Generation Z may be the first to have grown up with cellphones and laptops, but a study seems to indicate that doesn’t mean they’ll do their holiday shopping online.
The report from NPD Group suggests the young generation is less likely than millennials and Generation X to shop online. NPD Group based its findings on online surveys of more than 3,400 consumers in September.
One NPD spokesperson says this is in part due to the younger generation’s lack of credit cards and funds, as well as how they see shopping as a form of entertainment.
Marshal Cohen points to the mall as a social spot.
"College students are coming home, and now they have the opportunity to shop with either family or friends,” Cohen said. “The mall isn’t just about shopping."
The oldest Gen Z-ers are 18 to 22 years old, and are starting to earn and spend their own money. Although they plan to spend the least of all generations, one-third of them plan to spend more this year than last. About one-third of them also plan to start shopping on Black Friday — the highest of all the generations.
The preference of these young shoppers to head to physical shops is good news for brick-and-mortar stores, which have been struggling recently due to price competition and e-commerce investments.
