Despite ongoing economic difficulties, UK fashion spending remains a priority for consumers, with value-driven and responsive brands emerging as the top performers. Insights from MediaVision, which utilized its proprietary technology, Metis, reveal real-time consumer search trends that highlight how demand shifted in the last quarter of 2025 and identify brands best positioned for growth in 2026.
“Consumer search behavior is shifting faster than most brands can track, and in fashion, the margin between capturing demand and losing it often comes down to weeks, not months. The quarter reveals a market in motion, with fashion still commanding the majority of wallet share across retail sectors and high-street fashion dominating at the category level,” said Louis Venter, CEO of MediaVision.
“Fashion holds a commanding, growing share, even if you were to disregard the short-term spike of Black Friday. Farther down the pecking order, ‘nice-to-have’ and ‘need-to-have’ categories battle it out, but it appears that consumers continue to make sure a decent amount of buying power is set aside for Fashion, even whilst tail and headwinds appear to hit other markets with considerable force,” stated Adam Bly, growth director.
Over the last quarter, brands such as Primark, Vinted, and Next emerged as the fastest-growing names in fashion regarding share of search. Primark led the way with a 0.65 increase in search share, followed closely by Vinted with an increase of 0.47. These trends highlight a consumer preference for affordability and value, as shoppers increasingly choose either low-cost new fashion or turn to second-hand platforms like Vinted to enhance their spending power.
“Primark’s growth reflects how customer-centric innovation and brand storytelling increasingly fuel online discovery. The brand combined high-profile product launches, seasonal brand campaigns, and credible sustainability messaging with in-store innovation. This ensured Primark was present across multiple narratives at once—from accessibility and value to ethics and retail innovation—prompting consumers to actively search for the brand rather than passively encounter it,” explained Annabelle Sacher, head of digital PR.
“The global resale market—accounting for nearly 30 percent of the average wardrobe currently—will likely reach up to $360 billion by 2030 and is growing three times faster than firsthand fashion. As resale continues to shift from budget-driven behavior to a socially endorsed lifestyle choice, Vinted has become the go-to for second-hand sellers and shoppers, organically scaling brand preference and, therefore, share of search. National media coverage, customer success stories, and data-led campaigns around gifting and decluttering have only served to emphasize this positioning,” Sacher added.
Next also continues to dominate overall brand share of search in Q4, maintaining its leading market position while still experiencing growth. With a 0.43-point increase in share, it reflects strong consumer interest and engagement as it approaches 2026. Primark is the only other brand in the top five to show positive growth, rising by 0.65 points, while competitors have seen slight declines in their search shares.
