What: Gen Z is currently the generation most interested in shopping, but they’re careful about how they spend their money, according to an exclusive survey of 1,300 Vogue and GQ readers ranging from 18 to 65-year-old in the US.

Why it is important: Gen Z seeks out in-store experiences, relevance and newness while shopping. This cohort is engaged with their brands while searching for newness and eager to discover new trends that keep them fashion-forward.

Gen Z is willing to shop across channels, have an appetite for higher-quality items and are eager to stay on top of cultural trends. At the same time, they have some frugal tendencies: 70% of Gen Z said they are monitoring their spending more closely as a result of the pandemic.

Gen Z is a truly omnichannel generation. They are 56% more likely to have shopped for fashion in-store over the last three months and 38% more likely to have shopped online in the same timeframe.

Nike Live stores, digitally fuelled with in-person sports experiences that mirror online preferences of specific neighbourhoods, answer the call. In terms of engagement, Nike reports that these are some of the highest performing doors in Nike's fleet, with 150-200 new destinations set to open globally.

One in five of all respondents have used buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) solutions since the start of the pandemic to buy more expensive, higher-quality products, including 22% of Gen Z respondents.

Gen Z’s frequency of shopping for new items is being disrupted by secondhand, a market that Gen Z respondents are 27% more likely to shop. Gen Z is also trying to balance a desire for reasonable prices with an interest in high-quality products, which is true across both fashion and beauty. BNPL solutions are helping to convert sales. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 123% more Gen Zs have used BNPL than before. In April 2021.

The product most commonly bought throughout the pandemic using BNPL has been shoes. Sneakers are the item that they report willingness to invest in the most. The study confirms that sales of shoes and sneakers saw a 59% uplift from August 2020 to April 2021.

Gen Z shopping trends uncovered