Investment bank Roth Capital Partners has released the company’s 2018-2019 Millennial Survey, its seventh annual proprietary survey examining current trends, spending patterns and favorite brands across five consumer categories including dining and restaurants; healthy food, beverage and snacking; fitness and wellness; infant, juvenile and pet; and, fashion, personal care and décor.

The survey, conducted in partnership with MFour Mobile Research, features 181 questions and was completed by 2,500 Millennial-aged women and men.

Key findings from the Roth Millennial Survey include:

  • Millennials are benefitting from low unemployment and 77 percent think the economy will be the same or better next year
  • More than half have decreased their social media usage over the last year, mainly due to a perception that it is unhealthy
  • Only 26 percent of Millennials are not okay sharing personal information for a more tailored experience and the vast majority are happy with recommendations from Amazon, Netflix and Spotify
  • Two-thirds of Millennials prefer to research significant purchases online, but 57 percent still prefer to transact in-store
  • 27 percent of Millennials are comfortable purchasing groceries online (up from 22 percent in our prior survey)
  • Millennials significantly favor Amazon over other online apparel sites and 62 percent of Millennials are Amazon Prime members
  • More than one-third of Millennials have an Amazon Echo, Google Home, or similar product and 24 percent of those use them to regularly make purchases
  • 15 percent of Millennials have used virtual reality (“VR”) to evaluate furniture purchases, while 16 percent have used “virtual mirrors” to try on makeup or clothing
  • Clif, Kind and Nature Valley are the favorite protein bars for Millennials
  • More than half of Millennials belong to traditional fitness clubs like Planet Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym, while 28 percent attend classes at boutiques like CrossFit, YogaWorks, SoulCycle and Orangetheory
  • Climbing, hiking, yoga and cycling are among the most popular fitness activities for Millennials, while Black Diamond, Mammut and Arc’Teryx are the leading climbing apparel brands
  • Nike, Adidas and Vans are the leading fashion footwear brands among Millennials while Gucci is the favorite luxury brand
  • 34 percent of Millennials are more likely to purchase Nike products after the company’s Colin Kaepernick ad campaign, while 15 percent are less likely

“Millennials value authenticity, transparency and the ability to access their favorite brands seamlessly across multiple channels. The most disruptive consumer brands offer this and are increasingly being sought after by large corporate acquirers who often lack this expertise,” said Paul Zaffaroni, Managing Director and Head of Consumer Investment Banking at Roth.

“The digital disruption that began in media and reached apparel is now impacting all consumer categories and shows no signs of abating,” said David M. King, CFA, Managing Director, Senior Research Analyst at Roth. “Investors are embracing brands and marketplaces that are driving this disruption and reaching Millennials & Gen Z through personalization, internet distribution models and purpose-driven ideologies.”