Teen spending rises; Nike; Chick-Fil-A remain brand favorites
Teens are continuing to spend on clothes, food, beauty and more, according to a new survey.
Teen “self-reported” spending was up 6% year-over-year this spring, reaching $2,388 annually., according to investment bank Piper Sandler Companies’ latest Taking Stock With Teens survey. Spending was up 1% from the fall survey.
Footwear
Nike remains the top brand in all footwear but continues to see mindshare erosion (49% share this spring vs. 60% on average in 2022-2023). The decline was most notable among females, where share dipped to under 40%, first time since 2020. Male share also declined but is more stable at 57%.
As to the brands gaining in footwear? UGG moved up the most (two spots with 4-points in share gains year over year), followed by On Running (two spots with 1-point in share gains year over year).
Clothing
Nike also continues to reign as the top clothing brand for teens alongside Hollister (No. 2) and American Eagle (No.3.)
UGG has become the number one fashion trend among upper income females, dethroning lululemon who has held the top spot since spring 2018. Amazon remains the number one shopping website for upper income teens.
Among upper income females, UGG has become the No. 1 fashion trend, dethroning Lululemon who has held the top spot since spring 2018. Amazon remains the number one shopping website for upper income teens.
[READ MORE: Morningstar: Nike, Lululemon among firms with ‘very high’ exposure to new tariffs]
Beauty
The core beauty wallet reached the highest level ever in the most recent survey at $374 (up 10% year-over-year). All categories except for haircare (flat) grew year-over-year, while fragrance grew the fastest, with a 22% increase in year-over-year spend.
Sephora holds its spot as the top beauty shopping destination, followed by Ulta No. 2 and & Body Works at No. 3. This is the first time Bath & Body Works has ranked in the top 10 since 2018.
Meanwhile, E.l.f. maintained its position as the No. 1 cosmetics brand, dropping three points of share year-over-year, but flat sequentially at 35% of female teens who buy their products.
Restaurants and Fast Food
Chick-fil-A holds strong in its No. 1 spot as the preferred chain restaurant among teens. McDonald’s and Chipotle Mexican Grill rank number two and three.
Technology and Social Media
Instagram remains the most used social media app with 87% monthly usage among teens. TikTok ranks No. 2 at 79% and Snapchat No.3 at 72%.
Additional highlights from the survey include:
•Among gig economy names, the most dominant providers are Uber in ridesharing (76%) and DoorDash in food delivery (73%).
•The percent of parents who shop exclusively at Walmart increased from fall 2024 across all income cohorts, while the percent of parents who shop exclusively at Target decreased across all income cohorts.
•Of the households that have groceries delivered, Walmart maintained status as the No. 1 most popular provider (19% of households vs. 18% in fall 2024). Within upper income, Walmart was again the No. 3 most popular grocery delivery service.
•Stanley Cups placed as the No. 2 ‘fashion trend on its way out’ among upper-income females for the second consecutive Teen Survey.
Piper Sandler surveyed over 6,450 U.S. teenagers for its 49th semi-annual teen survey.
