5 Key Marketing Trends for Teen Fashion Brands in 2021

The Gen-Z demographic – teenagers of today – is the 2nd biggest demographic of the global consumer market. If you own a fashion brand that sells to teenagers or has a marketing agency serving such a brand, it is essential to know what your target market is thinking.

In this piece, we are highlighting five key market behaviours that will drive consumer trends in the coming months. If you are looking for some data-backed insights to inform your spring/summer marketing strategy, this is the piece for you.

TikTok and reels

Gen-Z is on TikTok – 32.5% of TikTok users are aged between 10 and 19 – and loves spending time there. So, following common sense and a classic marketing rule, go where your customers are. If you aren’t present on TikTok yet, go and create your brand profile there. TikTok and other visual mediums such as Instagram Stories & Reels are also a great place to raise awareness about your brand.

You could also partner with some of the young TikTok celebrities to promote and market your products. Influencer marketing is a mainstream marketing tool, and teenagers are more likely to listen to their peers when making a purchase decision than being inspired by a random ad on their feed.

AI and AR in marketing

The role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality is changing the world of fashion and shopping as we know it. With AI becoming more and more commercially available, companies like Logo Design give fashion startups a chance to create their unique brand identities.

With augmented reality, brands can showcase their outlets, products, and styles in a much more accessible way. Using 3D models, customers can experience apparel and accessories more intimately than a screen would allow.

If you are looking for technology-backed creative ways to reach your target market, these are the technologies to invest in.

Ethical brands

What a brand stands for – its ethics and values – is an essential factor when teens are making a purchase decision. According to a study by Marketing Dive, 54% of teenagers want to buy from sustainable brands and are even willing to pay higher prices if the brand is ethical and sustainable.

If you are a new fashion brand, make sure to make sustainability an essential part of your operations and marketing. If you are an established brand and looking for more impactful ways to reach your target audience, making some changes to your fashion manufacturing might help.

Also, note that just being sustainable and ethical isn’t enough. You have to market it effectively too. Tell your audience about your sustainable business practices and show them that you care.

The more your audience can connect with your message of values and ethics, the more engagement and profits will follow.

Ads in games

The Covid-19 lockdowns forced everybody to live, work, and study from their homes. Understandably, it resulted in a massive increase in mobile internet usage. People were not only online for entertainment anymore. They were working and studying online too.

And when it came to entertainment, multiplayer mobile games became all the rage. Games like Phasmophobia and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout came out as surprising hits. According to an article by The Washington Post, video game sales increased at a rate of 35% in March 2020. The usage of mobile gaming has similarly risen too.

This is another place that you can consider for your brand marketing. Creating ads that can reach teenagers as they play their games is sure to get them where they’re at.

Long-term influencer partnerships

The marketing industry has known for a while how integral influencer marketing is to create a comprehensive marketing strategy. Teenage consumers do not much care about the brand appeal. They want meaningful interactions with the brands they buy from and support.

Therefore, if you represent a teen fashion brand, your best bet is to get in touch with a youth influencer and create a collaborative marketing strategy. To make the most of it, focus on micro and nano influencers instead of the big names as the former hold a more loyal and engaging following.

A collaborative strategy will allow you to approach the subject more proactively. Instead of paying big bucks to the influencer and giving them words to say, you can engage in a conversation with them. Ask them what their community is into, what makes them trigger, the kind of deals and products they are looking for.

The more you know the audience you are pitching to, the more chances of success you have. Creating these long-term partnerships with carefully chosen micro-influencers will give your brand a leg up it needs with the teenagers.

The takeaway

Marketing to teenagers is not as complicated as some would have you believe. If you are a millennial and have been marketing to this segment for any length of time, you know that the usual marketing gimmicks don’t work here. You have to show authenticity, announce your values, and make genuine connections with your consumers.

With the Gen-Z market, it’s more of the same. Just dial up your authenticity and ethics. Show them that you stand for something. Forge real connections and make quality products. The rest will come easy.

Tell us your story

Would you like to write for nichemarket just like Adina has? Find out how to submit a guest post and when you're ready, you can contact us.

Are you looking to promote your business?

South African fashion businesses and freelancers can create your free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. 

Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions. If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles.

• How to create a nichemarketer profile
• How to create a nichemarket business listing

Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have time to spare why not check out these related posts and dive deeper down the rabbit hole that is fashion.

• A Clear Strategy For Using Instagram Accounts On Fashion Brands
• Trending Fashion Hashtags To Get Your Posts Noticed
• 5 Reasons Why Fashion Brands Introduce New logos
• Common Fashion Blogging Mistakes That Affect SEO
• How to build a loyal audience for your fashion brand
• How To Drive Fashion Related Traffic From Instagram
• What is Boho Jewellery?

Tags: Fashion, Marketing, Guest Post