The majority of young consumers have plans to shop for the biggest retail holidays of the year—and this is what they’re planning to buy…
The happiest time of the year for discount shoppers is next week. Almost 70% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers tell Ypulse that they look forward to shopping sales around Thanksgiving, and 78% say they see Thanksgiving as the kick off to holiday shopping—and of course, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the pinnacle of holiday sales. In our recent survey on holiday shopping plans, 66% of 13-36-year-olds told us that they plan to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday this year, meaning the majority of young consumers plan to click buy or bring their wallets in-store to cash in on the deals of the biggest retail holiday.
In that same survey, we asked all about their Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping plans, from where they’re planning to shop (online retailers top the list), to how much they plan to spend, and what exactly they want to buy*. Here are the top 10 items they told us they’re planning to purchase on the shopping holidays:
*This was an open-end response question to allow us to capture the full range of items that Gen Z and Millennial consumers plan to buy for Black Friday and Cyber Monday—without our preconceived ideas shaping their responses. As with any qualitative question, the responses include those that are top of mind and those that are most popular. The lists are ordered according to number of responses received, and alphabetically when ties occurred.
What Are They Planning To Buy On Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
13-36-year-olds
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- Clothes
- Electronics
- Smartphone
- Video games / Gaming console
- Impulse sale purchases
- Computer
- Shoes/Boots
- TV
- Smartwatch
- Toys
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While tech takes up many of the spots on the top ten list, clothing actually tops the ranking of items they’re planning to buy on Black Friday or Cyber Monday (as it did last year). But many respondents indicated that while they’re planning to buy something on sale, they won’t know what until they see what the deals are. “Electronics” is second on the list, encompassing those who mentioned they plan to buy tech, with many telling us they aren’t sure what exactly they will be buying. One 31-year-old male said he plans to buy “Anything tech related where the sales are really good,” and a 22-year-old male said he’ll be buying “Anything Apple.”
Their “plan” to make some impulse purchases isn’t limited to tech. A 21-year-old female let us know she’ll buy “Anything [she] like[s] and feels is a steal.” Responses like these put impulse sale purchases at number five on the list—and it ranked high among multiple age groups:
Many 18-36-year-olds will be browsing for whatever deals catch their eye, so retailers that aren’t selling tech also have a chance to benefit from their desire for a good bargain. For some, discovering a surprising item and an unexpected bargain is part of the fun.
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