Younger generations are more likely to buy products based on influencer recommendations, as well as consider them reliable. However, these demographics still see influencers as less trustworthy than other sources.

In yet another sign that online reviews can make or break the path to purchase, June 2019 research from Trustpilot found that consumers would lose trust in a brand not only if they saw negative reviews—but also if the brand went one step further and deleted them.

In the annual Digital Trends report, eMarketer predicts what will matter to marketers in 2019, in areas ranging from voice technology to digital video to the “ad tech tax.” It also notes some buzzed-about topics that won’t achieve trend status next year.

Guy Cierzan, executive vice president and managing director at ICF Olson, explains how brands can build consumer trust and strengthen their loyalty programs as a result.