Reaching Gen-Z: How legacy Retailers are Adapting
Legacy retailers are finding success by strategically refocusing their efforts to connect with Gen-Z consumers, often leveraging insights gained from entering new markets. Garage, for example, specifically targeted a 24-year-old female consumer, a decision that ”really helped us pivot the brand,” according to Mary Ann Vitale, the retailer’s vice president of merchandising for both the US and Canada.Vitale noted that despite market differences, ”the essence of Gen-Z is very [much] the same,” and expanding into the US provided a valuable “new lens and outlook.”
The success in the US market, centered around this 24-year-old demographic, then facilitated a repositioning of the brand in Canada and ultimately led to an aging up of the target consumer.
Prosperous re-envisioning for Gen-Z involves a balance between engaging online content and tangible in-person experiences.Garage partnered with 25-year-old influencer Hallie Batchelder to create a loungewear collection, “Perky Plum.” Batchelder’s age aligns with Garage’s target demographic, and her New York City-focused content is considered aspirational for the brand’s audience. Vitale highlighted the partnership’s success due to Batchelder’s relaxed style and “unapologetic” content, which resonated with garage’s brand identity.The collaboration is promoted both in Garage stores and across digital channels, offering customers multiple engagement points, including glimpses into Batchelder’s life, such as her appearance at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by Nylon Magazine.
Brands are also creating in-person experiences tailored to specific Gen-Z needs. Urban Outfitters began its back-to-school initiatives in May with a college move-out day scavenger hunt in New York and Los Angeles. Branded trucks stocked with dorm supplies were hidden, and 25 winners were outfitted at Urban stores and received tickets to a Katseye concert.
Pacsun similarly focused on shareable experiences at events like the Governors Ball music festival, offering a photo booth and a makeup station in partnership with Rare Beauty. The retailer also organized an influencer trip to Jackson Hole centered around its back-to-school denim campaign, generating 33 million impressions and $1.9 million in earned media value.
To deepen understanding of Gen-Z preferences, retailers are incorporating direct consumer feedback. Urban Outfitters utilizes a focus group of approximately 10,000 Gen-Z shoppers, conducting several monthly surveys. Pacsun launched the “Pacsun Collective” last year,selecting emerging talents from its audience to contribute to the creative process,including designing capsule collections through the pac Artist Network and contributing to styling,photography,and modeling for spring campaigns.
Adapting to this generation also requires a willingness to experiment with new strategies, such as AI-enabled merchandising and TikTok shop, and to quickly adjust course if those strategies prove ineffective. As stated by cox, “Test as much as you can, learn and move. Don’t wait for a sure bet.”
