When it comes to shopping, price is the most important reason to buy. Hence, no surprise that Shein’s on top of the list. Just a short reminder: TikTok (Bytedance) and Shein are the top two Chinese stars, both with valuations of +100bn USD.
In a recent survey with my students I discovered that 80% of them shop on Shein. No wonder that in large markets, like the USA, Shein is top of mind for Gen Z (according to research company Piper Sandler). What’s not to like? Shein orders batches of 100-500 items based on search behaviour vs. 100k items per batch ordered by HM/Zara. The result? Shein adds 10k SKUs daily and their website becomes the new “Shopping Newsfeed” – which, to be real, is an ‘infinity’ feed.
Nothing is “white” or “black”, so the same applies to fashion. Gen Z is concerned about the environment, but at the same time is buying from ultra fast-fashion producers like Shein. Here is a quote from Amanda Chernin for Business Insider: “Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online. I literally order something online every day.”
With this behaviour of buying online and often other industries have flourished, such as “buy now, pay later”. By the end of this year, 44% of Gen Z will have used one of these credit services in the past 12 months (eMarketer).
So, when it comes to fashion the only dilemma for companies is how to merge the digital experience with the physical stores in one experience.
