Forever 21’s fate was sealed by a generation of young shoppers who crave individuality and know how to get it affordably outside of fast fashion stores. The brand may have “underestimated” Gen Z’s sophistication and shopping preferences, failing to understand that these young consumers aren’t as impressed by cheap prices when they have access to millions of discounts and deals online. Competitors like FashionNova and ASOS are more digitally sophisticated without being “weighed down” by brick-and-mortar, and secondhand shopping apps are stealing even more of young consumers’ budget. YPulse’s brand tracker has shown that Forever 21’s momentum with 13-30-year-olds has declined steeply in the last year. (Business Insider, The Atlantic)
