UK Young Fashion Shopper Behaviours Consumer Report 2024
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
Report Summary
Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK Young Fashion Shopper Market Report 2024. Our full report provides insights on Generation Z and Younger Millennial consumer spending, shopping behaviours and attitudes to fashion. Packed with the latest fashion market research and trends affecting your business you can get a 360° view of the sector to help you align your marketing and innovation strategy with the needs of your audience.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Key Topics Analysed in the Full Report
- Types of retailers shopped with, showing the mix of stores Gen Z and Younger Millennials use, with pureplays and low- to mid-market chains being the most popular.
- Explores that while the young cohort prioritise clothes, they also spend on skincare and haircare.
- The values of Gen Z and Younger Millennials when choosing a retailer.
- The sources of fashion inspiration for Gen Z and Younger Millennials, with friends and social media taking the lead.
- Behaviours and attitudes towards fashion among young shoppers aged 16-34.
Young Fashion Shopper Behaviour
Gen Zs and Young Millennials are made up of a wide range of ages from 16-34, but there are clear themes that bring this group together with technology woven into every part of their lives. They are making their mark on the fashion industry, with a strong focus on fashion trends influenced by a combination of their peers and social media, an eye for thrifting and an interest in sustainable fashion.
Opportunities and Challenges for Retailers Targeting Young Fashion Shoppers
While Gen Zs and Younger Millennials prioritise adding to their savings, they are still spending on buying fashion and plan to continue doing so. Younger people have been more insulated from the more severe impacts of the cost-of-living crisis.
- Millennial fashion spending power: 51% of young millennials spent £50 or more on their last clothes shopping trip.
The growing usage of pureplays Shein and Temu, particularly amongre young female shoppers, poses a growing threat to established young clothing fashion retailers such as H&M and Primark.
Social commerce is becoming more valuable to brands as more people shop directly on platforms. Mobile applications and innovative features such as virtual try-on and visual search tools are set to play pivotal roles in attracting and engaging with this digitally savvy generation.
- Shifts in young fashion shopper behaviour: 52% of young people have pruchased fashion items directly from social media in the last 12 months.
Readers of this report may also be interested in our UK Womenswear Market Report 2024, or our range of Fashion Market Research.
Meet the Expert
Tamara has over 12 years of expertise in analysing changing consumer behaviour, industry trends and key innovations in fashion retail. She regularly presents to clients and talks to the media to help them understand the latest developments in the fashion market. She has a background in business journalism and a BA (Hons) in French and Spanish.
Gen Z and Younger Millennials are making their mark on the fashion industry, with a strong focus on fashion trends influenced by a combination of their peers and social media, an eye for thrifting and an interest in sustainability. However, brands must be wary of the say-do gap in young people’s aspirations and shopping behaviours.
Tamara Sender Ceron
Associate Director, Fashion Retail
Table of Contents
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the young fashion market
- Leveraging social commerce
- Providing a seamless omnichannel shopping experience
- Closing the say-do gap and encouraging more sustainable behaviours
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market predictions
- Half of Gen Zs and Younger Millennials prioritise their physical and mental health
- Graph 1: changes in priorities compared to a year ago, by demographic, 2024
- What consumers want and why
- The young combine in-store with smartphone shopping
- Graph 2: how Gen Zs and Younger Millennials have bought fashion items, 2024
- While young consumers prioritise clothes, they also spend on skincare and haircare
- Graph 3: spending on fashion and beauty categories in a typical month, 2024
- While price is important, so are trends and sustainability
- Graph 4: fashion preferences when choosing a retailer, 2024
- Peers and influencers are the main source of inspiration
- Graph 5: sources of fashion inspiration, 2024
- The young buy direct from social media
- Graph 6: fashion shopping behaviours, by Gen Z, Younger Millennials and all, 2024
- The young see fashion as a form of expression
- Graph 7: agreement with attitudes to fashion, by Gen Zs, Younger Millennials and all, 2024
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Market Dynamics
- Macroeconomic factors
- Millennials are the largest generation today
- Graph 8: ethnicity of population, by age, England and Wales, 2021
- Graph 9: population estimates, by generation, 2021
- Half of Gen Zs and Younger Millennials feel OK about their finances
- Graph 10: financial situation, by demographic, 2024
- Two in five young consumers feel concerned about their financial situation
- Graph 11: financial confidence over the coming year, by generation, 2024
- Young consumers prioritise saving over buying new clothes
- Graph 12: planned spending activity, by generation, 2024
- Graph 13: recent spending activity, by generation, 2024
- Young consumers are protected from some inflation-related issues
- Graph 14: issues faced in the last two months, by generation, 2024
- Young consumers have a pessimistic perception of the state of the cost-of-living crisis
- Graph 15: perception of the state of the cost of living crisis in the UK, by generation, 2024
- Half of Gen Zs and Younger Millennials prioritise their physical and mental health
