Piper completes 38th Semi-Annual Generation Z Survey

Piper Jaffray Companies, a leading investment bank and institutional securities firm, completed its 38th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens® survey, which highlights discretionary spending trends and brand preferences from 9,500 teens across 42 U.S. states with an average age of 15.8 years.

Generation Z, which contributes approximately $830 billion to U.S. retail sales annually*, represents an influential consumer group where wallet size and allocation provide a proxy for category interest.

Fall 2019 Key Findings

Spending & Shopping Behavior

Food continues to be male teens’ No. 1 spending category (23%), clothing is female teens’ No. 1 wallet share (27%)
Amazon holds majority of online shopping mindshare at 52% —13x higher than the No. 2 ranking, Nike
91% of female teens preferred shopping for beauty in-store vs. online —consistent with
historic trend
89% of female teens use online influencers as a source of discovery for beauty brands and trends —Kylie Jenner ranks No. 2 “top influencer” and is the only beauty influencer in the top 10 this Fall
Female teens indicated they spend an average of $90/year on handbags — a new survey low and compares to peak spending of $197/year (Spring 2006)

Brand Preferences

Preppy brands such as Sperry, Ralph Lauren and Vineyard Vines continue to cede share to athletic brands —36% of preferred apparel brands are “athletic,” up from 34% last Fall
Chick-fil-A remains No. 1 restaurant for 4 surveys; Starbucks retains double-digit share
lululemon hits all-time survey high (No. 7 preferred athletic apparel brand vs. No. 11 in Fall 2018)
Ulta maintains No. 1 preferred beauty destination against Sephora for second survey in a row
Teens spend 37% of their daily video consumption on YouTube, ahead of Netflix at 35%
European luxury brands account for 30% of mindshare among preferred handbag brands (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel)
iPhone ownership remains at 83%, 86% of teens expect an iPhone to be their next phone