Trend in style: 4 tips for fashion brands to better understand and connect with adult Gen Z shoppers

Raised on the internet and social media, Gen Z (ages 18–25) is made up of digital natives whose daily lives are deeply intertwined with technology. This group doesn’t just view brands simply as an addition to their closets. Rather, adult Gen Z increasingly backs their beliefs with their shopping habits, favoring brands that are aligned with their values and avoiding those that don’t.¹ According to an Edelman study, 84% of adult Gen Z buys and advocates based on their values.² This suggests that a majority of this audience views their purchases—including their fashion choices—as extensions of their personal values, and are motivated to make purchase decisions based on their beliefs.

Amazon Ads has leveraged intelligence from the 2021 Kantar U.S. MONITOR study to understand the defining attitudes and values of Amazon’s adult Gen Z audience compared to all adult Gen Z audiences.³ Amazon Ads has also conducted a custom “Gen Z and Fashion” survey with Kantar to help brands understand how to better connect with U.S. adult Gen Z fashion shoppers. The responses showed that these shoppers have a desire for variety, exhibit an indifference toward brand names, and actively consume digital media. Here are four takeaways for brands to provide a better experience for adult Gen Z fashion shoppers.

According to the Kantar U.S. MONITOR study, adult Gen Z consumers actively shop on Amazon: 85% of adult Gen Zers who participated in the study responded that they’ve shopped with Amazon in the past four weeks.⁴ What’s more is that 60% of adult Gen Z audiences responded that they visit the Amazon store at least weekly, and 65% said they plan to spend more time shopping in the Amazon store in the future.⁵ This generation has purchased recently, consistently, and plan to buy with Amazon in the future—suggesting that Amazon can be an effective channel for brands looking to engage with this digitally immersed group.

In line with their exploratory spirit, adult Gen Z fashion audiences prefer to curate their own sense of style across different brands: 61% of respondents said they like to mix and match items from different brands, while 24% said they are open to receiving recommendations to mix and match items. The adult Gen Z fashion audience is less likely to purchase head-to-toe outfits from the same brand (only 15% say they do).⁷ If brands want to keep up with this generation’s tastes, it may be helpful to pursue ways to complement their diverse closets, rather than strive to be the only brand in their closets.

According to our study, the majority of adult Gen Z audiences don’t necessarily prioritize brand names when shopping for fashion: Less than half (48%) of adult Gen Z shoppers responded that they like to buy from big, well-established brands.⁸ As a result, brands do not necessarily need to rely on their brand names to close the sale with adult Gen Z fashion audiences. That’s good news for everyone—advertisers have an opportunity help drive discovery based on other characteristics like product quality, company values and story, and more.

Although it’s a no-brainer that adult Gen Z is digital-first, it’s important to recognize how exactly they’re spending their free time. Among adult Gen Z’s top 10 leisure activities, watching movies and TV at home ranked No. 1.⁹ Beyond keeping up to date with the latest episodes of their favorite series, adult Gen Z fashion shoppers are also highly engaged with Twitch: 62% of adult Gen Z fashion shoppers responded that they engage with Twitch weekly.¹⁰ Twitch is where the buzz is, and adult Gen Z fashion audiences are happily there to watch the latest livestreams from their favorite creators.

Want to turn these adult Gen Z fashion insights into action? Contact us or learn more about fashion marketing with Amazon Ads.