Teenage girls in the US spent +10 per cent year-on-year (YoY) on clothing followed by +7 per cent on footwear, according to a recent survey. Teens allocate 7 per cent of their shopping time to second-hand items, while 47 per cent of teens have purchased and 58 per cent have sold second-hand items.

Shopping channel shifts reflect more discount channel shopping (13 per cent, +480 bps YoY), and less off-price (8 per cent, -350 bps YoY), according to the ‘44th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens’ report conducted by investment bank Piper Sandler Companies and the DECA.

Teen girls in the US spent +10 per cent YoY on clothing followed by +7 per cent on footwear. Girls allocate 7 per cent of their shopping time to second-hand items, while 47 per cent have purchased and 58 per cent have sold second-hand items. Shopping channel shifts reflect more discount channel shopping (13 per cent), and less off-price (8 per cent).

Within apparel, athletic is still the dominant trend, with Nike remaining strong and Lululemon hitting new highs. Vans fell out of the top 10 favourite apparel brands. Interestingly, the athletic apparel trend may be peaking with 44 per cent of upper-income teens preferring apparel brands that are ‘athletic,’ flat to the Spring 2022 survey.

Within footwear, Nike remains on top and Converse gained share at the expense of Adidas and Vans. Crocs (No. 6) and Hey Dude (No. 7) both moved higher in the rankings, but Dr. Martens continued to weaken. Coach remained top among handbag brands, with its lead versus number two brand Michael Kors expanding since the Spring 2022 survey. Fashion continues to shift, with leggings remaining strong, but interest in jeans and baggy/saggy pants continuing to weaken.

“Our Fall survey points to solid teen spending, up 3 per cent YoY. Females continue to lead the growth in spending (clothing +10 per cent, footwear +7 per cent),” said Edward Yruma, senior research analyst. “Amazon remained the top destination for shopping, but Shein further solidified its No. 2 position.”

Converse gained 200 bps of mindshare, maintaining the No. 2 ranking, and Under Armour dropped out of the top 10. The phone is the No. 1 preferred method by teens for customer service interaction; Text/SMS (18 per cent) shows the best multi-year gains, added the report.

The Piper Sandler Taking Stock With Teens survey is a semi-annual research project that gathers input from 14,500 teens with an average age of 15.8 years. Discretionary spending patterns, fashion trends, technology, and brand and media preferences are assessed through surveying a geographically diverse subset of high schools across the US.

This year’s Fall 2022 survey was conducted from August 12 to September 23. The highest number of responses were from the South at 41 per cent, followed by the Midwest at 32 per cent, the West at 20 per cent and the Northeast with 7 per cent.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)