- Athletic footwear brands are eager to get products on the feet of teenagers.
- Nike remains the most favored sneaker brand of Gen Z by a wide margin.
Nike's now more than double the size of Adidas, its one-time rival and now distant competitor.
Its lead among teenagers is even more impressive.
The latest Piper Sandler survey shows Nike is now the preferred footwear brand of 61% of teenagers. Nike's Converse brand ranks No. 2 with 10%.
Adidas, once the industry Goliath ahead of Nike, is down to 6%.
Twice a year, Piper Sandler surveys teenagers, now part of Gen Z, on brand preferences. The survey is closely watched by executives and investors because teenagers are taste-makers with decades of purchasing power ahead of them. The latest report shows Nike continues to dominate the critical demographic, even though it's yet to resonate with female teenagers as strongly as male teenagers.
Nike recently unveiled a sneaker targeted at Gen Z, part of a broader effort to target the demographic, which was born between 1997 and 2012.
Adidas in February launched a line of sportswear aimed at Gen Z.
Nike's now been the preferred apparel brand of teenagers surveyed by Piper Sandler for more than 12 consecutive years, far outpacing the three-and-half years that Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister both spent atop the survey between 2001 and 2008.
Compared with the same time a year ago, Nike's "mindshare" among teens increased 1.2%. Adidas' decreased 1.7%.
Nike even came in No. 2 (6%) for favorite shopping websites, behind Amazon, which was preferred by 57% of teens surveyed. Nike is in the middle of an ongoing digital transformation as it continues to prioritize direct, digital sales.
But the brand still doesn't resonate as well with female teenagers.
Of the 5,690 teenagers surveyed, 49% of males ranked Nike their favorite clothing brand. Nike ranked No. 1 among female consumers, but with a more earthly 16%, just ahead of American Eagle (12%) and direct Nike competitor Lululemon (11%).
And among upper-income female teenagers, Lululemon earned the top spot, being the preferred brand of 14% of respondents. Nike ranked No. 3 with 10%, a spot below American Eagle (12%). Among upper-income males surveyed, Nike was the top clothing brand of 50% of those surveyed.
For the most recent edition of the survey, Piper Sandler polled teenagers in 47 states. The average respondent was 16.2 years old.