Amazon remained the top destination for teens to shop, but Shein further solidified its number two position, according to Piper Sandler’s 44th semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey.
The majority of the 14,500 teens across 47 states who responded to the survey, some 52% of teens, cite Amazon as their favorite e-commerce site. Shein (8%), Nike (6%) and Lululemon (4%) round out the top four spots.
Shein also appears on the top clothing brand list, coming in at number five at 4%. Nike (31%), Lululemon (6%), American Eagle (6%) and H&M (4%) take the first through fourth spots on the list. Within apparel, athletic is still the dominant trend, with Nike remaining strong and Lululemon hitting new highs. Vans fell out of the top 10 favorite apparel brands.
According to Edward Yruma, senior research analyst at Piper Sandler, athletic apparel’s popularity among teens may have reached its peak. “Interestingly, the athletic apparel trend may be peaking with 44% of upper-income teens preferring apparel brands that are ‘athletic,’ which is flat compared to our spring 2022 survey,” Yruma said in a statement.
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Within footwear, Yruma noted that Nike remains on top, with 60% of teens ranking it the best shoe brand, and Converse (10%) gained share at the expense of Adidas (7%) and Vans (7%). Crocs (2%) increased from the number six preferred footwear brand to number five while Hey Dude is now ranked number seven up from number nine last spring.
What’s more, the survey found that Under Armour dropped out of the top 10 preferred footwear brand’s list all together, while Dr. Martens continued to weaken, Yruma said.
The same survey found that teens are also spending more. According to Piper Sandler, teens spent 3% more than last year, with females continuing to lead the growth in spending (clothing +10%, footwear +7%). The survey also found that teens are allocating 7% of their shopping time to secondhand, with 47% of teens reporting they have purchased, and 58% have sold, secondhand items.
This survey comes just weeks after a similar report from Morning Consult found that Amazon, Walmart and Target ranked fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively, on the list of Gen Z’s favorite brands, beating out companies like Nike, Oreo, Dollar Tree and Apple. All three retailers were noted as favorable among other generation groups, though they ranked slightly higher when ranked by Gen Z.
When compared to millennials’ preferences, Discord, TikTok, Crocs, Snapchat and Shein all had the highest gaps in favorability points with regard to Gen Z preferences. That is, Gen Z appeared to rank these brands much higher than their millennial counterparts.
When it comes to apparel, Shein was the standout brand, especially among Gen Z women. 44% of Gen Z adults said they viewed the fast-fashion company favorably, compared with 22% of adults across all generations.
