SANTA MONICA, Calif., Apr 14, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With "tweens" comprising a significant market for retailers, the latest Shopping in America survey provides a sneak peek into what will be youth's shopping bags this spring. The shopper intercept survey, conducted for The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC) by August Partners among youth aged 10-to-14 years, shows that almost two-thirds (64.8 percent) of tweens surveyed will invest in a new wardrobe this season. Tweens plan to spend an average of $337.62 on spring clothing and accessories, with boys spending $370.06 and girls at $323.75.
A SENSE OF STYLE
Tweens have strong opinions on personal style, according to the survey. Overall, the skater/punk look was ranked as the most popular tween style for spring (selected by about 22 percent), followed by preppy (18 percent). The skater/punk was even more popular among boys alone (34 percent), followed by sporty/athletic (16 percent). Girls went with "preppy" (20 percent) and "beachy" (15 percent).
Favorite Style All Tweens Male Female
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Skater/Punk 21.5% 33.7% 14.3%
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Preppy 17.7% 13.2% 20.4%
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Sporty/Athletic 15.7% 18.5% 14.1%
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Beachy 14.7% 9.1% 18.0%
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Urban 4.6% 4.5% 4.6%
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Dressy 4.3% 2.1% 5.6%
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Gothic 4.1% 4.9% 3.6%
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Vintage 3.4% 2.1% 4.1%
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Other 4.1% 3.3% 4.6%
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No Specific Style 9.9% 8.6% 10.7%
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"When it comes to choosing brand vs. style, most tweens (53 percent) say style is more important than brand (27 percent), although by a slightly lesser margin compared to a survey of shoppers of all ages, at 65 percent and 21 percent respectively (with other shoppers offering no opinion on the issue)," said Garry Butcher, vice president of marketing and research for The Macerich Company.
SPRING FASHION
"Graphic T's and sport jerseys remain apparent must-haves for tweens this spring," added Butcher. "This may be a relief to some parents who may worry about the more revealing styles for the warmer months."
Girls ranked graphic T-shirts (25 percent,) pleated skirts (17 percent) and capri pants (17 percent) as the top fashion trends. Ballet shoes, chunky bracelets, sneakers and bucket hats ranked last. Boys picked sport jerseys (28 percent), skater shoes (21 percent) and graphic T-shirts (19 percent). Skull caps, fitted polo shirts and canvas belts were least popular among male tweens.
Girls Fashion Trends Responses Boys Fashion Trends Responses
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Graphic T-Shirts 25.2% Sport Jerseys 28.3%
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Pleated Skirts 16.9% Skater Shoes 20.9%
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Capris 16.7% Graphic T-Shirts 18.9%
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Embroidered Jeans 16.5% Trucker Caps 12.3%
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Shrunken/Fitted Jackets 8.5% Distressed Jeans 10.2%
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Ballet Shoes 4.6% Layered Cotton Shirts 3.7%
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Chunky Bracelets 4.1% Skull/Sock Caps 2.0%
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Sneakers 1.9% Fitted Polo Shirts 1.2%
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Bucket/Crusher Hats 1.2% Canvas Belt 0.4%
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None of the above 4.4% None of the above 2.0%
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SPENDING MONEY
More than a third (36 percent) of tween shoppers get their spending money directly from mom or dad (non-allowance), as compared to the 29 percent of tweens who get an allowance. Other sources of spending money for tweens include working (8 percent), allowance plus working (16 percent) and other sources (6 percent). Only 5 percent of tweens said they did not have spending money. On average, tweens receive $12.06 for their weekly allowance.
FASHION SOURCE
Friends (37 percent), the mall (16 percent) and magazines (14 percent) are the top sources for fashion information, according to the tweens surveyed. Movies and the Internet ranked the lowest among the choices provided -- a somewhat surprising response, said Butcher, as most surveyed (60 percent) report having their own computer.
Fashion Source All Tweens Male Female
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Friends 36.6% 41.8% 33.5%
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Mall 16.3% 11.9% 18.9%
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Magazines 13.7% 7.8% 17.2%
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TV 6.4% 8.2% 5.3%
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Parents 5.5% 6.6% 4.9%
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Brother/Sister 4.6% 4.1% 4.9%
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Movies 2.0% 2.5% 1.7%
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Internet 1.5% 0.8% 1.9%
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Other 3.8% 4.5% 3.4%
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Not Sure 9.6% 11.9% 8.3%
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TWEENS & TECHNOLOGY
Additionally, half of tweens have their own cell phones (46 percent for boys and 54 percent for girls). Three quarters of tweens have their own TV. Tween shoppers report watching an average of 10.3 hours of TV per week. Boys watch slightly more TV than girls (11 hours vs. 10 hours, respectively). This age group also spends 6 hours per week playing video games. Males spend more than twice as much time (9 hours) as do females (4 hours).
Shopping in America is a national shopper intercept survey that studies consumer shopping trends. The tween survey was conducted among approximately 666 shoppers in twelve regional shopping centers geographically spread throughout the United States. Results for the tween survey -- a sub-sample of the 2,400 responses to the Shopping in American Spring 2005 survey -- have a reliability factor of +/- 3.8 percent. Not all results are stated in this news release and some are rounded to the nearest whole number. To view complete Shopping in America results and graphics, including results of the recent adult and teen spring shopping and prom fashion surveys and Fashion Icon Report, visit http://www.shoppinginamerica.biz.
The Macerich Company is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns interests in properties totaling approximately 63 million square feet consisting primarily of interests in 64 regional malls. Additional information about The Macerich Company can be obtained from the Company's website at www.macerich.com.
SOURCE: The Macerich Company
Lovell Public Relations Tresa Hardt or Kim Craig, 972-788-4511 thardt@lovellpr.com