This is a fascinating and complex group of consumers. They have substantial spending power and retailers that hit the right mark with teenage shoppers can benefit significantly. This report examines where their money comes from, and what teenagers spend it on. It also looks at where they shop and their attitudes towards shopping, examining the key factors that motivate teenage shoppers.


Table of contents:
Introduction and Abbreviations

• Definition
• Research methodology

Abbreviations
Executive Summary

• Cooling economy may depress teenage income
• Shifting age bias favours teenage spend
• Women wait longer to have first baby
• Growth in one-parent families
• Children becoming consumers younger
• Plenty to spend
• Going out to work
• But students saddled with debt
• Typical income levels of 11-14s
• Income of older teens boosted by jobs
• Windfalls can exceed £400 a year for 15-19s
• Wide range of demands on 11-14s purse
• Some 11-14s are major destination shoppers
• Varied and more sophisticated consumerism for 15-19s
• Massive shift in shopping habits across teenage years
• Big differences in shopping activity for girls and boys
• Clothes shops are most popular destination
• Teenagers use a wide range of secondary shops
• Local shops and ability to get to the shops makes a difference
• Teenage girls have strong opinions about clothes
• Tastes in clothes change over the teen years
• Girls slaves to fashion, but unhappy about the way they look
• Sports shops benefit from enthusiasm for sports styling
• Older teens displaying more sophisticated tastes in sports goods
• Parents retain greater involvement in teenage grooming
• Teenagers make the most of their looks
• Declining interest in reading books with age
• Stationery is popular, especially for girls
• Magazines have greater girl appeal
• Boys show more interest in playing and buying electronic games
• Boys have better hi-fis but girls are enthusiastic buyers of pre-recorded music
• The need to talk
• Internet access is mainly via computers
• Price barrier for Internet
• New Look number one for the girls
• Sports shops tops for boys
• Cradle to grave for the catalogue shops?
• Teenagers shopping for other goods
• Shopping is a pleasure
• Friends need to be able to select different things
• Teenagers are impulse buyers
• Fast fashion inspires more visits
• Friendly shop assistants
• The future

Market Factors

• The economy
• Figure 1: PDI and consumer expenditure, 1998-2007
• Population changes
• Figure 2: Population of the UK, by age and gender, 1998-2007
• Changing social structure
• Figure 3: Percentage of dependent children living in different types of family units, 1981-2001
• The student population
• Figure 4: UK students in Further and Higher Education, by type of course and sex, 1990/91- 2001/02
• The child as consumer

Where Does the Money Come From?

• Major sources of money and amount for 11-14s
• Figure 5: Where 11-14s get their regular spending money from, by age, socio-economic group,
• region and number in household, 2002
• Figure 6: How much money 11-14s get a week, by age, socio-economic group, region and number in household, 2002
• Figure 7: How much money 11-14s get a year, by age, socio-economic group, region and number in household, 2002
• Source of additional money received by 11-14s
• Figure 8: Where 11-14s get additional money from, by age, socio-economic group, region, number in household, 2002
• Major sources of money and amount for 15-19s
• Figure 9: Where 15-19s get their spending money from, by age, socio-economic group, region and number in household, 2002
• Figure 10: How much money 15-19s get a month, by age, socio-economic group, region and number in household, 2002
• Source of other money received by 15-19s
• Figure 11: Where 15-19s get other money from, by age, socio-economic group, region and number in household, 2002
• Figure 12: How much other money 15-19s get in total, by age, socio-economic group, region and number in household, 2002

Where Does the Money Go?

• Weekly spending by 11-14s on key products
• Figure 13: Weekly spending of 11-14s, by product category, 2002
• Weekly spending by 15-19s on key products
• Figure 14: Weekly spending of 15-19s, by product category, 2002

Shopping Destinations

• Who they usually go shopping with
• Figure 15: Who 11-19s usually go shopping with when spending their own money, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Types of shop visited
• Figure 16: Types of shop 11-19s go to most often and other shops used, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Where teenagers go shopping when spending own money
• Figure 17: Where 11-19s go shopping most often when spending their own money, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Figure 18: Other shops where 11-19s go shopping when spending their own money, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Shops used for clothing, footwear and accessories
• Figure 19: Shops used to buy clothing, footwear or accessories in the last six months, summary, May-03
• Shops used for other items
• Figure 20: Summary of shops used to buy items other than clothing, footwear and accessories, May 2003

Attitudes Towards Shops and Shopping

• Figure 21: Summary of attitudes towards shops and shopping, May 2003
• Shopping is a leisurely pastime
• Shops should accommodate groups of friends
• Boys tend to have something specific in mind
• Younger girls like to see new things
• Figure 22: Top five attitudes towards shopping, by demographic sub-group, May 2003
• Testing and trying attracts the girls
• Girls favour covered malls
• Girls are enthusiastic shoppers
• Figure 23: Next four attitudes towards shopping, by demographic sub-group, May 2003
• Playing the right music
• Girls made to feel uncomfortable by assistants
• Teenagers are liberal with their cash
• Younger consumers more likely to identify with their friends
• Figure 24: Other attitudes towards shopping, by demographic sub-group, May 2003
• Teenage shopping clusters
• Figure 25: Teenage shopper types, by demographic sub-group, May 2003
• Where the shopper types bought clothing, footwear and accessories
• Figure 26: Shops used for clothing, footwear and accessories, by shopper types, May 2003
• Where the shopper types bought items other than clothing, footwear and accessories
• Figure 27: Shops used for items other than clothing, footwear and accessories, by shopper types, May-03

