Gen Z won’t kill brick-and-mortar, new surveys say

I’ve heard a lot of Gen-Z’s say that they like to go into the stores to shop, but not to buy. So they try clothes on and check out how it looks on them, but they actually buy online where it’s cheaper. That’s not going to help local retail stores. 

I wish the survey had distinguished between shopping and buying. That’s the rub. 

If millennials are killing brick-and-mortar stores, then their successors might save it, according to new surveys that say some young shoppers actually like to shop in person.

A survey from analytics firm Profitect Inc. said about 42 percent of shoppers age 18-22 (the post-millennial age group) prefer to shop in-store versus online. And 34 percent of respondents said they like both equally, while only 23 percent said they preferred online.

Surveys like this are a relief to brick-and-mortar retailers such as Macy’s and Gap Inc., which have been closing stores in recent years as online sales grow.

It also follows a survey released last week from the National Retail Federation, which said 98 percent of Gen Z shoppers prefer to make purchases in a store versus online.

However, the Profitect survey said younger shoppers demand that a retailer’s website has an accurate count of what’s in stock at a particular store and that bad customer service can turn away those customers.

“They are killing the idea that online and offline are separate,” a statement from NRF director of retail and consumer insights Katherine Cullen said. “They’re really intertwining the digital and physical worlds and balancing digital experience with what they expect in the physical environment.”

Gen Z won’t kill brick-and-mortar, new surveys say

If millennials are killing brick-and-mortar stores, then their successors might save it, according to new surveys that say some young shoppers actually like to shop in person. A survey from analytics firm Profitect Inc. said about 42 percent of shoppers age 18-22 (the post-millennial age group) prefer to shop in-store versus online.

Right-Mind