Retail & E-Commerce
The State of Apparel Shopping
Report summary
Younger shoppers have pulled back on apparel spending. Clothing sees extremely high price sensitivity from consumers, meaning shoppers will walk away when the price of an item is too dear. Ultra low-cost competitors are dragging down perception of what’s considered a good price.
Keeping customers loyal in the face of inflationary pressure on shoppers’ budgets is a challenge, particularly with Gen Zers who have a bias to novelty. 2000s-era mall brands have captured their attention, but Shein’s prices and trendy styles are winning out.
Based on survey interviews conducted monthly since October 2022 and Morning Consult Intelligence’s daily consumer survey, this report provides insight into how apparel shopper behaviors are changing over time.
Key Takeaways
- Gen Z and millennial apparel shoppers are pulling back due to inflation.
- Gen Z apparel shoppers aren’t loyal.
- Most prefer buying apparel in stores.
- Mall brands are making a comeback, but Shein’s threat is clear for young shoppers.
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Methodology
The research in this report is drawn from multiple sources:
- Consumer retail behaviors featured throughout are from monthly surveys conducted between October 2022 to December 2024, among roughly 2,200 U.S. adults per month, with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
- Consumer spending data featured on page 4 draws from a survey conducted monthly, among a representative sample of 2,200 U.S. adults. Data is collected during the first week of each month, with all questions pertaining to the previous month.
- Influencer data on page 6 draws from a survey conducted September 26-October 2, 2024 among 2,205 U.S. adults who use social media, and an additional survey fielded October 3-8, 2024 among 1,002 Gen Zers ages 13-27 who use social media.
- Loyalty drivers data on page 7 draws from a survey conducted May 23-27, 2023, among a representative sample of 457 Gen Z adults. The drivers were determined using a dual-model regression-based method, which quantifies the importance of a series of predictor variables in predicting an outcome variable.
- Brand and audience data comes from Morning Consult Intelligence. The platform helps you understand your audience, brand, competitors and market in a way traditional helps you understand your brand, competitors and market in a way traditional research companies can’t. Learn more here.
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