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| Issue date:01/06/2011 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Jun 2011 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
| by Lucia Carpio |
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| Relaxed Tees with funky graphics, checked shirts and shorts, and preppy separates in laid-back 70s California lifestyle, from Aéropostale |
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As many parents can testify, teenagers are hard to please and harder even to predict. To understand how their minds work remains an on-going quest for marketers and retailers who are targeting this ever-changing market sector.
According to UN data, there are 1.2 billion teenagers in the world today. In UNICEF's 2011 State of the World Children, 'Adolescence: An Age of Opportunity' report, which uses the term adolescence rather than teenage, it said young people aged 10 to 18 are part already of the present generation of global citizens contributing to daily life, household work, the community and the economy.
At the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference earlier this year, Coca Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, trumpeted the importance of teens market, saying the success of growing their business today "depends on our ability to grow and connect with teens, the generation of tomorrow." Coca Cola for one cannot take this group of consumers for granted, as explained by Shay Drohan, senior VP-sparkling brands who said in every six years there's a new population of teens in the world.
Such is the importance of the teenage consumer that understanding the future generation of adults has become the sole purpose of many organizations. According to a recent survey by the Teenage Research Unlimited Inc (TRU) which looked at teen attitudes, values, lifestyles, consumer behaviors and trends - from the Americas to the Middle-East, from Europe to Asia - teens today just want to have it all, branding them "The AND Generation," reflecting global teens are uncompromising when it comes to what they want.
Getting the product mix right
For specialized retailers and brands, if you can get the product mix right and offer what the teenagers want, you can reap success.
The US teen clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch based in Columbus, Ohio, whose collegiate peppy style has driven worldwide sales and strong performance on the stock market this year in anticipation of successful overseas growth, prompting great expectations for retailers and brands of the teenage market.
However failure is not illusive. Anchor Blue, a teen retail chain based in Corona, California, and founded in the 1940's, closed its offices in January and subsequently all its 117 stores in the US while liquidating all inventory and filed for bankruptcy. American Apparel is another fashion chain struggling amidst reports it is considering the wholesale market in a bid to try to return to growth, while its UK stores are reportedly doing well.
International expansion seems the key for growth for many retailers. For one, fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 is expanding into the UK market with a target of more than 100 stores to take on stalwarts New Look and H&M which have a stronghold on the British teenage market. The New York-based teen retailer Aeropostale Inc has plans to open stores in Asia through a licensing deal with Montreal PTE Ltd, a joint venture between Apparel Group LLC and the Singapore-based Jay Gee Melwani Group which represents international lifestyle and apparel brands. In the pipeline are some 25 stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia over the next five years.
Johnnie B markets teenage fashion through its seasonal catalogues |
Unpredictable teens create uncertainty
Unpredictable teens have also led to a series of management shake-ups in a number of US teen retailers. Companies such as the American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale, Hot Topic Inc. and the Wet Seal Inc. have all seen changes in the chief-executive level in recent months. Indicating a direct correlation between CEO movement and performance, analysts believe many retailers are struggling with merchandising or design. "Clearly, there's a lack of differentiation within the sector. There's not a dominant enough trend in the teen sector ... Gone are the days of relying on basics and "heavily logoed" T-shirts and hoodies," said Susquehanna specialty retail analyst Thomas Filandro in WWD.
Finding ways to engage with the teenager is important for survival. A survey from Keller Fay Group, a marketing research company, found that teens engage in far more word-of-mouth marketing than the general public. Experian Simmons National Teen Study last September also reported that teenage consumers love to share their knowledge with others and spend time on the computer and the internet which has changed the way they shop for products.
This is where social media plays such a pivotal role in the teenage life. In a new report by Shoppercentric, an independent agency specializing in shopper research, over a third of 16-24 year olds studied admitted to following brands on social media. The biggest reason for shoppers to follow a brand on social media was to feel part of a group, whilst 43% thought it was because everyone else was, and unsurprisingly Facebook was the most popular form of social media.
Teenage girls in breezy tees, flirty skirts and shorts, and guys in funky graphics and retro fonts hit the beach in colour-blocked board ensembles from Aéropostale |
"Teenhood" as a social place
Experts including marketing professionals, creative developers, media and entertainment executives gather each year at the "What Teens Want" summit to share new developments in teen-specific marketing and communications.
