By Ellie-Rose Davies, Content Executive at IMRG
When you think of the standout summer retail campaigns this year, chances are they were the ones that struck a chord, creating a sense of community, capturing a cultural moment, or simply feeling timely and relevant.
In this blog, we take a look at summer trading performance, highlighting the common traits of the most effective campaigns, and explore how retailers can build lasting customer engagement.
This blog covers:
- Summer performance trends
- Campaigns that created cultural moments
- Campaigns that stay relevant
- Extending campaigns beyond the purchase
Summer performance trends
Summer trading has delivered some standout stories across eCommerce, with certain categories proving far more resilient than the online market as a whole.
According to our Online Retail Index, which is representative of £30bn+ in online spend, the top performing categories throughout Summer so far has been Health & Beauty and Electricals.
Source: IMRG’s Online Retail Index
Health & Beauty has been a star performer for some time now and Summer would make no exception as consumers participate in creating new summer make-up looks and invest in skincare and haircare as the weather got warmer.
Source: IMRG’s Online Retail Index
Electricals also has seen consistent Year-on-Year growth throughout Summer, where it has performed much better than the total market.
The top subcategory within Electricals has been Small Appliances, driven by items such as air fryers.
This August Electricals retailers welcomed the new Google Pixel 10 which could help with growth.
Home Improvements retailers have seen consistently good performance throughout Summer, and Garden and Garden Furnishings retailers saw a particularly good week in w/c 6th July at +45% Year-on-Year.
Although categories like Electricals and Home Improvements are performing strongly, overall market growth is being held back by weak Clothing performance.
Campaigns that created cultural moments
This summer, many of the most effective campaigns didn’t just sell products, they created cultural moments. Many brands that tapped into humour, relatability, and seasonal storytelling-built awareness and loyalty.
As industry experts at Prisync note, ‘This summer, one of the most successful summer campaigns was Jet2 Holiday’s embracing the social media memes about holiday misfortunes and even encouraging people to create even more UGC with their viral ad sound to win a £1,000 holiday voucher.’
‘This way, they have gone viral on several platforms and achieved great brand awareness.’
Prisync say, ‘Apart from pricing being the most critical factor in retaining customers, based on this example, matching the top-selling items with seasonality and stories or qualities that resonate with customers, which naturally nudges them to create content, is the best way to not only retain customers but also keep new ones coming.’
Similarly, Moe Dhanji, Key Account Director at Commerce notes how ‘This summer’s standout campaigns showed us that simplicity, cultural relevance and bold execution still win the day.’
‘From Jet2’s TikTok-fuelled #nothingbeatsajet2holidays to Aldi’s vibrant ‘Matcha 2.0’ activation, brands who leaned into platform-native creativity and seasonality made lasting impressions.’
Moe continues, ‘Meanwhile, Ocado’s surge in cherry sales (over 68,000 punnets in a single week) proved that even the most everyday items can become summer heroes with the right timing and positioning.’
‘The lesson for retailers? Campaigns that create emotional connection and a sense of occasion not only drive short-term sales but also set the stage for long-term customer loyalty.’
Campaigns that stay relevant
Retailers who found ways to stay relevant in their summer campaigns, e.g., through data-led personalisation, weather-driven activations, or curated marketplace assortments were able to cut through noise and connect with shoppers in ways that felt timely and meaningful.
Simon Dyer, RVP Northern Europe & Middle East at Mirakl exclaims, ‘Successful summer campaigns are about more than just discounts; they’re about experience and relevance.’
‘The best campaigns we see are the ones leveraging data to create highly-personalised, engaging content and offers that truly resonate with individual shoppers’ summer lifestyles — be that festival fashion or home and gardening essentials.’
Simon says, ‘This is what the platform approach enables and why it’s been so effective at retaining customers.’
‘By diversifying product assortment through a marketplace model, retailers can continuously meet evolving consumer needs long after the summer sales end, transforming one-time buyers into loyal, year-round patrons. This builds trust and positions the retailer as a destination, not just a seasonal stop.’
Alam Hosseinbor at ShoppingIQ tells us how you can tune into relevancy through weather and incorporating that into content. He says, ‘The weather plays a major role in our daily lives, especially during summer.’
‘For marketers, this creates an opportunity to be tactical, combining planning, real-time weather insights and bespoke, relevant creative.’
‘Weather-led campaigns align spend with fast-shifting behaviour, as warmer days drive sudden surges in demand. By using signals such as temperature to trigger bidding, capabilities not available in Google’s own platform, available technology can power both Google Shopping and Meta campaigns, improving CTR and conversion rate by 25%.’
Alam exclaims, ‘Proprietary weather targeting tactically adjusts visibility at the precise moments it matters most.’
Extending campaigns beyond the purchase
A successful summer retail campaign doesn’t end with the transaction. The follow-up experience, from fulfilment to delivery and beyond, can make the difference between a one-time buyer and a long-term customer. For many retailers, this stage proved just as important as the initial sale.
Tradebyte’s Head of Corporate Relations, Alexander Otto argues ‘Busy sales periods can attract new customers, but the challenge is keeping them.’
‘By turning data into action, retailers can transform short-term spikes into long-term loyalty and sustained growth.’
‘Real-time benchmarking and data analysis to identify top-selling items and the channels driving those wins is key, for instance. Agile inventory management to optimise availability and ensure bestsellers remain in stock post-sale is also vital,’ says Alexander.
‘Returns can be reduced by analysing performance by country and category to address fit, pricing, or fulfilment issues, while repeat purchases can be encouraged with personalised offers – 78% of consumers are more likely to buy again when they receive relevant communication.’
Garth Stapleton, Head of Sales Northern Europe at Parcel Perform says ‘While the initial sale is the goal of any summer campaign, the real brand-defining moments happen in the operational stress test that follows.’
‘A sales surge inevitably creates ‘delivery pitfalls’—the 20% of shipments that can cause 80% of customer service issues.’
Garth says, ‘I believe the most impactful retailers are those who master these exceptions. Turning a potential delay into a moment of trust through proactive communication is what truly secures the loyalty of a new customer.’
‘That experience—how a brand performs when things aren’t perfect—is what helps maximise a campaign’s long-term ROI.’
Keep up to date with eCommerce trends using IMRG’s Digital Dashboard. Our Dashboard helps retailers to benchmark their performance against the total market and spot opportunities for growth. Learn more here: Digital Dashboard – IMRG
Published 03/09/25
