Dive Brief:
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E-commerce’s surge this holiday season is grabbing headlines, but research from Teen Vogue still finds that younger female consumers, ages 16 to 26-years old, appreciate the mall and physical stores.
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A good majority — 65% — of those surveyed say they have done or will do most of their holiday shopping in store while 35% say they have or will shop online. Nearly 80% (78%) shopped on Thanksgiving weekend, mainly for the sales, and most went to physical stores on Black Friday.
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The reasons young women gave for preferring the mall were: “I like to see the products I'm thinking about buying in person” (75%); “I like to hang out with my friends” (44%); and “It's a great place for me to bond with my mom” (37%).
Dive Insight:
The way Teen Vogue publisher Jason Wagenheim puts it, while they do shop online and mobile for both research and buying purposes, young (female) shoppers value physical stores, and especially the social atmosphere of the mall.
“While she's definitely shopping more online and through mobile than in years prior, the brick-and-mortar experience still greatly matters,” Wagenheim said in a statement.