According to a new article on the Women's Wear Daily site by Vicki Young, there is a fascinating trend in retail shopping patterns by shoppers aged 18-25. Here is an excerpt from the article dated January 17th, 2012:
"Consumers between the ages of 18 and 25 would rather shop in brick-and-mortar stores for clothing and shoes, according to a study at LIM College, although 66% said they head online to do product research and price comparisons first. Additionally, while social media plays a role in brand awareness, 88% said they opt not to shop on Facebook or Twitter."
As a broker who does a lot of retail tenant rep work, it is the second sentence that is most surprising. All we hear about these days is the importance of retailers having an active role in the social media world. Pick up any Inc. Magazine or Entrepreneur Magazine and over half of the articles are devoted to helping your business have a stronger social media presence. According to this, that role may not be as important as we once thought.
This is further evidence that you'll never be able to replace the act of touching an item you wish to purchase, no matter how fancy or popular the website and/or social media presence.
What do all of you make of this? What are you seeing out there as far as other fascinating trends in retail shopping patterns?
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