“Understanding Gen Z: Values, Purchases, and Priorities” was a webinar hosted by The Underfashion Club which dove into the mindset of Gen Z, those born roughly between 1997 and 2012, and explored how their unique values shape spending behavior and consumer priorities. It’s not just about what they buy, but why they buy. Held on 9/16/2025 from 6-7PM and moderated by Ellen Lewis, board member of The Underfashion Club, the webinar asked the panel members whose ages range from 23-28 about their own experiences.
Thank you to the three speakers who shared their thoughts with us! Kacey Clougher is an Account Specialist in U.S. Softlines for Circana where she’s worked remotely for 1.5 years. She’s 28 years old, which brings her at the cusp of being a Millennial. Santina Summaria has been a Digital Marketing Associate at Natori for 3 years. She’s 24 years old, beginning her role as an intern and moving up after graduating from college in 2022. Valentina Celis Iniguez is 23 years old and is in her final semester as a Fashion Business Management Student at the Fashion Institute of Technology while interning at Rag & Bone. She graduated high school at the end of 2020 during the height of the pandemic. She went to business school online while under quarantine and came to the U.S. to study at FIT in 2022.
Ellen began the program by asking each speaker about their shopping preferences. While Gen Z does most intentional shopping online, they still visit brick and mortar stores to get inspiration, feel fabrics, and find the right fit. They may not purchase on the spot, but will do so after online research comparing brands with similar products. The search could lead to finding a more sustainable brand or better quality products with fair prices. When shopping online, clear return policies are key to winning over business in fashion to save the consumer some stress and hassle if they must return an item that may not fit as expected. Valentina shared that “When there’s something with a shorter return policy or when there’s something that I’d like to try on before I buy, that is probably the only instance where I would go to a brick and mortar store.” Santina also mentioned new apps where you could post your closet to sell and rent out garments for a period of time. During fashion week, many panels were discussing rental apps within the city of New York, offering a more circular solution to fashion. Gen Z is value-conscious, often skipping out on traditional department stores in favor of dedicated off-price department stores. Kacey mentioned that while she doesn’t shop at traditional department stores, she will visit specialty stores for sportswear and garments for special occasions. She feels loyalty to familiar brands where sizing and quality is consistent, making her feel good about investing in a piece that’ll last for years.
When it comes to social media’s role in shopping, the general idea is that TikTok is for discovery, Instagram is for research, and big web stores are where consumers ultimately go to make the purchase. An easy, integrated checkout process such as PayPal or Apple Pay often wins the purchase during an era where convenience is non-negotiable. Advertising on TikTok and Instagram stories is very targeted and makes shopping incredibly easy. The ads make viewers want to impulse buy, utilizing affiliate marketing that doesn’t often seem like an ad, but there are links for purchasing the product shown. Santina stated “TikTok shop is insane, it’s like the fastest purchase you could ever make.” You can just add to cart on TikTok and checkout with Apple Pay, enabling instant shopping experiences with high conversion rates. Valentina utilizes social media for research, sharing an example where she used TikTok and Instagram to search “Top 5 Matcha from Amazon” and used the results for curation or inspiration. Ultimately, she uses non-social media sites for shopping. The actual purchase is rarely on a brand’s website but often through sellers like Amazon and eBay.
Kacey is at the age where people are getting married and having kids. Babies, weddings, showers, bachelorette parties, etc. She was going to a wedding where the attire was country formal, so she went on TikTok and searched for country formal dresses to discover brands that cater to that style. She sorts through social media users to look for someone with a similar body type to herself to get an idea of how the garment may look on her. She typically makes formalwear purchases directly from the brand in order to invest in quality.
Santina noticed a clear distinction between TikTok and Instagram when it comes to marketing. She described Instagram as aspirational and more formal, being the place where brands share the latest on what they’re doing. TikTok was described as more casual and lighthearted. “I feel that we just know what it’s like and that’s why we use both of them for help during our purchase,” said Santina. TikTok is used for research and when the consumer discovers a brand they like, they’ll proceed to follow them on Instagram for informational content and new releases. Because of this, following a brand on Instagram feels more like a commitment than following on TikTok. It’s also mentioned that Pinterest has recently been made much more shoppable and is making a resurgence as a resource for researching fashion items and finding inspiration. Ellen has a blog and mentioned that her number one platform is actually Pinterest. She gets several hundred thousand views a month on posts made with direct links to brands and has been amazed at how productive it has been.
