As the holiday season approaches, it would be wise for retailers to pay close attention to the youngest generation of consumers – Gen Alpha. Born after 2010, Gen Alpha is growing up in a digitally connected world, where trends, preferences, and shopping influences are largely shaped by social media and online platforms. Understanding what Gen Alpha wants this holiday season is crucial for brands to connect with these emerging consumers and meet their parents’ purchasing expectations.
CivicScience examined gift-buying trends among Gen Alpha (children under 14 years old) by polling their parents to uncover what’s in store as the holiday season kicks into high gear. Here are three key insights to know:
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1. Clothing, shoes, and accessories are topping shopping lists among Gen Alpha’s parents.
When it comes to buying holiday gifts for young consumers, CivicScience data show that Gen Alpha’s parents are largely planning to buy clothing, shoes, and accessories for their children (60%). Toys (42%) and tech/electronics (37%) follow in a distant second and third, respectively. This comes at the same time as additional data showing that Americans are increasing their spending on toy-buying this year.
Beauty is the least popular category for Gen Alpha holiday gifts, yet a noteworthy 24% of parents are buying beauty, health, and wellness products for their children – a category that is growing among Gen Alpha.
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2. Gen Alpha’s parents are eyeing big-box retailers for their holiday shopping.
Big-box retailers are well-positioned among Gen Alpha’s parents this holiday season. Three in ten of Gen Alpha’s parents who are holiday shopping are buying most of their gifts for their children at big-box retailers – roughly three times the percentage shopping at other stores. This aligns with August data showing that overall intent to holiday shop at big-box stores is up 20% from 2023. That said, a slightly larger percentage are still unsure where they plan to buy holiday gifts from (33%).
3. Deals and promotions dictate where Gen Alpha’s parents are shopping.
Similar to Gen Pop, deals and promotions are the biggest drivers of where to shop among Gen Alpha’s parents (29%). However, this figure stands much lower than the Gen Pop (41%). Instead, they’re more likely to value curbside pickup, Buy Now, Pay Later options, expedited shipping, and ‘other’ factors.
As retailers prepare for the holiday season, understanding the unique shopping patterns of Gen Alpha’s parents is essential to meeting their expectations and engaging with the youngest generation. As Gen Alpha continues to grow, its evolving preferences and influence will leave a lasting impact on holiday shopping trends for years to come, making it essential for retailers to track and stay ahead.
