Younger generations are more interested than other Canadians in sustainable shopping, with both new and second-hand options making it a consideration across different income levels.
That’s according to recently released data from the Summer 2023 edition of Vividata’s Study of the Canadian Consumer.
Although Gen Z has lower average personal incomes than other generations, Vividata found that 44% of Gen Z Canadians are willing to pay more for sustainable clothing. In addition, 45% say they like to shop in thrift stores and buy second-hand items, with 38% saying that thrifting and second-hand shopping is part of their look and style. These preferences decrease with each older generation.
While Gen Z is more interested in sustainable purchase options because they feel it is right for the planet, economic and social elements are also factors that make it attractive across income levels. Vividata found that for those with lower incomes, buying second-hand is a way to save money, in addition to shopping sustainably. But for Gen Zs with higher personal incomes, thrifting is done for style purposes, which they do in addition to spending more on new, sustainable fashion.
Media habits factor in to these trends, as Gen Z is a tech-savvy, mobile-first and trend-forward digital generation. Vividata found that Gen Z is 35% more likely to stream trending content, while 32% say they carefully consider product recommendations by influencers (compared to 23% of all Canadian adults).
Among Gen Z respondents who consider themselves sustainable shoppers, 66% are frequent Instagram users and 41% are frequent TikTok users, which Vividata points out are hotbeds for influencers specializing in topics such as fashion, food and sustainability can be found. For brands looking for the best place to reach sustainability minded Gen Zers, the demo is also more likely than other adults to use X/Twitter (47%), Reddit (41%) and SnapChat (21%). Snapchat, in particular, garners over 10% more in monthly reach among sustainable Gen Z shoppers compared to other Canadians adults.
