Euro-consumer part 2
The only social group that can probably be termed a true homogenous “Euro-consumer” is the brand conscious youth “young people”, mentioned in Euro-consumer part 1. It is through this group that global companies such as Coca-Cola, Nike and MTV have expanded and transformed into global brand leaders. These tendencies can be seen across different industries, even amongst car buyers in Europe.
Looking at young people in the footwear industry we can see a clear trend in most countries among working women to reward themselves for working hard. They buy something extra, which is more expensive than usual, which can be comfortable or quality footwear, often of a well-known brand. Younger working women with less affluence choose unique or distinctive items according to the latest trends. Younger men are more fashion and brand conscious than older men and teens between 15-19 years of age are heavily influenced by TV and magazines. They are also aware of the latest fashion trends and brands through the Internet (blogs), online sellers and retailers’ websites. With quite a lot of money to spend (in general), teens are attracted to adult footwear and international fashion styles.
If you consider that women have a 58% share of footwear consumption, younger men’s consumption patterns are becoming more like their larger counterparts and that teens imitate their two older counterparts the term “Euro-consumer” gets a whole new meaning.
If the youth can truly be called homogenous Euro-consumers then that certainly means that their consumer behaviour and needs set the horizon for consumption and sustainability. If so, how can these affluent and brand conscious trend-setters’ needs and wants be aligned with the sustainability issues we stand before today?
