The 5 Best Ecommerce Brands at Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is one of the easiest channels to overspend on and one of the hardest to judge. Big follower counts look impressive. Likes feel like progress. Neither tells you whether a partnership is actually growing your brand.

We've picked out the five ecommerce brands we think do it best, straight from our book, Life Goals. We dug through hundreds of campaigns to find 75 brands doing genuinely smart marketing across hobbies and pastimes. These five stood out for how they work with creators.

Gymshark: the gold standard for influencers at scale

Gymshark started in 2013 in Ben Francis' parents' garage in Birmingham, with a sewing machine and a screen printer. Today it has customers in over 230 countries. In Life Goals, we named it Best Use of Influencers at Scale. It wasn't a tough call.

What they did

Early on, the founders noticed something about their own behaviour. They were always watching workout videos on YouTube, following fellow fitness fanatics. So they sent Gymshark products to the influencers they already watched, and demand followed from those audiences.

The real growth came next. Gymshark turned those partners into brand ambassadors, known as "Gymshark Athletes", and made being one feel like joining an exclusive club. Ambassadors appear in Gymshark's own ads, collaborate on collections and front its campaigns.

Behind the scenes, Gymshark uses Partnerize to track shop links and runs influencer partnerships via LTK.

Why it works

Fitness clothing is about as saturated with creators as a sector gets. Gymshark didn't try to shout over them. It made them part of the brand's DNA.

What you can take from it

Look for the creators your customers already watch before you look for the biggest reach. Then think about what happens after the first post. A one-off gifting drop gets you a moment. An ambassador programme gets you people who keep showing up for your brand.

Bobbin Bicycles: small, structured and seriously effective

Bobbin has been making vintage-style bicycles since 2007, for riders aged anywhere from 2 to 92. Think wicker baskets, handlebar streamers and bikes named after biscuits (the Gingersnap is firmly on our wishlist).

Around 80% of Bobbin's customers are female. Ahead of Easter, with a campaign focused on bikes for little ones, the team wanted voices that parents genuinely trusted. That became Bobbin's first dedicated influencer campaign.

What they did

Bobbin didn't go big from day one. They started with a single UK parent influencer, refined the creative briefs, video guidance and content formats, then rolled out to six more. Briefs kept evolving as the campaign ran, based on what landed with audiences. We heartily approve.

The numbers

Over six months, the seven influencers (with a combined 104.5K followers) delivered:

• almost 29K views
• 8K likes
• 500+ comments
• 204 images, 108 video clips and 12 reels, all with copyright transferred to Bobbin

Consider us metaphorically circling that last point, as we speak. Why? Because Bobbin didn't just buy reach. It built a content library it can keep using across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and paid ads.

Why it works

Real parents filmed their kids wobbling about on stabilisers and heading off on family days out. It didn't look like an ad, because it wasn't trying to be one.

What you can take from it

If you're weighing up more creator spend, this is the model to borrow. Test with one partner, learn fast, then scale. And sort out content rights upfront. That way, your budget keeps working long after the post goes live.

Sweaty Betty: where influencer meets affiliate

Founded in 1998 by Tamara and Simon Hill-Norton, Sweaty Betty is a (magnificently named) British activewear label that's grown into a global lifestyle brand. Wolverine Worldwide acquired it in 2021. It earns its place on this list because of how it brings content creators and publishers into the same partnership mix.

What they did

The programme runs through Awin in the UK, and the affiliate sign-up link sits right there in the homepage footer. That's always a good sign a brand takes the channel seriously.

It first caught our eye through Sheerluxe. A LuxeMail landed in our inbox explaining exactly why Sweaty Betty's Studio Collection is so good, sent to a predominantly female, London-based audience. A perfect fit.

They also use Linkby for review-style product features, like their collaboration with W.ICONS.

And they don't forget conversion. Cashback offers give shoppers a gentle shove, and there's a 20% student discount through UNiDAYS and Student Beans.

Why it works

Sweaty Betty doesn't treat creator content as a separate box to tick. Trusted voices build desire, affiliate mechanics close the sale, and it all sits under one programme.

What you can take from it

If your influencer activity and your affiliate programme are managed by different people, ask yourself why. Bringing them together gives you a clearer view of what's actually driving revenue.

B&Q: how an established brand refreshed its creator programme

B&Q is the UK's leading home improvement and garden retailer, with over 300 stores across the UK and Ireland and more than 700K products on DIY.com.

After looking at the UK's economic picture, the team wanted a new influencer strategy built around thrifty, craft-focused DIY. The message was simple: you can improve your home, whatever your budget.

What they did

B&Q used impact.com's Creator platform to find, contract, brief and track the right creator partners. The content rules were clear. Everything had to use products available at B&Q. It had to be step-by-step. And above all, it had to be relatable.

Then B&Q trusted creators to bring their own ideas. Some reels even included bloopers, which we loved. Because lets be real, nobody's shelves go up perfectly first time.

The numbers

• 1.5K comments
• 12K+ likes
• 677 saves
• a +200% CTR on benchmark engagement

One creator's content went down so well that it's become a longer-term partnership, with TikTok expansion plans on the cards.

‍Why it works

B&Q got the balance right. Tight guidelines kept content on brief, and genuine collaboration kept it human.

What you can take from it

If your influencer programme feels stale, you don't need to start from scratch. Use proper creator tech to find better-fit partners, agree a short list of non-negotiables, then give creators room to be themselves.

Ancient + Brave: creator content with real credibility

Founded in 2018 by Kate Prince, Ancient + Brave is a B Corp certified wellness brand that pairs ancestral wisdom with modern science. It started with collagen and MCT oils and now offers a wider range of supplements.

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What they did

Ancient + Brave's paid social mixes high-production brand videos with creator-led content filmed at home, outdoors and in interview-style formats. Both show products slotting into everyday rituals, like adding a little collagen to your morning coffee

Then there's Davina McCall. She's spoken openly about her own health journey, including menopause, so the partnership feels like a natural fit rather than a paid endorsement.

Why it works

Wellness is a crowded, sceptical space. Ancient + Brave backs its creator content with customer reviews, ingredient details and nods to clinical research, so it stands out without shouting for attention.

What you can take from it

If you're considering a big-name partnership, make sure the story holds up. Your audience will spot a mismatch instantly.

And don't let one celebrity replace a steady flow of creator content. The two work best together.

What the best influencer strategies have in common

None of these brands chased follower counts for the sake of it. They picked partners their customers already trusted and set clear briefs. Then they measured what matters: reusable content, saves, click-through rates and partnerships that last. Most importantly, they treated creators as partners, not media placements. That's what turns a campaign into a channel.

Thinking about scaling your creator partnerships? Our partner marketing team can help you benchmark what good looks like for your brand and build a plan to grow it.

Get in touch with the team today.