Millennials, we are constantly reminded, have a more intimate relationship with their cellphones and laptops than they do with their fellow human beings. And as a generation, they have been blamed for the apparent demise of the music, publishing and magazine industries—and now fashion isn’t far behind.
But it seems millennials may have been maligned too soon. Studies show that as a generation they want more from services—and that extends to fashion—but they are happy to pay for them.
“Millennials have much higher expectations from brands and retailers than older generations, but they are willing to pay,” says Rhiannon Thomas, a senior consultant at AT Kearney in London. “They expect instant gratification—so faster delivery and more rapid availability of on-trend products. ASOS, Boohoo and Zara are all addressing these higher expectations with a large range of rapid delivery options (ASOS and Boohoo) and faster time to market of on-trend clothing (Zara).”
Related Stories
E-commerce has shaken up the fashion industry, forcing brands to rethink their approach to brick and mortar stores and to traditional advertising. However, tempting as it is to blame this upheaval entirely on people born after 1982, it seems British millennials aren’t as wedded to online shopping as we first thought.
Analytics firm Adoreboard, in partnership with OnePulse, surveyed 10,000 18-34-year-olds in the U.K. and found that 49 percent preferred to shop for clothes in physical stores, compared to 39 percent who liked shopping through websites, and a further 11 percent who would rather use apps. These figures are not noticeably divergent from those of older peer groups.
Far more marked was millennials’ response to sustainability and sizing. In the same survey, respondents were asked a series of questions that allowed analysts from Queen’s University to calculate what emotional score each brand was receiving and why.
Interestingly, sizing was one of the most emotive topics, with millennial-friendly brands like H&M and Topshop scoring very low on the emotional ranking because of their slim-fit clothing that rarely catered to women above a U.K. size 14 (U.S. 12).
Over the last year, these brands have faced a backlash in print and on social media. In March, shopper Rebecca Parker wrote an open letter to H&M on Facebook alongside a picture of her U.K. size 12/14 frame inside a pair of the brand’s size 14 jeans, which she couldn’t pull up beyond her knees. Hundreds of women responded saying they’d had the same problem in the store.
H&M appears to have listened to customer feedback and has issued a press release saying it would be making its womenswear sizes bigger—although so far there has been no real change on the shop floor.
Topshop’s decision earlier this year to introduce half sizes for women between U.K. size 4 to 16 was also widely criticized. Blogger and plus-size model Callie Thorpe sparked a Twitter debate when she wrote, “Brands are wild. They will go as far to make ‘half sizes’ to cater to people that can already find clothes in their size across the entire high street. BUT won’t make plus size clothes above a 16.”
The high street’s refusal to make clothes for women who are a size 16 or larger (the U.K. national average) is a decision based on image rather than financial gains. The British plus size market was estimated to be worth 6.6 billion pounds ($8.6 billion) last year and, according to PwC, will grow at 6 percent a year for the next four years.
Looming equally large for the younger generation were ethics and sustainability, with 61 percent of respondents noting both as the most important factors in deciding where they shop for clothes. However, figures don’t actually tally up with this, with no sales data in the U.K. proving that brands with strong sustainability credentials outperform those without.
Commentators have implied that this is a case of millennials saying they care about sustainable fashion but continuing to shop based on convenience, price and design. But the reality is more nuanced than that. There is currently a lack of truly sustainable clothing on the market and no clear marketing around ethical fashion—a gap that urgently needs to be filled.
“Millennials expect personalized products and services—so a larger and more tailored product range and that includes ethical fashion,” Thomas said. “They also expect a service and experience beyond the product—so in clothing, the advice and guidance to achieve certain looks. ASOS’ online navigation, which guides the shopper to achieve a given look has been particularly successful.”
This links to shifts in advertising. Eighty-five percent of millennials said they were influenced by social media, with Instagram being the most popular influencer channel. Meanwhile, 61 percent distrusted traditional brand advertising.
“Ultimately, [millennials] are looking for a humanized, individualized, ethical experience—even if it is found on the other end of a screen,” Thomas said. “And only some U.K. brands are delivering it.”