- Graph 16: changes in priorities compared to a year ago, by demographic, 2024
- Social media
- YouTube and Instagram are used by both Gen Zs and Younger Millennials
- Graph 17: use of social media platforms in the last three months, by generation, 2024
- Over half buy direct from social media
- Leverage social media platforms to reach young fashion shoppers
- Young consumers get fashion inspiration from social media personalities
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What Consumers Want and Why
- What they buy
- Gen Zs are avid clothes buyers, but Young Millennials spend more
- Graph 18: fashion items purchased in the last three months, by generations, 2024
- The young drive the resurgence of denim
- Graph 19: types of outerwear purchased in the last three months, by generation, 2024
- Cheap Monday relaunches with a focus on denim
- New generation sportswear
- How they shop
- Young more likely than average to have bought fashion
- Graph 20: how consumers have bought fashion items for themselves, 2024
- Online is the preferred way to shop for young people
- Retailers leverage technology to appeal to digital shoppers
- Reaching shoppers through different formats and platforms
- The young combine in store with smartphone shopping
- Graph 21: how Gen Zs and Younger Millennials have bought fashion items, 2024
- Two thirds of young adults use a smartphone to shop fashion online
- Adapt to omnichannel retail
- Using smart speakers to shop
- Where they shop
- Over half of young people buy fashion from pureplays
- Graph 22: types of retailers shopped at for fashion, 2024
- Over half of young people buy fashion from pureplays
- Graph 23: types of retailers shopped at for fashion, 2024
- Gen Z women combine purchases from pureplays with value and mid-market retailers
- Graph 24: types of retailer shopped at for fashion, by gender and age, 2024
- Shein and Temu disrupt the market
- Graph 25: usage of select brands in the last 12 months, by generations, 2024
- SHEIN is expanding its international market power
- Uniqlo expands trend-led brand GU
- Urban Outfitters taps into vintage experiences
- Premiumisation
- Use tiered schemes to reward brand loyalty
- The young increasingly buy pre-loved pieces direct from marketplaces
- Graph 26: marketplaces/peer-to-peer sites shopped with in the last 12 months, 2023
- Spending priorities
- Young consumers more likely than average to spend on fashion and beauty
- Graph 27: spending on fashion and beauty categories in a typical month, 2024
- While young consumers prioritise clothes, they also spend on skincare and haircare
- Graph 28: spending on fashion and beauty categories in a typical month, 2024
- Superdrug engages audiences through gaming; Debenhams provides personalised beauty experiences
- Boots opens a new beauty store
- Footwear is a big area of spending
- Liverpool ONE pilots AI-generated customer service assistant
- Fashion preferences when choosing a retailer
- While price is important, so are trends and sustainability
- Graph 29: fashion preferences when choosing a retailer, 2024
- Affordability is more critical to women
- Young women also place high priority on fashion trends
- The Get Ready With Me trend
- Young women more interested in sustainable materials than men
- Graph 30: factors important when purchasing fashion items, 2024
- But there is a big gap between intention and behaviour
- Graph 31: attitudes towards sustainability compared with actual behaviours, by generations, 2024
- Appealing to young people by making shopping sustainably more fun
- Demand for more diverse models
- The body positive movement still has room for improvement
- Young drive push for more gender-neutral fashion
- Price is less important for young men
- Boss releases Hugo Blue to target Gen Z
- Sources of fashion inspiration
- Peers and influencers are the main sources of inspiration
- Graph 32: sources of fashion inspiration, 2024
- Using influencers to drive direct sales
- Young men look to their friends for inspiration
- BoohooMan teams up with US rapper; ASOS channels Netflix series vibes for fashion inspiration
- Fashion shopping behaviours
- The young are driven to buy new items for special occasions
- Graph 33: fashion shopping behaviours, by Gen Z, Younger Millennials and all, 2024
- Special occasions drive purchases
- Using online gaming to target Gen Zs
- adidas gaming collaboration
- Growing interest in rentals or swapping could drive change among the young
- Changing young mindsets towards more durable fashion
- Camper designs easily repairable footwear
- The young buy items with resale in mind
- Influencers share resale tips on social media
- Young men buy direct from social media
- More control over social media ads could drive usage
- Half of Younger Millennials use AI for style recommendations
- AI can help with sizing
- Attitudes towards fashion
- The young see fashion as a form of expression
- Graph 34: agreement with attitudes to fashion, by Gen Zs, Younger Millennials and all, 2024
- Allow customers to curate their own fashion style to express themselves
- Zalando launches ‘invite-only’ shopping experience
- Empower individuality and self-expression through marketing campaigns
- e.l.f. champions individuality through ‘express your e.l.f.’ campaign
- Young men see luxury fashion items as status symbols
- Graph 35: agreement that luxury fashion items are status symbols, by gender and age group, 2024
- The young are open to the use of AI for convenience
- Graph 36: agreement with attitudes to fashion, by gender and age, 2024
- Simplify and expedite fashion shopping experiences for young adults…
- …and facilitate effortless price comparison
- Amazon launches ‘Rufus’, the AI-powered conversational shopping assistant
- Bring fashion inspiration directly to young fashion shoppers
- Primark adds self-service checkouts
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Infegy Atlas – coverage
- Consumer research methodology
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