Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has revealed a festive retail triumph, with sales of its Christmas pyjamas skyrocketing after becoming a viral hit on the social media platform TikTok.
TikTok Fuels Record-Breaking Festive Sales
Sales of the seasonal sleepwear jumped by 22% year-on-year, a surge directly attributed to the product being sold through TikTok Shop. The announcement came as part of the retailer's quarterly results, released on Friday 9 January 2026. Despite a broader dip in its non-food division, the chain celebrated "record-breaking sales" for its popular PJs range.
The Tu Clothing brand, which produces the pyjamas, began selling them on TikTok Shop in October. The strategy involved a partnership with influencer Rachel Spicer, who boasts 2.4 million followers on the app. Her post about the product garnered an impressive 6.6 million views and close to 30,000 likes, demonstrating the powerful reach of social media marketing.
Social Media as the New Shopping Discovery Tool
This success story underscores a major shift in consumer behaviour. A recent report from tech firm CI&T highlights that 70% of UK consumers have now purchased a product directly or indirectly via social media. Melissa Minkow, CI&T's Global Director of Retail Strategy, explained the platform's unique appeal.
"The reason TikTok is such a great tool is because it’s democratised," said Minkow. "It shows consumers what it knows they’ll like, based on their own personalised algorithms, rather than what’s doing well overall on the platform necessarily." She added that she could "definitely" foresee more brands adopting similar tactics, stating that "TikTok is a fantastic discovery tool for consumers to find products that excite them."
Mixed Results Amidst a Challenging Retail Landscape
The standout performance of the pyjamas provided a bright spot in an otherwise challenging period for Sainsbury's non-food arm. Overall non-food and clothing sales were down by 1%, with higher-value items experiencing particularly soft demand.
The company's Argos business faced its own headwinds, with sales declining by 2%. Sainsbury's pointed to "difficulties with online traffic" as a key factor. Chief Executive Simon Roberts noted that Argos is contending with intensified competition from fast-growing online retailers like Shein and Temu.
Encouraged by the pyjama campaign's viral success, Roberts indicated the group is now looking to expand its approach. The company plans to do "more product development in that space," signalling a strategic pivot towards leveraging social commerce to drive future sales.
