Nike is a favorite brand among Gen-Z, aged 13 to 20, in the US. Teens are moving away from traditional youth brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch. In the apparel sector, youth brands such as Hollister and Aeropostale have also lost ground with Gen-Z consumers in the last five years.

Reduced interest in these heavily mall-reliant retailers could well reflect a wider trend, as young consumers move away from destination retail, increasingly preferring convenience store-style spaces. Athletic shoe brands such as Reebok, Converse, Vans and Puma have also lost out among Gen Z over the last five years.

Gen Z is highly social, online and offline, with greater conversational engagement than adults in most consumer categories. Discussions about brands are behind on an average 19 per cent of consumer purchases, accounting for somewhere between seven and ten trillion dollars in annual sales.

Nike is the most talked about apparel and footwear brand, discussed by 11.2 per cent of teens, up 34 per cent since 2013. There is also a decline in discussions concerning retailers such as Nordstrom, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Kmart, Sears, and TJ Maxx. However, important as trends may be, there are plenty of brands that are succeeding despite them.