Traditional mall retailers like Gap, J. Crew, and Abercrombie & Fitch have faced declining sales in recent years.
And the problem might be signaling something even more troublesome than dowdy apparel. Instead, it is a total shift in how teen consumers think.
Young people want to purchase experiences rather than actual stuff, and when they do buy clothing or shoes they want to be able to showcase purchases on social media.
“Their entire life, if it’s not shareable, it didn’t happen,” Marcie Merriman, Generation Z expert and executive director of growth strategy and retail innovation at Ernst & Young, said to Business of Fashion. “Experiences define them much more than the products that they buy.”
The only apparel young people want is clothing that can translate into an experience on Instagram or Snapchat.
Given their limited budgets and frugal tendencies, they’re more likely to purchase lots of clothes at fast fashion retailers, like cutting-edge Zara or cheap Forever 21, so that they have ample images to share.
Read more at Instagram and Pinterest are killing Gap, Abercrombie, & J. Crew
Don’t hesitate to express your opinions related to this topic. Subscribe us to get more interesting articles in your inbox.
