A contrarian view on the future of malls
Think young shoppers want to buy everything online? New research from Teen Vogue suggests otherwise.
Teen Vogue asked its millennial readers about their holiday shopping habits and findings related to all manner behaviors throw cold water on the notion that malls are dead or dying.
"The big headline over Black Friday weekend was about record e-commerce sales," said Teen Vogue Vice President and Publisher Jason Wagenheim. "But for the millennial shopper, especially the 16- to 26-year-old segment, the mall remains the most important part of the overall omnichannel shopping story. While she's definitely shopping more online and through mobile than in years prior, the brick-and-mortar experience still greatly matters."
The survey showed holiday shopping is a ritual that these young women cherish. While the millennial girl still leverages the efficiency of the Internet for research and price-shopping, during the holidays this consumer gravitates to the mall first to research and shop. Respondents cited the unique experiences malls offer: decorations, music and the chance to bond with friends and family as key reasons.
The survey also showed:
About 65% of respondents do the majority of their holiday shopping in-store.
About 78% of respondents shopped during the extended weekend after Thanksgiving, primarily to take advantage of deals (82%). The majority of those shoppers went in-store on Black Friday.
Respondents who said they'd rather go to a mall than online to shop during the holiday season (75%) said they want to see the products they are thinking about buying in person.
Virtually every respondent (98%) said she will buy gifts for others, and 77% said they sometimes or always "go shopping to buy someone else a gift and end up buying something for myself."
Through browsing online (87%), reading magazines (65%), and walking through the mall (61%), respondents have created their own holiday wish lists: clothing 67%, shoes 54%, makeup 53%, accessories 46%, tech 45%.
Teen Vogue has a circulation of more than 1 million, and reaches an audience of 12 million more via teenvogue.com, 11 social media platforms, a video channel, and retail shopping events.