The relationship between influencers and Gen Z has evolved since the pandemic, but it’s ultimately all about trust. Pure positivity can create distrust as users are more interested in honest reviews over endorsements. Kacey mentioned that a red flag in influencers is when their growth in popularity leads to more brand deals, saturating their content with positive reviews. You can tell off the bat that it’s an advertisement, which leads to loss in trust. She looks more towards reviewers who aren’t being paid to promote a product, but are sent the product for free in exchange for an honest review. When the reviews are diverse and unbiased, it builds trust around the integrity of their words. For example, when looking for shapewear, there is a certain influencer whose opinion she looks into and mentioned “It’s almost like I have my own personal shopper. I like to look for those types of influencers who are almost doing the dirty work for me, but I also trust them because they’re honest.”
Valentina prefers smaller influencers when researching specific products as they’re more likely to be honest. Even if not paid, some bigger influencers will speak highly of brands to be added to their PR list. Santina acknowledges that influencers are extremely helpful to brands. It’s a calculated business where “They’re getting paid and they’re getting contracts and managers, so they kind of have lost their credibility over time.” She’s recently been going back to YouTube for fashion bloggers. They share multiple brands and provide ideas and inspiration to look out for. She finds this provides better credibility than someone who promotes one brand and product, like the “one mascara you need” and that it’s nice to see many options. YouTube is the #1 most popular platform in the world. Ellen stated, “Video and lives is the whole name of the game,” and Santina added that “There’s something about connecting with that video.”
How does Gen Z feel about remote work? Santina started working remotely and made the choice to move in-person since she needs that personal connection. Still, she values hybrid work as an option where she can spend a day or two a week working from home. Kacey works remotely and prefers it as it’s more conducive to her introverted working style as she can insulate distractions from other conversations, etc. She hasn’t worked in an office, but her team and job are great at making them feel connected since they converse every day and having cameras on makes the connection feel more tangible. Valentina is still in school but has done a few internships fully in-person for the most part. She prefers in-office work since “My brain is super spacey, and it helps me with productivity and getting that workflow mindset,” though she views companies that offer hybrid work options as a plus. Having that system set up is a positive since “If I get pregnant and I decide to work from home, I do view that as a benefit where companies have that flexibility.” She mentioned that her partner is in their late 20s and that he and his friends started work during the pandemic and now refuse to go into the office, choosing only to take remote work. She observes that the younger part of Gen Z doesn’t seem to have that sort of rigidity when it comes to remote work preferences.
Pop-up retail has become very popular with Gen Z. They create valuable experiences that can foster loyal customers before a purchase is even made. Valentina shared “Pop-ups are like the one thing that’ll get me to go in-person.” It feels like a direct value where you will at least get a freebie, or get to take pictures in a photo booth for Instagram. It’s something to do with friends, driving consumers to leave the house. Santina shared her experience in a Prada pop-up store that utilized AI to create a personalized experience where you can try lipsticks and various colors done. It’s a fun and exciting way for brands to get out there in an experiential style. Valentina highlighted the urgency felt over the limited nature of pop-up stores. Freebies, social calling, and immediacy drives people to action. Store upgrades that will last indefinitely don’t create excitement or urgency to shop as much as something that’ll only be around for a week.
Gen Z sees the value of experiences and the feeling of being a part of something. “If you have this experience with this brand and you have the pics to show for it, you have the freebies to show for it, you kind of feel like… I have no other way to say this, you feel cool!” said Kacey. She shared her experience where she attended a boutique country clothing brand pop-up where visitors could design their own cowboy hats. While she didn’t invest in a purchase that day, she shared that if she were to have that money she would invest in them because they gave her such a great experience.
While certain fast fashion brands are still very popular among Gen Z teenagers, many educated and older members of the generation would be embarrassed to be found wearing something from a fast fashion company since they’re aware of the implications and poor working conditions. Santina shopped at certain trendy Gen Z stores when she was 16-17 years old, but after going to fashion school and learning so much about fast fashion, she stopped shopping there. She gets why they’re popular since she used to shop there all the time in high school, recalling that they felt like they were exclusive online boutiques that were very cool and on the cutting edge of trends. However, it would be embarrassing to admit you wore it as a student in FIT after being educated.
While Kacey hasn’t shopped that way before, she acknowledges how the shift speaks to Gen Z’s attitude as a value shopper. Fast fashion and overconsumption is out and not popular anymore. Now it’s about quality, good reputations, and capsule wardrobes. Valentina has been to the storefronts in cities and noted that they were packed with middle and high schoolers who wanted the trendiest clothes they could get since they are among the fastest with fashion trends. Many of the youngest members of Gen Z don’t have much money or care much about what goes on behind the scenes, educated members of Gen Z have a tainted perspective of fast fashion.