One of the key marketers, Marian Salzman, President, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, a global trend-spotter and a bona fine expert on the subject of teens and their habits, said "teenhood" is now a social place. "It's almost as if the core definition of a teenager can no longer be negotiated by age but, rather, by the kind of actions and activities in his or her life," said Salzman. "Teenagers are agents of change, agents of communication and agents of innovation. Under our own noses, they have been transformed into something wholly new."
Teenage girls have seen to be particularly important set of consumers that warrant special attention. After careful analysis of the findings from a study commissioned by Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, Salzman recently also founded The Sisterhood, a website specifically for communicating with teenage girls.
WGSN, an international leader for online fashion trend-analysis and research, recently set up a new service specializing in the juniors market in the US, again targeting the young women market.
"Juniors is a very important addition to WGSN," said Sally Lohan, WGSN's Head of Content US. "This new directory is dedicated exclusively to the dynamic, high-energy, fashion-conscious 14-21 year old female segment. We aim to inspire and inform by identifying the latest and most influential products and trends in this exciting and ever-changing market, season after season, tracking the shopping and buying habits of this highly-critical consumer group, mapping their ever-changing attitudes, priorities and cultural obsessions."
UK multi-channel fashion retailer Bodenwhich has been selling women's, men's and children's wear since 1991, launched a new range called Johnnie B targeting the teen market some 18 months ago, and recently started a new range particularly for teen girls within the brand. Johnnie B (named after the business's founder Johnnie Boden) is sold mainly online and via the Boden catalogue.
According to WGSN's own research, the junior customer is inspired by vintage and vintage-eque looks right now. "Mixing up different eras and styles is important and makes for a feeling of individuality and unique-ness," said Lohan, adding that key trends they are tapping into include Boho, Eclectic Vintage and Glamorous Grunge. "This market sector likes to change their style daily and dress how they feel on any particular day. They are not tied to a fashion tribe or look, but mix references and styling details however they choose to create fashion hybrids that are new and exciting for them."
The teen consumers spend a lot of their disposable income on clothes and fashion items, but they are still looking for value. "A key theme we're seeing is the success of value-add items, so pieces that are multi-functional or offer an add-on accessory or detail that can be paired with other items in the customers' existing wardrobe," said Lohan.
Celebrity effect
Celebrities also play a key role in influencing teens and juniors. According to TRU, influence for teenagers also comes from movies such as the "Twilight" series, television show "Glee" and music acts such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Lohan of WGSN said key celebrities influencing the Junior girl right now include the Olsen twins, Kate Moss, Blake Lively, Rachel Bilson and the Kardashians.
Emphasizing the strong links of social media to the pop culture phenomenon, many celebrities are hopping on the band-wagon of trading in cyber-space, balancing business savvy with stardom and design talent.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian had signed on as the celebrity co-founder of ShoeDazzle.com, a shoe-of-the-month club created by Brian Lee, co-founder of LegalZoom.com, while Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (child stars-turned-entrepreneurs often referred to as the Olsen twins) have built a portfolio of fashion brands, and recently launched a digital fashion venture called StyleMint.com in partnership with BeachMint Inc, a California-based company headed by Josh Berman, one of the original founders of MySpace.
American pop star Avril Lavigne has also been tapping into the teen market by setting up her own juniors line under the label Ashley Down, offering the rock-inspired fashion on the Web shipping to 50 countries including Japan, China Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy and the UK, and selling in boutiques worldwide.
Teen heartthrob Justin Bieberwhose personal image is marked by wearing dog tag pendants on a chain, recently launched his own fragrance range featuring dog tags infused with fragrances sold at Etoilenation.com so his fans can scent themselves for a piece of pop-star magic.
Not to miss a beat, Madonna has launched a new clothing line called Material Girl with her own 14-year-old daughter, Lourdes, geared towards teenage girls, the label draws inspiration from Lourdes' own sense of style and was debuted at 20 Macy's department store, and is now selling in 90 Hudson's Bay Co. stores in Canada.
While appealing and tapping into the teen market requires continual research and understanding, keeping their business and interest in the current economic environment continues to be tricky business. In the UK, a recent study by the financial arm of Marks & Spencer - M&S Money - found that teens (14-18 year-olds) rely on parental subsidies or pocket money for their spending on necessities such as clothes, mobile phones, or transport. So if the parents are tightening their own spending, it will certainly impact on teenage spending.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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