audiences, argument quality, creator-audience fit, creator-brand fit and transparent sponsorship matter. The commercial objective should therefore be credible product evidence, rather than forced praise.
Function 04
Product comparison
Creators can place an unfamiliar product into a familiar reference frame:
- How it differs from a recognized competitor
- Which type of customer it suits
- Which problem it solves
- Where it performs well
- What its realistic limitations are
This can make it easier to evaluate an unfamiliar brand. Comparison is an application of the broader evidence about information and uncertainty reduction, rather than a separately proven causal effect in every category.
Function 05
Purchase decision
Creator content can support conversion through:
- Discount codes and affiliate links
- Product page links
- Black Friday reminders
- Stories and limited-time content
- Audience questions and creator responses
- Reuse of creator content in paid advertising
However, purchase intention is not the same as an actual sale. Conversion still depends on pricing, stock, delivery, reviews, website credibility, warranty, returns and customer service.
Why this matters for unfamiliar brands
A local European creator can help in four ways:
- Local interpretation: explain why the product matters to European consumers.
- Usage evidence: demonstrate that the product performs as claimed.
- Competitive context: compare it with products consumers already understand.
- Searchable proof: create content consumers can find when researching the brand later.
Black Friday implication
Before Black Friday, creator content should primarily build discovery, understanding, trust and reasons to buy. During Black Week, offers, links and affiliate mechanisms can convert the interest already created.
For an unfamiliar brand, creators are more than an advertising channel. They can act as local interpreters and providers of product evidence. By Black Friday, an offer can turn accumulated understanding and confidence into action. Without earlier content, the brand is asking consumers to buy a product they have barely seen and do not yet understand.