How to Adapt to AI Search

Our latest Substack from team NOVOS is written by Daniel Cartland, talking all about how we recommend eCommerce brands adapt to the rise of AI Search (LLMs, GPT etc).

Key themes are:
🤿 Diversified and adapted, not replaced
👟 Product > Category
🧨 Adaption of backlinks + Digital PR
🦌 Importance of deep-linking
❌ Is the top of the funnel dead?
🤔 Comparison content
🤖 Is tech SEO changing?
🚟 The importance of Brand USPs

What’s Trending?

Our Content & Digital PR Strategies focus on positioning clients' brands ahead of the latest trends. We develop strategic campaigns and newsjacking opportunities through comprehensive trend analysis and research.

Here are our current trend insights across key categories:

🪴 Gardening Gets Smart & Sustainable

• Thyme Lawn (+27% YoY): Low-maintenance, eco-friendly alternatives to grass are gaining popularity among design-conscious homeowners and climate-aware gardeners.

• Agrivoltaics (+20%): This hybrid of farming and solar panels is moving from niche to mainstream interest - expect more chatter about backyard sustainability and energy innovation.

• Seed Libraries (+10%): Community-based seed sharing is surging - tie-ins to localism and food security are driving grassroots buzz.

🛋️ Home Decor Gets Personal & Maximalist

• Showpiece for Living Room (+28%): Consumers are curating statement pieces again, which is likely driven by TikTok interiors and remote work fatigue.

• Bedroom Design (+14%): There's a notable jump in bedroom-focused queries, signalling a retreat-to-rest trend. Think soft lighting, zoning, and Pinterest boards galore.

• Pearl Decor (+12%): The quiet luxury trend continues—classic elements like pearls are appearing in hardware, mirrors, and textiles.

💅 Beauty Is Turning Clinical & Custom

• Red Light Therapy (+63%): The at-home med-spa boom is alive and well - tech-forward skincare remains a hotbed for growth.

• Exfoliating Acid (+54%): Consumers are getting smarter about their skincare ingredients. Content and education win here.

• Pore Clogging Checker (+37%): Ingredient transparency is at the top of mind. Expect demand for clean, "non-comedogenic" products to spike.

• Anti-Dandruff Serum (+35%): Scalp care is the new skincare. Attention is going to functional beauty with visible results.

🌐 Lifestyle & Culture: From Inner Work to Outer Change

• Femcel (+60%): The internet is watching and re-defining femininity and dating norms. This term’s rise reflects growing interest in alternative identity narratives.

• Ayahuasca Retreat (+19%): Wellness and spiritual seekers continue to explore healing experiences far from home.

• Progressive Learning (+13%): There’s a growing appetite for non-traditional education methods, signalling shifts in parenting, schooling, and even adult learning.

Email me at [email protected] for additional insights specific to your sector, including comparative analysis of trending terms across yearly, quarterly, or monthly periods.

eCommerce Performance in April

The UK eCommerce market saw a semi-positive shift in April 2025, with YoY revenue up approximately 6% but traffic down approximately 2%.

While revenue growth is positive, it’s likely more of a seasonal impact than a market-wide positive shift. The effect of Easter shifting into April (from March in 2024) is likely a high contributor to consumer spending.

The late Easter timing and unseasonably good weather helped lift seasonal categories such as Gifts, Garden, and Home, which were notably stronger than March.

Market-wide performance

Category-specific performance

The overall trend is up; the early warm weather significantly impacts Garden performance compared to last year. Jewellery and alcohol both saw negative drops of 10% YoY.

When viewed over a longer timeframe, the Alcohol industry demand has been declining for a while. The most often cited reason for the drop is greater awareness and focus on health; however, the boss of Asahi recently noted that he thinks the rise of gaming culture is having a much bigger impact on the alcohol industry when compared to health benefits.

YTD YoY, YoY & MoM Deep Dive

Below is a detailed category-level breakdown comparing how different categories perform monthly, year-on-year, and year-to-date.

