Meghan Markle’s As Ever Brand Struggles for Traction After Initial Surge: Report
Meghan Markle's brand site experienced its lowest monthly total of the year in July, with visits dropping in five of the last six months.
When Meghan Markle launched her lifestyle brand, As Ever, in 2025, it was head-to-head with King Charles' traditional brand, Highgrove. Supported by heavy online marketing, influencer endorsement, and her now Emmy-nominated Netflix show With Love, Meghan, the Duchess, initially succeeded in capturing public attention. However, recent reports indicate that her products have failed to generate lasting interest among new consumers. Data suggests that As Ever is struggling to maintain traction in an increasingly competitive commercial market.
According to Express UK, research by Similarweb shows that in July, the Duchess of Sussex's online shop experienced a significant decline in traffic, recording 126,655 visits—a 53% drop from January's 268,200. Although the site initially drew heavy traffic, it remained lower than that of the official Royal Family website. "Comparing As Ever’s website traffic with royal websites is probably not an especially meaningful comparison," the Duchess's brand spokesperson noted to Newsweek. The spokesperson emphasized that in a consumer business like As Ever, key metrics include repeat purchases, sales, and customer growth, rather than mere website traffic. They added that traffic usually increases during product launches before returning to normal levels as interest wanes, asserting that the main objective is cultivating a sustainable brand and loyal customer base rather than relying on raw page views.
Markle's brand site experienced its lowest monthly total of the year in July, with visits dropping in five of the last six months. Over six months, it averaged 176,677 monthly visits, compared to the Highgrove Gardens online shop, which recorded 48,326 visits in July and a six-month average of 56,574. Unlike As Ever, Highgrove benefits from stocking products in brick-and-mortar stores like Fortnum & Mason and at high-profile events like the Chelsea Flower Show. This brick-and-mortar presence boosts overall sales and secures local customer reach beyond the web. Reports show Highgrove achieved a turnover of $7.72 million (£5.7 million) in 2025, donating $800,855 (£591,000) in profit to the King's Foundation. In contrast, Markle's business solely operates online and has not disclosed sales figures, hindering assessments of its financial performance. Moreover, in June, Newsweek revealed that her brand's inventory levels exceeded 650,000 units, valued at approximately $21.8 million.
At that time, her raspberry jam was a crowd hit, indicating that certain products were well received by consumers. However, she held a substantial inventory of other items, including 80,000 tubs of edible flower sprinkles worth about $1.2 million and nearly 90,000 candles valued at around $5.7 million. On further research, the publication highlighted that As Ever, an online retailer, faced challenges when users discovered they could add unlimited items to their carts, leading to stock adjustments. Traffic among U.S. visitors decreased from over 650,000 in January to 392,114 by May, with a bounce rate of 34% to 40%, showing that Markle's business is on the verge of collapse despite initially taking off in the market.
