In a
joint press conference with the Humane Society yesterday, Macy's Inc. said that
it will stop selling and storing fur in all its affiliated stores (includes
Bloomingdales) by early 2021. (Forbes, 2019)
Needless
to say the activists were pleased. But
what about the less engaged?
Research
tells us that Gen Z is more passionate about causes than are previous
generations. 53% say they have bought a
product to show support for a brand. 23%
say they would consider it. 40% have
stopped buying a brand, and 27% would consider doing so if the company behaves in
a way that doesn't align with their values. (Hessekiel, 2018)
Research
also tells us that 14-24 year-olds appears to have a fondness for
brick-and-mortar shopping. In fact, 81%
prefer to shop in stores. And, 58% of
them say that they consider it to be an opportunity to disconnect. (Wu, 2019)
That's
probably bad news for companies that want to serve them mobile ads while they
walk around the store. But it could be
good news for retail as a whole.
And it
could be the reason why Allbirds just announced plans to open 20 new stores in
2020, bringing their total to 35. (They are also going to start offering
clothing.) (McDonald, 2019)
So
what do you think? Will Gen Z be motivated
enough by Macy's new policies to shop there?
How important is it if a store sells fur or not? What other changes might a store make to
attract Gen Z's who care about the environment?
Do you
think that Gen Z has a preference for brick-and-mortar? If yes, is it because it allows them to deal
with stress? Or are there other reasons?
Forbes,
T. (2019, October 22) Animal-Rights Activists
Hail Macy's Decision To Stop Selling Storing Fur. mediapost.com. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/342309/animal-rights-activists-hail-macys-decision-to-st.html?edition=115795
Hessekiel,
D. (2018, June 26) Engaging Gen Z In
Your Social Impact Efforts. forbes.com.
Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhessekiel/2018/06/26/engaging-gen-z-in-your-social-impact-efforts/#1e421bde6499
Wu, J.
(2019, September 17) Gen Z shopping
habits can fuel a brick-and-mortar resurgence, report says. cnbc.com Retrieved October 23, 2019, from
McDonald,
S. (2019, October 9) Digitally Native Allbirds Doubles Down on Brick-and-Mortar
Expansion. footwarenews.com. Retrieved
October 23, 2019, from
