If one required any further evidence of the burgeoning social commerce market in the UK, they could find it in a recent report from the comparison website for financial products, money.co.uk. 

The social shopping market saw an estimated 16.2 million users generate sales amounting to around £7.3 billion during 2024. 

As for what the highest-performing categories were in this market, a money.co.uk survey discovered that beauty/wellness topped the list, followed by clothing/footwear. This is a finding that will interest many a luxury social media agency and its clients. 

The popularity of beauty influencers on social media is helping drive related sales

According to the report, nearly half (46%) of social media users had made a purchase in the beauty/wellness category over a 12-month period. 

The report said the popularity of the lead category went hand in hand with the ascendancy of social-media beauty influencers. It stated that 84% of Generation Zers followed influencers, alongside the 68% of Millennials who did so. 

“This type of marketing has become an industry staple,” the report observed, adding that it was fuelling public awareness, opinion, and engagement for the sector’s brands. 

Meanwhile, the 40% score recorded by the fashion/footwear category was attributable to – in the report’s words – “social media posts about fashion allowing users to engage with brands as part of their usual social media use”. 

This, the report continued, “increases brand interactions and means users can see products as part of a full look, offering style inspiration. Putting products in context in this way can help nudge consumers towards a sale.” 

Both prospective and current clients of Skywire London in our capacity as a luxury social media agency, may also be intrigued to read about the sports/leisure and jewellery/watches/accessories categories sharing a 16% score. This gave them a joint seventh position in the ranking. 

It isn’t necessarily only A-list influencers who are powering social commerce’s growth 

Spokesman for money.co.uk business credit cards, Joe Phelan, commented that “social commerce has experienced rapid growth in recent years, and projections suggest this trend will continue.” 

The money.co.uk report comes amid another recent report – from FashionUnited – pointing to potential shifts in how increasingly financially pressured luxury fashion brands are utilising social media in order to raise their profiles. 

The FashionUnited article suggested that according to an analysis of Instagram posts and TikTok videos from influencers with more than 10,000 followers, there had been “astonishing growth” in Earned Media Value (EMV) for the autumn/winter 2025 season. 

Specifically, the season apparently saw EMV amounting to 775.9 million dollars generated – a 47% increase. 

The FashionUnited report suggested that some brands during the season had enjoyed success from pursuing a “less is more” approach. It suggested there was evidence that “collaborating with emerging artists with highly engaged communities can be just as impactful as partnering with established A-listers.” 

Such findings should provide “food for thought” for ambitious luxury, fashion, and lifestyle brands that are considering how they can launch an effective social media campaign or refine an existing one. 

You could be just a few steps away from your brand’s next growth partnership 

To discover how Skywire London’s creative, digital, and strategic experts can assist your brand in realising the utmost potential from its social media and other online activity – thereby helping to power forward your business’s growth – please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.  

Photo by Amaurys Puello Martinez on Unsplash