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Covid might have stymied international travel for the past two years, but young shoppers have found another way to bring the world to them.
US consumers under 40 are leading the way when it comes to shopping for international brands, according to a Retail Brew/Harris Poll survey of 2,023 Americans conducted earlier this month.
- Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Zoomers and 71% of millennials surveyed bought from an international brand—not counting food and bev items, but including global names like Louis Vuitton, Shein, and Zara—in the last year.
- Those figures drop to 17% and 13% for Gen X and Boomers, respectively.
Those younger generations, in fact, are seeking brands beyond US borders with a purpose: 29% of both Gen Z and millennials said they intentionally shopped with an international brand at least once a month.
- The most popular categories across all US consumers were fast-fashion apparel (45%), electronics (41%), and personal care (41%).
Shop around: Where’s all this $$ being spent? Among those who’ve bought from an international brand in the last year: 36% did so at a department store; 36% from an online marketplace; 30% from a brand’s own website; and 25% from a brand’s own store.
- Almost a quarter (23%) of Gen Zers and 34% of millennials actually shopped on a social media platform. (We see you, TikTok.)
Made in the USA: All that said, American shoppers still want to support business at home, with 68% of respondents saying it does matter if a retailer they buy from is US-based. (Broken out by demographic, it’s important to 50% of Gen Zers; 62% of millennials; 68% of Gen X; and 80% of Boomers.)
- More consumers (37%) are willing to pay more for products made by an American company, compared to just 20% who would do so for an item from an international brand.
Zoom out: The inroads international brands have made with younger consumers should bode well for them in the future. Gen Z’s income is predicted to reach $33 trillion by the end of the decade—and overtake millennials a year later.