Teenage Fashion

• Shopping for clothes
• Figure 28: Shopping for new clothes, girls, by age, 2002
• Figure 29: Shopping for new clothes, boys, by age, 2002
• Clothes bought in the last year
• Figure 30: Clothes bought new in the last year, by age and gender, 2002
• Attitudes towards clothes and fashion
• Figure 31: Attitudes towards clothes and fashion, by demographic sub-group, 2002 (part one)
• Figure 32: Attitudes towards clothes and fashion, by demographic sub-group, Autumn 2002 (part two)
• Shops used for clothing, footwear and accessories by demographics
• Figure 33: Shops used to buy clothing, footwear and accessories in the last six months, Top Shop/
• Top Man, New Look, Next, Gap, Etam/Tammy, by demographic sub-group, May 2003
• Figure 34: Shops used to buy clothing, footwear and accessories in the last six months, River
• Island, other clothing specialist clothing shops, variety stores, value/discount stores, department stores, by demographic sub-group, May 2003
• Figure 35: Shops used to buy clothing, footwear and accessories in the last six months,
• accessories shops, catalogue shops, shoe shops, sports shops, supermarkets, by demographic
• sub-group, May 2003

Sports Clothing and Equipment

• Ownership of sports clothing and equipment
• Figure 36: Sports clothing and equipment owned, by age and gender, 2002
• Sports clothing and equipment bought new in the last year
• Figure 37: Sports clothing and equipment bought in the last year, by age and gender, 2002
• Sports shoes
• Figure 38: Sports shoes worn, by age and gender, 2002
• Trainers
• Figure 39: Trainers, do you wear, number of new pairs, cost and who decided, by gender, 2002
• Attitudes towards sport
• Figure 40: Attitudes towards sport, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Use of sports shops by demographics
• Figure 41: Use of sports shops to buy clothes and other items in the last six months, sports/outdoor shops, by demographic sub-group, May 2003

Teenage Grooming

• Dental products
• Figure 42: Teenage grooming - dental products, by age and gender, 2002
• Haircare products
• Figure 43: Teenage grooming - haircare products, by age and gender, 2002
• Deodorants, suncare, shower gels and medicated skin washes
• Figure 44: Teenage grooming - deodorants, suncare, shower gels and skin products, by age and gender, 2002
• Skincare products and make-up - girls
• Figure 45: Teenage grooming - toners, cleansers, moisturisers, body lotions and creams, and make-up, girls only, by age, 2002
• Perfumes and body sprays - girls
• Figure 46: Teenage grooming - perfumes and bodysprays, girls only, by age, 2002
• Hair removal and sanitary protection - girls
• Figure 47: Teenage grooming - hair removal and sanitary protection, girls only, 2002
• Shaving, razors, aftershaves and shaving foams and gels - boys
• Figure 48: Teenage grooming - shaving, disposable razors, shaving foams/gels and after-shave/fragrance, boys only, by age, 2002
• Attitudes towards appearance
• Figure 49: Teenage grooming - attitudes towards appearance, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Use of chemists and health and beauty stores by demographics
• Figure 50: Shops used to buy items other than clothing, footwear and accessories, Boots,
• Superdrug and other chemists, by demographic sub-group, May 2003

Books, Stationery and Magazines

• Books
• Figure 51: Reading and purchasing of books in the last 12 months, by age and gender, 2002
• Stationery
• Figure 52: Purchasing of stationery, by age and gender, 2002
• Magazines
• Figure 53: Purchasing of magazines and comics, by age and gender, 2002
• Attitudes towards magazines and newspapers
• Figure 54: Attitudes towards magazines and newspapers, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Use of retailers of stationery, greetings cards, books and magazines by demographics
• Figure 55: Shops used to buy items other than clothing, footwear and accessories, Woolworths,
• WH Smith, newsagent/convenience store, greetings card shops, newsagents, by demographic sub-group, May 2003

In-home Entertainment

• Electronic games
• Figure 56: Video games machines and hand-held games played and have at home, by age and gender, 2002
• Music systems
• Figure 57: Music systems, have at home, have in room and bought new in the last year, by age and gender, 2002
• Figure 58: How much say in new systems for playing music bought in the last year, by age and gender, Autumn 2002
• Recorded music
• Figure 59: Records, tapes and CDs bought in the last year, by age and sex, Autumn 2002
• Videos and DVDs
• Figure 60: Videos and DVDs bought in the last year, by age and gender, Autumn 2002
• Attitudes towards music and video games
• Figure 61: Selected attitudes towards music and video games, Autumn 2002
• Use of retailers of in-home entertainment products by demographics
• Figure 62: Shops used to buy items other than clothing, footwear and accessories, HMV, Virgin, Game/Electronics Boutique, WH Smith, Woolworths and Argos, by demographic sub-group, May-03

Mobile Phones, Computers and The Internet

• Mobile phones
• Figure 63: Mobile phone usage, by age and gender, 2002
• Computers
• Figure 64: Use of computers, by age and gender, 2002
• Internet
• Figure 65: Internet access and usage, by age and gender, 2002
• Attitudes towards computers and the Internet
• Figure 66: Attitudes towards computers and the Internet, by demographic sub-group, 2002
• Use of specialist mobile phone shops by demographics
• Figure 67: Shops used to buy items other than clothing, footwear and accessories, mobile phone specialists, by demographic sub-group, May 2003

The Future and Recommendations

• Underlying growth in number of older teens
• More goods targeted at this niche
• More spending means more demand for pocket money
• Teens will take control of spending at ever-younger ages
• Trophy shoppers
• Brand awareness will be a key to success
• Retailers must build branding and private label
• Retail environments need to be appropriate for teen needs
• Point of sale features for teenagers will improve
• Range development should create choices for friends
• Relating to teenagers means having a good staff attitude
• Refreshed and revamped ranges
• Outlook

Appendix: Research methodology
Index of reports