With the autumn-winter London Fashion Week (LFW) having recently drawn to a close, a timely reminder has been given to high-end, fashion, and lifestyle brands of the importance a well-optimised digital presence can have for the realisation of their growth ambitions. 

That reminder was in the form of a poll of 2,000 consumers by YouGov. The survey found that about one in four (27%) fashion and beauty shoppers who follow influencers have bought luxury items directly through platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 

This underscores the impact that working alongside a trusted luxury social media agency can have for these sectors, despite in-person visits to exclusive brick-and-mortar retail outlets being the more “traditional” means through which premium goods are sold. 

The influencer sphere is continuing to evolve – but is your brand prepared? 

Other key findings from the research provided insights into the ever-shifting landscape of social media and influencer marketing, and the implications this could have for brands. 

It was clear, for instance, that customers of high-end and fashion brands value authenticity and genuine engagement. Among the surveyed fashion and beauty shoppers who followed influencer recommendations, the most effective forms of influencer content were in-depth product reviews (49%) and user-generated content (32%). 

The poll findings also made clear that even among the questioned shoppers who followed influencers, recommendations from friends and family (63%), as well as expert reviews (48%), continued to be highly trusted sources for fashion and beauty items. 

These figures reaffirm that professional endorsements, as well as word of mouth, retain their power when it comes to building the credibility of premium brands. 

Micro-influencers assist with targeted engagement, while shoppers also care about influencers’ values 

The term “micro-influencers” has become more prominent in recent times, this being a reference to influencers who have smaller and more targeted audiences. 

The relevance of micro-influencers for brands should also be clear, with 24% of fashion and beauty shoppers who follow influencer recommendations telling YouGov they trust micro-influencer recommendations. This helps make clear the role micro-influencers can play in building authentic connections within niche communities. 

It is also evident from the findings, though, that influencers’ principles and perspectives on the world are important to shoppers in these sectors. It was discovered through the research that over a third (39%) of fashion and beauty shoppers who follow influencers consider a given influencer’s personal views, such as their politics, before they commit to a purchase. 

Such a finding should leave brand decision-makers in no doubt about the importance of carefully choosing influencer partners whose values are well-aligned with their business and target audience. The cultivation of such authentic partnerships helps to build trust and strengthen the connection a brand enjoys with its target customers. 

Allow our luxury social media agency to help coordinate the success of your brand 

Shoppers for fashion and beauty products – particularly the younger generations – are engaging with premium brands in different ways to years past. The sheer accessibility and convenience of social commerce is unquestionably playing a major role in this. 

However, not all fashion, luxury, and lifestyle brands are necessarily adapting to this evolving digital landscape as rapidly as they could, and should, be. 

So, to correct this situation for your brand, why not reach out to our creative and strategic professionals at Skywire London? When you do, we will be pleased to discuss how we can best work together to extract the maximum potential of your business in the fast-moving online sphere of 2025.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash