Research shows teens love denim, Nike and YouTube

London - A biannual survey of teenage habits by investment firm Piper Jaffray has led to interesting research and analysis. The company this month completed its 32nd semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens research survey, which highlights spending trends and brand preferences amongst 10,000 teens across 46 U.S. states.

Since the project began in 2001, Piper Jaffray has surveyed more than 140,000 teens and collected over 37 million data points on teen spending in fashion, beauty and personal care, digital media, food, gaming and entertainment.

While overall teen spending is down compared to fall 2015, spending trends are encouraging among upper-income teens where total spending is indicated up 2.5 percent year-over-year.

Denim brands saw an increase of 19 percent and are regarded as a top trend among upper-income females for the second consecutive survey in a row.

Athleisure is a fashion staple for teens

Among upper-income teens, fashion athletic apparel is still on the rise with a new high of 35 percent share achieved with Nike, adidas and Under Armour gaining share.

The beauty category’s wallet share among upper-income females reached 11 percent - the highest value seen in Piper Jaffray's survey history. Specialty store formats continue to outpace legacy channels for beauty.

The top five clothing brands were Nike in first place, followed by American Eagle, Forever 21, Ralph Lauren and Urban Outfitters. For accessories and hand bags, Michael Kors took the number one slot, followed by Kate Spade, Coach, Louis Vuitton and Longchamp.

Amazon topped the list as the preferred online retailer, which also saw Nike, eBay, Forever 21 and American Eagle in its top five.

When it comes to their spare time, for the first time in the survey’s history, YouTube surpassed cable television as their preferred source of entertainment.

Photo credit: Mall of America, source: Wikimedia; Teenagers, source: Wikimedia