Survey: Young prefer to shop in-store rather than online

Brick and mortar stores aren’t being shunned by young people. In fact, according to the results of a new survey “Shopping Trends Among 18-25 Year-Olds” over two-thirds (68%) prefer to shop offline, at least for their fashion needs.

“We like shopping in stores and are not as engaged in shopping on the Internet as many have touted. I guess the demise of the brick and mortar format of retailing– at least for 18-25 year-olds– is grossly exaggerated,” said Nicole Flasch-Mihalko, a member of the LIM College NRFSA research team.

Furthermore, shopping via social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter does not appeal to the majority of this age group (88%). Instead, they prefer to touch, feel and try on apparel and shoes before they make a purchase decision.

And don’t for one minute think that they are impulsive shoppers. They take the time to research potential purchases (66%) and use the Internet to research and compare prices (66%). However, few use or are familiar with flash sale sites such as Rue La La or Gilt Groupe.

Despite their ownership of mobile technology just 23% use smartphones or tablets to shop.

“We have read and observed what industry leaders had been saying about our use of technology for shopping and it did not match our own habits and preferences,” said LIM College student Alexis Michaelides.

The survey involved 310 18-25 year-old primarily female consumers and was conducted online in the Fall of 2011.