Brands have run into a rather serious problem in recent years. The generational change has been marked by a change that has gone beyond the date of birth. Millennials have entered the market as consumers and as decision makers and companies have, we could say, panicked. Members of Generation Y have completely different interests, concerns, and values ​​than previous generations, and their spending habits are completely different. Brands have to learn a new language and have to adjust to needs and requests that are quite separate from what consumers have been looking for up to now. For example, for the millennial generation, the car and the house are no longer a sign of status.

But now that brands are beginning to understand millennials, companies must face an imminent new generational shift. Generation Z, who follow the millennials, is also about to enter the consumer market and, to the despair of brands, they are not exactly following the path of their older brothers. The Z have different interests and see life in a completely different way. Where millennials are idealistic, members of Generation Z are much more pragmatic, for example.

This reality of imminent change has led many brands to try to understand what these teenagers are like. What exactly are they interested in and what exactly do they want to consume? A recent study by the analysis firm Piper Jaffray has studied how adolescents are consuming and has created a robot portrait with what interests them.

Teenagers are foodies

What do teens spend their money on? Well, according to the data from the study, something quite surprising: the highest percentage of their spending goes to buy food (23%). Starbucks is their favorite destination for food spend, which makes it clear what the Zs want to be like and what they look for in the places they eat (and explains why traditional fast food chains are having so much trouble: if they Add that on the list of favorite places to eat are also Chipotle, Olive Garden or Panera, chains that play with the concept of healthy food, you can take an even more complete picture). After eating, adolescents spend money on clothing (20% of their spending), accessories (10), video games (8), electronics (another 8%) or shoes (7).

In total, and according to the study data (based on figures from the US market), adolescents spend about 75,000 million dollars. The economic downturn, however, has not left them unscathed: today's teens have learned something teens of other times didn't always know and have become very budget conscious.

Teenagers' favorite brands are sports brands

Retail chains have been facing serious problems in maintaining their market share. Millennials don't want to buy their clothes in these stores (because it clearly doesn't fit their spirit of independence) but it also doesn't fit their style. Now, the trend is athleisure, or wearing sportswear as everyday clothing.

The next generation will not make it much easier for those responsible for these firms: they also prefer sports. In fact, and according to the study, what is known as activewear (that is, sportswear that allows movement) is already much more popular among these buyers than that of the denim segment (that is, all those brands of jeans that marked traditional adolescent consumption).

@jessieannjames oh wow!! I will try to make them this weekend! I don't know how to prepare an artichoke, so maybe a frozen one w/ spinach!

— Jill Hanner Wed Feb 29 18:51:38 +0000 2012

The favorite brand of teenagers, whatever the economic margin they come from, is Nike. When you zoom in on the favorite brands of adolescents in a specific way, things do not change. The ones that grow the most in positive response are Lululemon and Nike. Lululemon is the maker of yoga pants, which have made the leap into everyday wear. The fashion trends that have the most penetration among adolescents are those known as athletic-leisure, leggings and jogging pants. The only non-sports trend that is followed the most is preppy, which is the one that consists of dressing in an American private school style (or, and it is the clearest example that mass television has left in recent years , as Blair Waldorf, the protagonist of Gossip Girl).

This favoritism for sports brands is also paralleled by a lack of interest in the brands that until now were managing to be the ones that used to lead these lists of preferred brands. Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch or Hollister are the ones that top the lists of brands that lose traction.

They buy on Amazon

Teenagers are already a sample of the growing power that electronic commerce will have. They, according to data from Piper Jaffray, now prefer to buy online rather than in a physical store. Even so, these consumers continue to give importance to the tangible. The Z continue to prefer those ecommerce brands that also have physical locations.

However, their favorite destination for shopping is an ecommerce space that is only in the field of electronics. For 36% of adolescents, Amazon is the favorite place to shop, well above other ecommerce spaces and also above retail firms with physical spaces. The second place in the list of the 10 main destinations for shopping gets, in fact, 8% (and it's Nike).

Instagram is her favorite social network (and not followed by Facebook)

One of the constants when talking about adolescents is to analyze how their consumption habits have changed when it comes to social networks. Facebook has lost weight and is no longer a cool social network: the entry of older generations has caused the social network to change and has scared away teenagers.

According to data from Piper Jaffray, Facebook is already only the most important social network for 14% of adolescents, which puts it in third position in the ranking (and what are bad numbers: two years ago, it managed to 33% of adolescents chose it). Facebook is also threatened by Snapchat to maintain its position: the app gets a 13% response rate and despite the fact that it has just entered the ranking, it is already fourth.

So, what is the favorite network for teenagers? The big winner is Instagram, which is the most important social network for 32% of respondents. It is followed by Twitter, with 24%.