Teens’ favorite apparel brand is…

Athletic brands rule when it comes to teen preferences for apparel and footwear.



That’s according to Piper Jaffrey’s 33rd semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens research survey which details teen spending trends and brand preferences. Nike ranked as the top brand with teens, with a 31% share, up from 21% last year. Another athletic brand, Adidas, however, is the fastest growing brand in the survey across footwear & apparel.



The survey finds that overall teen spending decreased 2.4% year-over-year. Food is the most important category in a teen’s wallet, accounting for 24% of spend compared to 19% for clothing. The percentage of teens who plan to digitally download console video games is also on the rise.



“While the overall spending environment has been challenging, we are seeing teen spending continue to shift more toward experiences — eating out, video games and leisure,” said Erinn Murphy, Piper Jaffray senior research analyst. “Share of fashion spending has moderated but we continue to see undisputed strength in athletic — Nike remains the No. 1 preferred brand and Adidas was the fastest-growing brand in our survey.”



In other findings:



• Teens’ favorite website is Amazon at 43% share — up 200 basis points year-over-year.



• Starbucks is the only public brand to maintain double-digit share across teenagers of all income groups. It tied with Chick-fil-A at 12% preference.



• Fashion brands losing relevance with teens include Under Armour, Michael Kors, The North Face, Ralph Lauren and Vineyard Vines.



• Snapchat and Instagram remain teens’ favorite social platforms.



• Eighty-one percent of teens expect their next phone to be an iPhone, up from 79% in fall 2016 and the highest ever seen in the survey.



The Taking Stock With Teens survey is a semi-annual research project comprised of gathering input from approximately 5,500 teens with an average age of 16.0 years. Teen spending patterns, fashion trends, and brand and media preferences were assessed through surveying a geographically diverse subset of high schools across the U.S.