From Substack: 🧠 AI Search is Shaking Up Digital PR - Are You Ready?

As Google continues rolling out AI Overviews, the traditional playbook for Digital PR is shifting. It’s no longer just about link volume or headline-grabbing campaigns, brands now need to demonstrate consistent topical authority to stay visible in AI-driven search results.

This doesn’t mean links don’t matter (they do). But AI search is starting to reward context, relevance, and expertise over one-off wins. Brands that build strategic, long-term coverage across key themes are the ones likely to show up in future search landscapes.

📈 In our latest blog, we break down what this means for Digital PR teams, how to future-proof your approach, and the tactical shifts worth making now.

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:

Food & Drink Gets Unexpectedly Gourmet

• Whipped Cottage Cheese (+151% YoY): A protein-packed, TikTok-fuelled twist on a classic - now a go-to base for dips, toasts, and bowls.

• Hugo Spritz (+87% YoY): The elderflower-powered aperitif is summer’s breakout drink, nudging out the Aperol Spritz for the spotlight.

• Cottage Cheese Breakfasts (+78% YoY): High-protein, low-effort - people are rethinking breakfast with savoury and sweet cottage cheese creations.

• Pad Kra Pao Recipe (+75% YoY): Thai street food takes centre stage as home cooks look to spice up weeknight dinners.

• Malatang (+65% YoY): A fiery Chinese hot pot soup finds global fans - personalisable, social, and comfortingly chaotic.

Beauty Gets Ancestral & Analogue

• Beef Tallow for Skin (+484% YoY): The clean beauty crowd is going primal… rendered animal fat is the latest obsession for deep nourishment and barrier repair.

• Snail Mucin Serum (+263% YoY): Slippery but effective, this K-beauty staple surges again thanks to TikTok testimonials and skin cycling routines.

• Round Lab Cream (+257% YoY): Minimalist Korean skincare continues to dominate, with this hydrating, barrier-focused cream gaining cult status.

• Green Concealer (+178% YoY): Colour-correcting is back. Green pigments are trending as a base layer for neutralising redness before makeup.

• Slugging (+92% YoY): Vaseline isn’t just for chapped lips, the petroleum-based overnight mask hack is still climbing the skincare charts.

Fashion Gets Thrown Back & Teched Up

• Open Toe Kitten Heels (+225% YoY): A ‘90s comeback with a quiet luxury twist - low heels, high impact.

• Super Baggy Jeans (+148% YoY): The skinnies are dead. Oversized denim reigns as Gen Z drives a full silhouette revival.

• Carbon-Plated Shoes (+129% YoY): Performance meets streetwear. High-tech soles are no longer just for runners.

• Flared Jeans for Men (+124% YoY): Retro-inspired fits go gender-neutral, proving that flares aren’t just for the ladies anymore.

• Pinstripe Jeans (+117% YoY): Workwear gets a denim remix — sharp lines meet slouchy cool.

Health Gets Hacky & High-Tech

• Banana Trick Weight Loss (+1814% YoY): Viral weight loss hacks are alive and well, TikTok is fuelling curiosity around fruit-based “tricks” (with questionable science).

• Ro Weight Loss (+750% YoY): Digital telehealth clinics are booming, with platforms like Ro gaining ground thanks to GLP-1 meds like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

• Berberine for Weight Loss (+578% YoY): Dubbed “nature’s Ozempic,” this plant-based supplement is trending for its supposed metabolic benefits.

• AI Mental Health (+330% YoY): Therapy goes digital - AI-powered tools are trending for mental health support, from journaling to CBT-style chatbots.

• Emotional Support Water Bottles (+204% YoY): It’s hydration, but make it sentimental. Oversized bottles with motivational slogans are a self-care staple.

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

eCom Performance Trends in June/July

Following a sharp drop in May, the UK eCommerce market rebounded modestly in June/July, with revenue up just over 2% year-over-year. While this is not a full recovery to the highs seen in April, it does suggest a stabilisation in consumer spending and a return to more consistent growth patterns.

This uptick helps clarify the volatility seen in previous months: April’s 8% YoY revenue growth was largely driven by seasonal factors, including a late Easter and unusually warm weather. In contrast, May’s 4% drop served as a reset. June’s return to positive territory confirms these were temporary swings rather than signs of long-term instability.

The data also hints at early signs of consumer resilience despite broader economic uncertainty. While traffic remains below 2024 levels in some categories, improved conversion rates and higher average order values in June suggest that shoppers are still willing to spend, just more selectively.

Looking ahead, it will be important to monitor how brands perform as we enter the summer sale period, and whether this upward momentum continues into Q3.

Market-Wide Performance

Category Breakdown

Conversion Rate Trends

In this section, we explore how conversion rates evolved in the UK eCommerce market through June/July 2025.

Following a modest dip at the end of May, conversion rates began to stabilise in June- showing a slight but steady improvement week-on-week.

Key observations:

• The total market conversion rate hovered just above 3.3% throughout June, reflecting a gradual recovery from May’s post-Easter slowdown.

• While not reaching the April highs, the June trend suggests improving consumer intent and potentially early summer sale interest starting to take effect.

• Compared to earlier in the year, June’s rates were more consistent, indicating market stability as consumer behaviour normalises post-peak trading spikes.

What this means:

• Brands may benefit from leaning into seasonal campaigns and early promotional windows in summer, particularly as consumer readiness to convert appears to be returning.

• The steady rise suggests greater purchase confidence, even if traffic volumes remain below April highs.

As always, understanding price-point-specific behaviours and category nuances remains key. We have further breakdowns available below.

• Weekly total market conversion rate (IMRG)

• Weekly mid-market + budget CVR (IMRG)

• Weekly premium/luxury CVR (IMRG)

Teaser: Black Friday & Seasonality Prep 🛍️

It might only be July but we know preparation is key! We’ll be sending out insights from last years Black Friday and Q4 seasonality trends in a special newsletter coming soon.

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