Gen Z Think Tank: Back-To-School
Gen Z reflects on this season’s back-to-school trends, wishlist must-haves, and what brands can do to keep our attention through the semester.
Adolescent gets our info straight from the source. Our community of Youthtellers spans the globe, and our research scales finite moments into larger demographic behavior. Regular think tanks, surveys, and polls tell us what Gen Z cares about; we’ll then distill down what that means for you from an actionable perspective. After all, the best way to stay in the conversation of current culture is to engage the people making it.
TL;DR
A fun-sized summary of this article
Back-to-school ads this year? They’re not really doing it for us.
Even classic back-to-school brands need to bring something new to the table.
Fast fashion is falling out of favor; Gen Z wants a style that can last both the trend and wash cycle.
Classic never loses its cool - but stagnating styles have stagnating sales.
Gen Z reflects on: A ‘meh’ back-to-school season
The wish-list season is back; not Christmas, thank god, but back-to-school.
As the yellow buses roll in, so does the mad rush to fill backpacks and dorm rooms. There is no shortage of back-to-school content to scroll through on social, whether your inspo of choice is GRWM’s or haul videos. But this year, brands are struggling to make an impact with Gen Z, who remain firmly unimpressed with the season’s marketing efforts.
The hard truth: a generic 30-second spot does nothing for us in a world in which sponcon is literally catered to our interests and purchase habits. Traditional campaigns feel stale and uninspired in comparison, and we’ll ignore them in favor of more compelling content catered to our feeds. The algorithm may be guilty of many evils, but it knows how we like to shop. 2024 back-to-school just did not hit the mark.
Insight:
It is crucial to note that Gen Z is still very much confronting a new normal within academia. Quarantine has had a lasting ripple effect on their development and socialization, and the every-day presents new challenges shaped by the heavy influence of social media and cell phone use in young people. Not only does this change the way we shop for school - it changes the way we learn.
Christina: [In reference to back-to-school campaigns] I've seen the Target ads, but overall none really stand out that are memorable enough to remember what happens in them once I would scroll past.
Gen Z reflects on: Quality vs cool factor
Just like anyone else, Gen Z wants good products at good prices; but that ratio to quality, style, and affordability can vary. Our purchases are trend-driven (especially given that we have a huge part in creating said trends) but conscientious of the flighty whims of the popularity. Fast fashion is unavoidably convenient - but when it comes to essentials that will be in heavy rotation? Heavy side-eye. We may not have the most capital to invest in high quality products, but that doesn’t mean we’re cool with buying items that disintegrate 2 months into the semester.
Insight:
Fast fashion, with its low price point and massive, trend-driven catalogs, is an accessible option for students who balance a desire to be in-style with a need to stay in-budget. However, for many, these items have not been able to stand the test of time - or survive the school year.
Ari: For me personally, I'll first look at the style and what I think is trendy. And then definitely the price and the quality. If it's just not good quality, I'm probably not going to buy it - no matter how much I love the design. It also has to be within a reasonable price.
Gen: Last year, I bought a backpack, and it was like 20-something dollars plus shipping. And then two months into the school year it breaks! So for school supplies, the biggest factor for me is quality and price.
Christina: Well, I think that a lot of clothes have had an increase in their price. So, personally, I don't mind spending a little more money on a basic or a high-quality piece of clothing that I know will last and that I can wear regularly.
Gen Z reflects on: Brands on their wishlist
Our craving for uniqueness doesn’t just influence what we wear - it also shapes our expectations, even for timeless back-to-school staples. Undeniably, there is a lucrative space in the market for products with a heritage of quality, but classic brands need to push the envelope to excite us. We’re not necessarily asking you to reinvent the wheel -but maybe give it some new rims.
Insight:
Classic brands like Nike, Jansport, and Adidas are still titans of back-to-school; but Gen Z, a generation that thrives on doing things differently, wants to see new things from old brands.
Christina: Everyone you see in L.A. has Jansport backpacks. But clothing-wise, I think that everyone has a different style. The brands range; I feel like a lot of people don't really dress the same… but on TikTok, Adidas shoes are being hyped up right now. So many people I know are starting to switch from Nike and Jordans to Adidas.
Gen: So this year, I was going to just get some Nike Dunks, right? But I started seeing TikToks about Nike New Balances, and I wanted to check it out… For me, it was the design. You see all the same Nike shoes every day when you go to school. But these came in so many different colors.
Moe: I just usually try to get something unique. I don't want to get the same stuff other people have. I like to mix it up. I might wear jeans and shorts, Jordans, Converses or Adidas - or like Birkenstocks, Nike, Spyder.
Gen Z reflects on: How can brands win future back-to-school seasons
To grab Gen Z's attention for the upcoming back-to-school season, brands need to refresh their strategy (and inventory). We’re not interested in the same styles or overpriced imitations of what's already popular. Gen Z wants variety and affordability, underscoring a significant market behavior: we seek out diverse options that accommodate individuality and expect brands to prioritize creativity without sacrificing accessibility. However, brands still need to carefully navigate that fine line between innovation and opportunism.
Insight:
Gen Z values authenticity and can quickly clock when brands try too hard to capitalize on trends without staying true to themselves. Find that sweet spot where pop culture is integrated seamlessly into your brand’s genuine identity - or else become the trend cycle’s newest victim.
Gen: I know what brands shouldn't do… You know how something becomes really popular and everybody's talking about it? Brands have people working to see how they can market to people, but I feel like they just shouldn’t get in on trends sometimes. When everybody's doing different stuff, and then a brand posts something for a trend, it rubs me the wrong way.
Christina: I think that when brands switch up their products and what they're doing, it creates more noise around the brand. When you just have the same thing going on for so long, people get bored of it. But when you're coming out with new colors and styles, it's more interesting.
Ari: Sometimes I dress very tomboyish and then the next day I'll dress very girly. So I think having options are very important, along with affordability.
Gen Z’s Back to School Wishlist: Footwear Edition
Adam: Off-white dunks. Ari: All white Nike Air Force 1’s.
Moe: Either the Commodores Garcons, Converse, or Jordan 4s Lightnings.
Christina: Something Adidas - the Sambas or Gazelles.