Thirty years ago, “Seinfeld” became the number one TV show, the slouchy grunge look was all the rage, “Casual Friday” ushered in a more relaxed workwear environment and Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor™ survey was launched.
A lot has changed since 1994 (adventure time!). But a lot has stayed the same (consumers still love shopping for clothes). Throughout that time, the Lifestyle Monitor™ has been measuring consumer attitudes and habits around fashion, shopping (even shopping during a pandemic!), the environment, and other topics they care about.
The survey results will be shared with brands, retailers, the textile/apparel supply chain and the media. The Lifestyle Monitor™ acts as a tool for the industry, enabling brands and manufacturers to gain a deeper understanding of consumers and their desires, and refine their product offerings to match their preferences.
Rick Hendy, former Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Cotton Incorporated, explains how the Lifestyle Monitor™ came about in the early '90s.
“Around that time, I read a really insightful article in Esquire magazine,” Hendy recalls. “It interviewed young men and women and asked them a series of questions about their political views, their spending habits, how they treated each other at school. But the questions were all asked with a sense of humor. It was like having a conversation with the person you wanted to talk to.”
“It was a really fascinating experience to find out what 20-somethings were thinking and feeling in the early 1990s, and I thought it was a really clever research avenue,” Hendy said, so much so that he began talking to J. Berry Worsham, president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated, about doing something similar. “We were always looking for new ways to generate advertising for cotton, and that's where the concept of 'Why do we wear it? Why do we buy it?'”
So what has changed in the last few years? In 1994, less than half of consumers (47%) said they liked and enjoyed shopping for clothes. According to Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor™ survey, as of May 2024, that number has risen to 65%. This increase can be attributed to more options in menswear, the ease of shopping online, and the ever-present influence of social media influencers.
While these ratings for clothes shopping sound great, clothes are no longer the number one shopping choice for American consumers. Instead, groceries have taken over. Consumers who prefer grocery shopping have increased from 22 percent in 1994 to 36 percent today. The silver lining is that the younger the consumer, the more interested they are in clothes shopping: Gen Z is at 36 percent, compared to 21 percent of Baby Boomers.
Kim Kitchings, senior vice president of consumer marketing at Cotton Incorporated, said the Monitor survey reflects the population and is a good indicator of behavior — and will always be relevant.
“The team was tasked with providing the latest information, and I'm incredibly proud of the work they've done to keep the survey current over the past 30 years,” says Kitchings. “We've been focused on incorporating data and getting it to decision makers. We're very objective, and we provide not just data, but real-world examples of its impact and application. As consumer behavior evolves, we've always asked, 'How should the textile industry adapt?' It's really important that the survey captures key attitudes and behaviors, especially around cotton products, technology and future directions.”
So clearly, consumer attitudes towards natural fibers have improved significantly: According to a Monitor™ survey, in 1994, 71% of consumers agreed that clothing made from natural fibers like cotton was of better quality. But as of 2024, that number has jumped to 93%.
This preference for natural fibers and quality is also reflected in what consumers are willing to pay. According to research by The Monitor™, although there has been some decline over the years, the majority of consumers are still willing to pay more for better quality. In 1994, 62% of consumers said they were willing to pay more for higher quality clothing. However, around the time of the 2008 and 2009 recession and the rise in popularity of low-cost fast fashion beginning in the early to mid-2000s, consumers were more willing to sacrifice some quality to get a good price. However, since 2019, this trend has reversed again, and as of May 2024, the majority (56%) say they are willing to pay more for better quality clothing.
The reasons why consumers go shopping for new clothes have also changed over the years. The influence of social media, influencers, and video tutorials on how to style an outfit likely plays a role in this regard. According to Monitor™ data, in 1994, half (50%) of shoppers said that the most common reason they bought new clothes was to replace their current style, while the other 50% were looking for something new. Today, 64% of consumers say they are looking for something new when shopping for clothes, and only 36% are looking to replace something they already have.
The ability to track preferences like these has always been part of Monitor™ Survey’s DNA.
“We created a barometer,” Hendy says. “A denim barometer, fiber attitudes and preferences, shopping preferences. We gave the media a lot of statistics and facts they couldn't cite otherwise. They might have known that consumers felt this way or that way, but now they had something they could cite from a trusted source.”
The Monitor™ Survey also looks at where consumers get their outfit ideas. This is where things have both changed dramatically and stayed the same. For example, the majority of consumers (63%) say they get outfit ideas from things they already own and love. This is largely unchanged from 1994, when 62% of consumers said the same. However, getting outfit ideas from in-store displays and window shopping has decreased from 53% in 1994 to 28% in 2024. The influence of fashion magazines (from 24% in 1994 to 17% as of May 2024) and commercials (from 29% in 1994 to 17% as of May 2024) have also decreased significantly over the years as consumers’ sources of outfit ideas. But what are the areas that have increased significantly? Social media platforms. Social media wasn’t added as a survey option until 2021, yet consumers still cite places like Instagram and TikTok as sources (32%).
As Kitchings points out, these insights are invaluable to the industry.
“Businesses use Monitor™ research not only to gain current consumer insights, but also to guide future strategies,” says Kitchings. “Consumers often have a hard time expressing their needs, but by analyzing the data and combining it with other macro trends, they can identify future opportunities and determine next steps.”