• Traffic shows early signs of recovery in select consumer categories, notably Baby and Toddler, Garden, and Electrical.

• Revenue growth is stronger than traffic on a YTD basis (+1.8% vs -0.7%), suggesting better monetisation, conversion improvements, or seasonal revenue acceleration.

• Consumer behaviour fluctuates: We see strong month-on-month growth in several categories, but year-on-year softness remains in discretionary segments like Gifts, Accessories, and Home Improvement.

Commentary Summary

👗 Fashion is showing a patchy recovery

• Despite solid MoM lifts, fashion categories remain under pressure YoY:

  • Womenswear: -3.7% YoY revenue, -4.2% traffic

  • Menswear: -3.4% YoY revenue, -7.8% traffic

  • Accessories: -3.7% YoY revenue, -27.2% traffic

  • Lingerie: +3.0% YoY revenue, -9.8% traffic

• 🔍 Conversion may hold up in some segments, but traffic softness suggests waning consumer interest or high return rates.

💄 Beauty remains resilient - even in a cautious market

YoY Revenue Growth:

• Haircare: +14.8%

• Skincare: +14.3%

• Beauty Total: +7.0%

Traffic Trends:

• Haircare: +24.6%

• Skincare: +1.7%

• Beauty: -0.4%

📝 Consumers continue to invest in visible self-care products, especially those that are science-backed or wellness-aligned. MoM softness (-9.1% overall) reflects a seasonal plateau, not a structural decline.

🌿 Home & Garden is peaking early.

Revenue Standouts:

• Garden Furnishings: +24.7% YTD YoY

• Garden: +18.4% YTD YoY

• Gardening: +17.8% YTD YoY

Traffic Match:

• +30% to +53% YoY in garden-related traffic signals, strong demand uplift.

👎 But softness persists in:

• Furniture: -12.3% YoY revenue

• Home Improvement: -8.8% YTD YoY revenue

🪴 Strong seasonal performance in outdoor and decorative SKUs is likely driven by early good weather, while big-ticket items lag amid cost concerns.

🎧 Consumer Tech is slumping

• Audio: -10.3% YTD YoY revenue | -19.6% YoY traffic

• Gaming & Computing: -9.8% revenue YTD | -18.9% traffic

• Small Appliances: -4.0% revenue YTD | -10.4% traffic

📉 No surprise here - fewer device launches, high inflation, and deferred upgrading cycles contribute to demand softening.

🧸 Baby & Toddler is a surprise growth engine

• Traffic: +25.7% YoY | +20.9% MoM

• Revenue: +34.8% YoY | +31.3% MoM

📈 This is one of the strongest alignments between intent and purchase, with potential for loyalty program gains or high AOV gifting bundles.

🎁 Gifting and Discretionary Spend: Under Pressure

• Gifts: -19.7% YTD YoY traffic | -9.7% revenue

• Accessories: -26.8% traffic | -4.7% revenue

• Home Improvement: -45.7% traffic YTD | -8.8% revenue

🧠 Lower emotional/seasonal urgency and tighter wallets = big drop-offs here. Focus on retention and value-driven messaging.

📱 Mobile Conversion Gaps Emerging

• Mobile Commerce traffic: +14.1% YoY

• Revenue: -0.5% YTD YoY

⚠️ Signals either user friction in mobile checkout or price resistance. There’s traffic-but it’s not converting as expected.

Full data available below:

How is ‘25 Revenue trending so far vs ‘24?

How is ‘25 Traffic trending so far vs ‘24?

Conversion Rate Trends

In this section, we focus on the conversion rate trend of the UK eCommerce market.

From January to April 2025, conversion rates have stabilised at around 3–4.5% across most categories.

Trends by price point:

• Premium brands continue to show volatile CVR trends, with most falling below 3%. This suggests ongoing consumer caution in discretionary, higher-ticket purchases.

• Mid-market and budget brands show steadier performance, maintaining rates in the 4–5% range. Health & beauty seeing a sharp MoM drop.