According to Piper Jaffray Companies’ 35th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens survey, Nike dominated teen spending among brands but saw some eroding mindshare. Adidas climbed further, hitting a new peak in mindshare.
Overall, Nike continued to dominate, ranking as the top clothing brand with teens, at 23 percent and by far the top footwear brand, at 42 percent.
The remaining top-five clothing brands were American Eagle, 10 percent; Adidas, 6 percent; Forever 21, 5 percent and Urban Outfitters, also 5 percent. The remaining top-five footwear brands were Vans, 16 percent; Adidas, 14 p percent; Converse 4 percent and DSW, 3 Percent.
The survey, featuring input from approximately 6,000 teens at an average age of 16.4 years, also found streetwear seeing the largest incremental gains, led by Vans (No. 1 footwear brand) and Supreme (No. 7 apparel brand) and a 1990s revival underway with Champion and Tommy Hilfiger.
Overall, Piper analysts said the “athletic cycle” remains “above historic average” while the streetwear cycle “accelerates.”
Among other brands, Ralph Lauren moved out of top-10 brand lists for males, formerly a top-10 brand since 2002.
“Our spring survey has shown an uptick in teen spending, which we believe mirrors the economic expansion we are experiencing broadly. Within a teen’s wallet, food is the top priority, but video games (for males) and beauty (for females) are gaining share,” said Erinn Murphy, Piper Jaffray senior research analyst. “We are seeing strong signs of a brand cycle led by 1990s and streetwear styles with adidas, Vans, Supreme and Tommy Hilfiger as the most notable positive brand movers.”
Other findings in the report:
- Overall teen spending up 6 percent from fall and up 2 percent from a year ago.
- Food reaccelerates as teens’ No. 1 spending category, returning to its 24 percent peak.
- Male spending on video games reaches a new peak at 13 percent, closing in on fashion.
- Beauty spending hit a new high for females at $368 per year led by skincare, up 18 percent year-over-year.
- Department stores and legacy channels continue to shed share as online hits new highs.
Photo courtesy Adidas