Teens Rule
December 07, 2010
The Center for Media Research tells me that teens "have deep pockets." The daily news report I receive showcased the teen market recently and here is some of what it said...[be patient...link takes some time to download]
In their deep pockets, 49% of teens plan on spending over $150 on gifts for other people, this season. Who's on their gift list? Parents, siblings, friends and "lovers"... boyfriends or girlfriends, of course. Hmmm, don't see pets. I bet they're spending on their pets.
Where do teens get their gift-giving advice? From friends and family members. I suspect the "friends" have a bit more influence. Teens also look up reviews online. But, they don't buy online. They're still mall walkers, of a sort.
For their wish lists, here are some things they say they are interested in: (in order of importance, in case you don't already know this)
- Electronics
- Entertainment
- Accessories (not sure what that means - jewelery for girls, watches for boys?)
- Apparel ... and footwear or health and beauty items.
Interestingly, to me, anyway, these are the retail stores teens either shop in or expect to get gifts from (I think that's what this category means):
- GameStop
- WalMart
- BestBuy
- Target
- HotTopic
- JC Penny's
- Macy's
- Aeropostale
- Apple
- Hollister
I am clueless about Hot Topic and Hollister but they're easily found online at the links here. Gamestop is self-explanatory but I admit I've never heard of it before.
Clearly, our teens and even tweens, are influencing our spending. Maybe more so than ever before. Adults expect teens to know more about electronics, and we expect them to be savvy about gifts. It's not 1980 anymore. You can't just buy a sweatshirt or a pair of jeans and maybe a boom box, to make your kids happy.
But then, we parents aren't happy with pot holders and mixing bowls or ties and keychains, either.
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