I consider myself the unusual millennial. Last week, I read the article, “Millennials’ Behavior Is Good, Bad and Ugly for Retail” by Steve Wellen and couldn’t help but realize how my own shopping habits were so different than what he reported in the article.
While some of what he reported is very true, I am so unlike the rest of my generation. Wellen mentions the good part about us millennials is that with our shopping habits is that we simply can’t stop. Any free moment we have to look at our phones, that is exactly what we are doing. We are shopping.
I spend a great deal of time in the evenings on my laptop looking at stuff I would potentially like to buy, more recently than ever since I moved into my own place. I am constantly on Amazon, HomeGoods, West Elm, Bed Bath and Beyond’s websites. If I don’t find what I am looking for online, I will go to the stores.
I personally don’t prefer to shop on my phone, I find that most sites on a smartphone are so much harder to deal with. The smaller screen is just not friendly.
I will admit, I don’t shop online too much. I look at prices online, I check various websites to see what is out there, and if there is a bricks-and-mortar store location near my home, I will just go to the store.
If I happen to be browsing in a store first, I will then find myself checking Amazon or the store’s website to see if there is a price difference and then buy it there.
Wellen mentions in his article, that 95% or more millennials want their brands to court them, send them coupons for regular deals. That is definitely not me.
When it comes to brand trust and loyalty, I am unlike most millennials today. Please don’t bombard my email with coupons and promotions. I am more likely to delete your email if the brand is coming to me on a daily basis and ignore it altogether.
It’s not to say I don’t like a good deal, because I totally do. But to get them constantly when I have no intention of shopping is just too much. And the worst part of it is, when I get to the store or on the site, I forget I had the promotion or coupon, so what use is that anyway?
You will see my loyalty to the brands and products I love. For example, I am a Coach fan, I have loved their handbags for years, they don’t need to court me, they don’t need to send me promotions. Once a season, Coach will do sales, but they mainly do a certain percentage off for frequent customers.
When I am looking for a handbag have extra cash to burn, I know where to turn. Sometimes it is a matter of just wanting a specific brand. For example, Longchamp, another handbag brand I love. I love them and will return to them when I want another bag.
Another brand I am loyal to because of their product is the makeup brand, Bare Minerals. I am loyal to them because they are a good product, while a good promotion or sale is great, it’s not why I used them. And when I get their products I go into a physical location, usually my local shopping mall over ordering it online.
I could go on and on with this list of my favorite brands what makes me a loyal customer, but we might be here all day.
I recently read that Macy’s found success during its first quarter of 2014 with its millennial generation. Especially when it comes to handbags and impulse apparel. And they continue to see positive momentum for juniors and younger millennial customers.
So I have to ask, would I be the millennial that saves the shopping malls?