Millennials represent a huge, demanding, and challenging consumer segment for marketers. With that in mind, let’s ask: What retail brands are doing best among Millennials?
Recently, Moosylvania — a company involved with branding, digital, and experiential (“Digital connectivity has changed the way we interact with one another – people no longer want to consume marketing, they want to participate in brands.”) asked more than 1,5000 Millennials to select their favorite brands. It then ranked the top 100 brands. The findings are interesting and some rankings may be surprising!!
In describing the 12 retailers among the 25 brands in the 2016 Moosylvania study, Mallory Schlossberg and Kate Taylor report the following for Business Insider. [Note: In their article, all 100 companies are described.]:
2. Target — “owns the intersection of style and affordability. It has been giving its kids’ clothing business a makeover to be more stylish. The company also sells gender-neutral room decor and stopped labeling its toys by gender.”
7. Walmart — “gave its workers a raise and has pledged to adopt more humane standards for the meat it sells. It also opened smaller format stores that resonate with Millennials more than supercenters. Its “Neighborhood Market” stores could rival those of Whole Foods, and its app helps consumers find savings throughout the store.”
8. Amazon — “offers one-hour delivery for members of its Prime service and expanded its grocery delivery business to New York City. The company also announced a new gadget called the Dash Button, which will make it easier for consumers to order household items, such as detergent, when they are running low.”
10. Victoria’s Secret — “is the undisputed leader of the lingerie market, controlling 61.8% of the market. The company’s marketing strategy, which includes its famous Angels, certainly helps.”
12. Starbucks — “has been expanding its menu to include more food options such as sandwiches and salads — and even wine at some locations. It has also added drive-thrus to many locations.”
13. Express — “rewards shoppers by not just using their store credit cards, but by getting involved with Express in other ways, too — like retweeting and signing up for text message alerts. For every 2,500 points, shoppers earn $10. This helps Express ensure customer loyalty.”
16. American Eagle — “has managed to avoid the fate of many competitors by not falling victim to the low sale prices utilized by many fast-fashion stalwarts. Most crucially, American Eagle has won the heart of Millennial females with Aerie, its lingerie subset, which proudly boasts Photoshop-free ads.”
20. Old Navy — “has delivered quirky spots starring Amy Schumer. The retailer understands how to market content to the Internet generation, though sales have been slipping lately.”
21. Kroger’s — “loyalty cards track what shoppers buy — so that Kroger’s shoppers don’t just receive random rewards, but rather, rewards that cater to their specific shopping needs. Kroger has been taking many steps to advance its in-store (and delivery) technology.”
22. Chick-fil-A — has a cult following, no doubt. Its zealots show their devotion every year when they have the opportunity to dress like cows to win free food. Chick-fil-A remains a favorite destination for Millennials because the food is fresh and good.”
23. GameStop — “sales have been falling, but it’s been shifting its strategies so that it can win with this demographic. Adage reported earlier this year that the company has been changing up its PowerUp Rewards program to work with how many consumers get their video games by streaming.”
24. Kohl’s — “rewards program ensures customer loyalty without needing a store credit card. In fact, customers can earn points by doing the simplest activity such as pinning images on Pinterest. Kohl’s lower prices can also lure Millennials.”
Retailing: From A to Z 