Retailing to teens in modern times essay

As herds of teens make their way to the malls to do their shopping, understanding what drives their brand choices and shopping patterns is more critical than ever for today’s businesses. I can remember when I was younger, my grandparents would take me to J. C.

Penney before the start of every school year to buy clothing. Then when spring came the following year, we would go again for the summer. This went on until I was about sixteen. My first employment was working as a stock boy in a fabric store.

I can still remember my first paycheck. I was so happy and overwhelmed with joy that I went straight to the check cashing place to cash it and bought myself a North Face backpack. Now in 1996 having a North Face school bag meant you were part of the cool kids in school. Everyone was envious of my bag. I was very excited to be part of the social class now. In 2009, the same status still exists. Turns out that a key factor to this new generation’s startling savvy is web-based.

The Internet allows teenagers to rely on each other for information about related topics. This, too, is an insight: When I was a teenager, for instance, there was no comparable way for me to obtain information from the roughly 2, 000 other teenagers at my high school. The Internet really does change everything.

It is true that young people have diverse interests and react differently to messages than older people do. And certainly I don’t doubt that teenagers know when they’re being marketed to. But really, at this point, is there anyone alive who can’t tell when they’re being marketed to? Teenagers don’t like to be marketed to, they know it’s happening all the time, and yet they keep on buying things that are made for and marketed to them.

That doesn’t make teenagers different from practically every American who is old enough to spend money; it makes them exactly the same. Teens today have much more of a variety of apparel retailers that are geared towards their generation. Don’t get me wrong they still shop in places like J. C. Penney and Sears, but if they had a choice they probably wouldn’t. J.

C. Penney is getting ready for the back to school through holiday sales race by creating a fresh online-marketing focal point that targets teens and their parents. The company is changing its marketing effort with conservative styles such as RS by Sheckler, a skate brand, of clothing and Arizona, a denim label. This new strategy will highlight the new style J. C.

Penney is bringing to its youth apparel. Nevertheless, it incorporates fundamentals meant to be smart to parents as well. J. C. Penney is trying to send a message that it can compete with specialty shop brands at a more competitive price. We are very well positioned for the season because of the value proposition we offer, “ spokesperson Quinton Crenshaw said.

“ We know the customers are looking for exceptional style and quality at affordable prices. With that said, we want to create a great campaign that demonstrates our great value proposition in the season. ” The flourishing merchants are the ones that associate themselves with Gen Y. They understand more about the fashionable psychology of this generation and they’re receptive in an honest and authentic way. Exclusively, these companies tend to combine more entertainment and surprise into the shopping practice, they revive their merchandise and promotions more regularly, their online and mobile existence is on-brand and full-bodied, and they listen to their customers.

There are so many ways that retailers can engage Gen Y, and that’s really the key to finding opportunities for two-way communication and participation. Social media, advisory boards, and sponsorships, for example, offer chances for Gen Y to connect and for merchants to listen. Merchants and brands that give Gen Y the prospect to join with each other through the brand, and ones that consumers can personalize with what works best. And that’s a tough change for businesses. The old way was to say how great you were and explain why people should buy. The new way is much more delicate, brands and retailers really have to serve the expressive needs of their markets and associate with them. Different generations carve out new paths, but with this generation it’s more like a five-lane highway.

Revolution is almost always accompanied by anxiety of the unfamiliar and this age group is facing huge social and relationship changes. What Gen Y has on their side though is more confidence than older generations had when they were young and optimistic. The Gen Y revolution is slowly taking over in more ways than one. Teens have more spending power and greater influence than their parents did in their day, in return gives them the empowerment to change the market dramatically.

Good luck Gen X, hope you can keep up! Work Cited