These Brands Gained Traction With Gen Z, Millennials Over The Holidays.

Research from Morning Consult Intelligence finds the three “buzziest” retail brands among Gen Z and millennials — or the brands that these demographics are discussing the most — are Walmart, Target and SHEIN, a reflection of consumers’ collective desire for a good deal.

Morning Consult Intelligence’s data was collected between Nov. 1 and New Year’s Eve and explored a metric it calls “Total Buzz,” or the share of respondents who said they’d recently seen or heard something (positive or negative) about a particular brand.

In retail, footwear was also a major topic for 2024 holiday shoppers, with Nike, Adidas, Converse and Crocs appearing on the top 20 lists of both demographic groups. Other key players in the footwear space include Vans (No. 10 among Gen Z) and Reebok (No. 12 for millennials).

Elsewhere in retail, Lululemon scores high with Gen Z, underscoring an interest in athleisure; and Ralph Lauren is popular with millennials.

Morning Consult Intelligence says last year was big for the beauty industry, driven by viral internet trends. These trends have heightened the appeal of all-in-one retail destinations like ULTA and Sephora, both among the most discussed beauty brands for Gen Z and millennials over the holiday season.

“That said, with frequent appearances by the likes of e.l.f., Maybelline and Covergirl, drugstore and dupe brands are still clearly top of mind for young consumers,” Morning Consult Intelligence says. “And while not on either generation’s buzziest list, Pantene did have a notable viral moment last week when young women, back at their parents’ homes for the holidays, began (positively) documenting their experience rediscovering the low-cost brand.”

In consumer tech, phones, tablets and wearables remain among this holiday season’s “buzziest” gifts, the research finds, but with an interesting wrinkle: Millennials spent their time discussing Samsung products; Gen Z, meanwhile, discussed Apple.

“This dynamic may be fueled, in part, by the emergence of Apple’s Pencil product — an iPad accessory — as a popular wishlist item for young Gen Zers this year,” Morning Consult Intelligence explains. “Plus, while not known for their brand loyalty, Gen Zers have always demonstrated a uniquely strong affinity for the Apple brand, which became a mainstay in American culture just as much of the cohort was entering adolescence.”