Social media: the luxury sector rides high with record interactions in 2023

Some luxury brands have left social networks without even flinching, but they may come to regret it, considering that the sector has never been so popular on these platforms. A new study reveals that the luxury industry is taking full advantage of the visibility afforded by Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, to the point of setting a new record in terms of interactions. No fewer than 176 million messages were posted in relation to the luxury sector in 2023, an increase of 35% on last year.

While some brands have said goodbye to social networks — whether for image reasons or to protect the mental health of their customers — the luxury industry seems to have carved out a place for itself on most of these social platforms. According to data published by Visibrain, no fewer than 176 million messages were posted on social media in relation to the luxury goods industry in 2023, compared with 130 million the previous year.

This record testifies to the popularity of major luxury brands on these platforms, which bring together hundreds of millions of internet users. By way of comparison, the luxury industry generated 102 million interactions in 2021, 68 million in 2020, 60 million in 2019, and just 53 million in 2018. These figures show that enthusiasm for the sector continues to grow year on year.

For this research, the Visibrain platform looked at shares and likes relating to the luxury sector on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, as well as reactions on Facebook, between June and November 2023. And while the sector seemed to gain momentum in 2023, some luxury brands stand out far more than others. This is particularly true of Louis Vuitton, which appears to be the most influential luxury brand of the year, with no fewer than 25 million interactions. It is followed by Dior, with 17.9 million interactions, and far behind by Gucci (8.6 million interactions), Tiffany & Co (7.6 million interactions), Cartier (4.7 million interactions), Chanel (4.5 million interactions) and Prada (4.4 million interactions).

According to this data, luxury brands’ attraction to K-pop stars is not entirely unrelated to this social media craze. And with good reason, since the musical style generated no less than one billion posts on these platforms in 2023. As a result, many of the world’s leading fashion and jewelry brands, such as Dior and Cartier, have called on these ultra-popular singers to become their ambassadors. For example, the photo relating to Cartier’s collaboration with Kim Tae-hyung scored over 3.1 million likes on the brand’s Reel.