One of my favorite surveys was just released. The Piper Sandler Taking Stock with Teens report comes out twice a year. This Spring 2022 survey, which examines purchasing behaviors of Gen Z teens, reveals:
- Teens reported spending $2,367, up 4% from the Fall survey and 9% from Spring 2021.
- Teen girls drove the increased spending, up 9% from Spring 2021. Their primary purchases? Clothing and footwear.
- Food is back as the top spend for upper-income teens, up slightly from the Fall numbers but down a bit from last Spring.
- Teens initiated the current second-hand shopping trend several years ago. (Target just teamed up with ThredUp.) They allocate 7% of their shopping time to purchasing secondhand items—46% have purchased used merchandise, while 56% have sold secondhand goods.
- Spending on beauty products is up 10% over last Spring. Skincare had the largest share of the beauty spend, followed by cosmetics and haircare. Teen girls are conscious of the ingredients in their beauty products—60% read product labels, 88% say they’d pay more for “clean” beauty products, and 58% would pay more for “science-backed” items.
Brand Preferences
Like many of us, teens tend to be loyal to their favorite brands and places to shop:
- Amazon is their top e-commerce site overall (53%), but it decreased in popularity among upper-income teen girls.
- Athletic apparel was their favorite type of clothing, with Nike claiming the top spot for apparel and footwear.
- For the first time in this survey e.l.f. was the top preferred makeup brand for all teens, displacing Maybelline. Ulta (#1) and Sephora (#2) held on to their spots to buy beauty items.
- TikTok has replaced Snapchat as teens’ favorite social media platform, with a 33% share of the teen market, compared to Snapchat’s 31% and Instagram’s 22% share.
Teen shopping stock image by View Apart/Shutterstock