North America Social Media Benchmarks: Fashion Q2 2026

What’s in this report

In Q2 2026, North America fashion brands on Instagram saw median post engagement rates of around 2.8%, while Facebook trailed at under 1%. Ecommerce held the largest interaction share on both platforms, with Fashion ranking 4th on Facebook and 3rd on Instagram among all categories. Reels and Carousels remained the strongest organic Instagram formats, while Live Video led on Facebook.

This quarterly benchmarks report pulls from Emplifi’s dataset of 1,235 Facebook pages and 1,193 Instagram profiles across North America, covering April 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026.

User-generated content: what’s achievable

Brands using Emplifi’s UGC solution this quarter saw:

• 8.02x increase in conversion rate
• 4.31x increase in website visits
• 1.01x increase in average order value

These figures represent the median uplift seen across Emplifi’s Fashion UGC Accounts Benchmark for Q2 2026. Fashion is one of the larger verticals with its own dedicated UGC benchmark slide, distinct from the generic cross-industry figures used elsewhere.

Organic performance: Facebook and Instagram

Interaction share by industry

On Facebook, Ecommerce accounts for 48.3% of total brand interactions — the highest share of any category, with Fashion ranking 4th at 3.6%. On Instagram, Ecommerce again leads with 33.8% of interactions, with Fashion ranking 3rd at 8.5%.

Facebook interaction distribution (Q2 2026):

Instagram interaction distribution (Q2 2026):

Platform landscape at a glance

In North America, Instagram fashion profiles carry a higher median follower count than Facebook pages. The source chart for this slide (a bubble/circle comparison) does not publish exact axis values — only relative bubble sizes — so the table below reflects directional comparisons rather than precise figures.

Activity volume is higher on Instagram than on Facebook, while user engagement on Instagram also outpaces Facebook.

Median post interactions

Median post interactions track the middle-ranked page or profile by monthly interactions — a measure of typical performance rather than outlier peaks.

Instagram median post interactions declined steadily from around 43 in May 2025 to the high-20s/low-30s range by mid-2026, while Facebook held low and roughly flat between 5 and 8 across the full period.

Relative median post interactions

Relative median interactions index each platform’s performance against its own peak over the reporting period, making it easier to compare directional trends across platforms regardless of absolute scale.

By Q2 2026, Facebook’s relative median interactions had fallen to around 62% after repeatedly touching its own peak (100%) earlier in the period, while Instagram declined more steadily from its early peak to end around 67% — a smaller relative drop than Facebook’s.

Median post impressions

Impressions measure how many times posts were displayed, regardless of interaction. This metric is available for both platforms and reflects reach rather than engagement.

Instagram impressions climbed sharply through mid-2025, peaking near 36,000 around August 2025, before pulling back to roughly 14,500 by Q2 2026. Facebook impressions stayed low and comparatively flat throughout, ending around 2,300.

Engagement rate trends

Median post engagement rates this quarter:

• Instagram: ~2.8%
• Facebook: ~0.93%

Instagram engagement held broadly steady in the 2.4%–2.8% range across the full period, while Facebook stayed low throughout but ticked up slightly toward the end of Q2 2026 compared to earlier quarters.

Best-performing post types

Facebook: Live Video and standard Reel continue to outperform other formats organically. In Q2 2026, Live Video generated a median of 14 post interactions, while Reel reached 7.

Instagram: Carousel and Reel posts lead organic performance, both generating a median of 36 post interactions this quarter.

Full organic post type performance (Q2 2026):

Post type distribution trends:

On Facebook, Photo remains the dominant post format at around 61% of posts, though Reels are gaining share steadily — rising from near zero earlier in the year to approximately 31% by Q2 2026. On Instagram, Reels, Images, and Carousels each account for roughly a third of posts published, with Reels and Carousels driving the majority of top-performing content.

Top performing pages and profiles

Facebook — top pages by total interactions (Q2 2026):

Instagram — top profiles by total interactions (Q2 2026):

Top posts this quarter

The highest-performing individual posts by interactions across North America fashion brands in Q2 2026:

Facebook:

Instagram:

How does your brand compare?

These benchmarks reflect median performance across thousands of brands in Emplifi’s dataset. Get a free personalized assessment to see exactly where your brand stands today.

Get your free social media assessment →

Paid performance: Facebook and Instagram ads

Where brands are spending

The majority of paid spend for North America fashion brands goes to FB feed, followed by IG feed and IG instagram stories. Spending on FB feed is 8.9 percentage points higher than on IG feed.

CPC and CPM by placement

The most cost-efficient placements for North America fashion brands this quarter:

• Lowest CPC: FB feed, FB facebook reels, and IG instagram stories
• Lowest CPM: FB facebook reels, IG instagram reels, and FB feed

CPC and CPM by placement (Q2 2026):

Click-through rate by placement

Within the fashion brands benchmark, FB feed leads on CTR at 1.99%, compared to IG feed at 1.45%.

CTR by placement (Q2 2026):

Cost trends over time

Q2 2026 ad cost benchmarks for North America:

Fashion-specific CPC held in a narrow $0.15–$0.23 band across the past year, ending Q2 2026 around $0.17, while the broader North America CPC ran two to three times higher throughout, ending around $0.49 after a mid-period dip. CPM followed a similar pattern — Fashion stayed roughly $2–$3 all year versus North America’s $5–$6 range. CTR was more closely matched: Fashion ended near 1.57% after a January 2026 spike above 1.75%, while North America overall trended up to around 1.65%.