Nike remains the No. 1 brand for teens in apparel (31 percent) and footwear (60 percent ), according to Piper Sandler’s 44th Semi-Annual Generation Z survey. Lululemon, Converse, Crocs, and Hey Dude also gained traction.

The survey of 14,500 U.S. teens found that within the apparel category, athletic continues its dominance, with Nike remaining strong and Lululemon hitting new highs. Vans fell out of the Top 10 favorite apparel brands. The athletic apparel trend may have peaked with 44 percent of upper-income teens preferring apparel brands that are “athletic,” flat to its Spring 2022 survey.

In the footwear category, Nike remains on top, and Converse gained share at the expense of Adidas and Vans. Crocs and Hey Dude both moved up in the rankings, but Dr. Martens continued to weaken.

Piper Sandler’s Fall survey points to solid teen spending, up 3 percent Y/Y. Females lead spending growth (clothing plus 10 percent, footwear plus 7 percent).

Among other categories, beauty (cosmetics, skincare, fragrance) grew 20 percent Y/Y, led by cosmetics (+28 percent). Makeup continues its upward trend with e.l.f. the dominant brand at No. 1 for average and upper-income female consumers. 

Fragrance also proved resilient, with category spending at +21 percent Y/Y. Minus two-thirds of female teens said fragrance usage daily (Bath & Body Works is a strong leader).

In fashion, Coach remained the top handbag brand, with its lead versus the number two brand Michael Kors expanding since its Spring 2022 survey. 

Fashion continues to shift, with leggings remaining strong, but interest in jeans and baggy/saggy pants continues to weaken. 

Food remained the top spend category for males, and apparel remained top for females, with a 30 percent wallet share among upper-income females hitting the highest levels since 2012. 

Favorite teen restaurants remained Chick-fil-A and Starbucks.

“GenZ is known to be a conscious generation, and teens this fall cited the environment as their top concern. Fifty-three percent of consumers consider their carbon footprint when making purchasing decisions. 

The Russia/Ukraine war was the top concern in Spring 2022 but did not make it into the Top 10 for Fall 2022. Abortion advanced to the No. 2 concern, followed by Racial Equality, Inflation and Gas Prices.

“TikTok widened its lead versus Snapchat as the favorite teen app, with Instagram remaining in third; however, Instagram continues to lead in monthly usage. On average, teens spend 4.4 hours on social media. 

Amazon remains the top online shopping site, but Shein further solidified its No. 2 position,” said Edward Yruma, senior research analyst.

Fall 2022 Key Survey Findings:

  • 39 percent of teens hold a part-time job—steady with last spring, and up from 38 percent in fall 2021;
  • Females led the spending increase, with all females spending +10 percent Y/Y led by clothing +10 percent and footwear +7 percent;
  • Teens allocate 7 percent of their shopping time to secondhand; 47 percent have purchased and 58 percent have sold secondhand;
  • Shopping channel shifts reflected more discount channel shopping (13 percent, +480 bps Y/Y), and less off-price (8 percent, -350 bps Y/Y);
  • Core beauty wallet (cosmetics, skincare, fragrance) stood at $264/year, up 20 percent Y/Y and led by cosmetics (+28 percent Y/Y);
  • Everyday makeup wearers are now at 41 percent (versus 33 percent last year), including 50 percent of upper-income teens wearing makeup every day;
  • Weekly VR device usage increased to 14 percent versus 17 percent last spring. Twenty-six percent of teens own a VR device, in-line with spring;
  • Video games are 12 percent of teen wallet share versus 14 percent last year. Thirty percent expect to purchase a NextGen console within two years;
  • Crocs increased from the No. 6 preferred footwear brand to No. 5, while Hey Dude is ranked No. 7, up from No. 9 last spring;
  • Converse gained 200 bps of mindshare, maintaining the No. 2 ranking, and Under Armour dropped out of the Top 10;
  • e.l.f. maintained its position as the No. 1 cosmetics brand, gaining 500 bps of share Y/Y to 16 percent of female teens;
  • Ulta remained the No. 1 preferred beauty destination at 42 percent mindshare. It also held the largest beauty loyalty membership at 62 percent of female teens with a membership;
  • Chick-Fil-A remained the No. 1 restaurant at 18 percent share (-200 bps Y/Y), followed by Starbucks at 17 percent (+600 bps Y/Y) and Chipotle at 13 percent (+300 bps Y/Y);
  • Teens plan to eat less plant-based meat, and of the 14 percent of teens that do consume plant-based meat, 23 percent plan to eat less, up from 17 percent in Fall 2021;
  • Teens reported the highest intentions to eat more or the same amount of Nature Valley (GIS) and Clif (MDLZ). Goldfish (CPB) remained teens’ most preferred snack brand;
  • Teens spend 32 percent of daily video consumption on Netflix (+200 bps versus spring) and 29 percent on YouTube (-200 bps versus spring);
  • IPhone is the No. 1 preferred method of teens for customer service interaction. Text/SMS (18 percent) had the highest multi-year gains;
  • 87 percent of teens own an iPhone, and 88 percent expect an iPhone to be their next phone; and
  • Thirty-one percent of teens own an Apple Watch.

This year’s Fall 2022 survey was conducted from August 12 to September 23. Piper Sandler received the highest number of responses from the Southern U.S. region at 41 percent, followed by the Midwest at 32 percent, the West at 20 percent, and the Northeast at 7 percent.

Photo courtesy Nike/Converse