Brands are expected to have good working conditions and sustainable practices. Every brand is at risk of wildfire scrutiny since everyone has a phone and there are eyes everywhere. “You can’t get away with it and there is no question anymore,” stated Kacey “You either trust them, or you don’t.” The 2022-2023 era of the pandemic hosted a popular influencer who would share “Shein hauls.” Kacey recalled that the creator would “purchase a bunch of clothing and try it all on over the course of 60 seconds.” Each piece could be purchased for under $20, making it very popular and accessible to viewers. The brand experienced a scandal when it was found that their working conditions were so poor. “It became embarrassing to wear since the way it was made wasn’t right.”
Even forced inclusiveness can tarnish the reputation of brands. People are now so hyperaware of inclusivity that when brands practice it, it can sometimes seem performative. When a brand tries to hit every weight and race, savvy consumers wonder if diversity is truly a value of the company or if they’re trying to get all viewers satisfied and quiet.
Every member of the panel utilizes AI for everyday life purposes, showing how deeply the technology is integrating into the lives of the world’s youngest adults. Santina uses it for work every day and sometimes for recipes, such as asking what to do with certain ingredients that are on-hand. She mentioned that while she doesn’t use it for fashion shopping, there are styling apps where you can take pictures of your clothing, and the AI would give styling options for it. Though she checked it out of curiosity, she stated that “I feel I should be able to style my own clothes.” She seeks to be educated on AI because “it is going to be the future for sure.” She imagines a potential future with 3D body scans that can help shoppers find a perfect fit and size.
Valentina utilizes ChatGPT for shopping for particular situations where she doesn’t have much knowledge in the category and is looking for something specific. For example, when seeking a skincare product for her skin type, she’ll ask ChatGPT for a product with certain characteristics and it would provide a list. She observes that many tools used today already utilize AI, such as reverse image search and a bot on Amazon that allows you to ask about product features.
Kacey uses AI to aid in researching certain brands’ histories and reputations. She has a background in machine learning and noted that web scraping mechanisms are proprietary, meaning that each AI utilizes a different interface. Currently, she prefers the Claude AI interface as it can review blogs, news articles, and media like YouTube and TikTok to give a cohesive blurb about the brand and their reputation. The way it processes information saves her a lot of time.
We then turned to questions from the audience, where they asked “If you could make one wish from intimate apparel retailers, what would it be? What would make your life easier when shopping for lingerie?” Kacey would appreciate an interface where intimates could be organized by occasion and comfort levels. Being able to sort through everyday intimates from those meant to be worn on occasion as their own distinct categories could be helpful. Though many brands already do that, we could use AI to optimize and narrow down searches, and she would love to see that incorporated as she’s shopping.
Valentina would appreciate try-on kits for sizing as an option if you don’t want to go get fitted but want to gauge what your size may be. She likened this to the way that some eyeglass companies will send a box of several styles, allowing you to pick one that you like and send the rest back. If not that, perhaps a sizing kit like a set of cups or something to know your size better without having to do the measurement yourself. Ways to try sizes from home would be helpful.
Santina would wish to have the technology for a fitting done through a 3D body scan that could determine the perfect bra size. Or perhaps, she mused amusingly, “Maybe a magic sticky bra that could be used so many times and it just never breaks or goes gross. A magical sticky bra would be great.”
Another question from the audience was, “What turns you off when shopping?” Functionality, search, and proper merchandising are key. A well-optimized website builds trust. If it’s too difficult to find what you’re looking for, Gen Z will run out of patience and shop elsewhere. If the website seems of poor quality or shady, shoppers will not purchase in fear of it being a scam. There have been instances where Santina knows that a store has more to offer but they aren’t all shown on the category page. This turns her off right away since it isn’t convenient. She knows what she wants but the website isn’t offering it. Valentina could spend an hour and be so excited about a full cart but if the website doesn’t offer convenient checkout options, she will just not do it and turn to Amazon instead where all of her payment and shipping information is saved. Being required to physically retrieve a credit card and fill out billing information manually will lead Gen Z to much more often than not abandon the cart that they were fully intending to purchase. Kacey won’t waste time on a store if the website looks cheap or haphazardly thrown together since it diminishes trust. It’s important to her that the aesthetics of the website look professionally done and that it’s easily navigable. Clear return policies also create a more likely shopper since clothing purchased online can sometimes not fit as expected.
Thank you very much to the speakers and we wish you the best in your education and careers!
