At home, at school, and at play, kids put their clothes to the test. Learn what parents prioritize when making
purchasing decisions for their children. By making their apparel a new favorite on and off the playground, brands
and retailers can win a part of the growing childrenswear market - forecast to reach $291 billion globally by 2020
1
.
PURCHASE DRIVERS
79% of clothing parents buy
for their children is purchased
in-store; the remainder is bought
online.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
At school, at home, or
at play, kids put their
clothes to the test and
durability (92%) is key.
“We love these pants...
The cotton is comfortable
and washes well without
wrinkling. They even
look good after he’s
spent half an hour on the
playground.”
~Customer review of 100%
cotton pants
FIT COMFORT DURABILITY QUALITY
At 97%, fit is the
number one purchase
driver when shopping
for childrenswear.
Comfort (95%) remains
an integral factor
when considering
kids’ ease of play.
Quality (92%) continues
to be important because
shoppers want value
from their clothing.
PREFERRED RETAIL CHANNELS
mass chain specialty department off price
30%
22%
21%
9%
6%
INSIGHTS
COTTON INCORPORATED
SUPPLY CHAIN
CHILDRENSWEAR & BACK TO SCHOOL APPAREL
$10.47
“Hands down, [my child’s] favorite jeans...They last a long
time (they’re great hand-me-downs b/c they’re durable),
wash well...a good price for a great pair of jeans.”
~Customer review of 100% cotton jeans
1 in 10 childrenswear
items at retail are marketed with
a performance feature, with the
most common being:
flame resistance
stretch
shrink resistance
boys
tops pants/shorts sleepwear activewear denim jeans skirts/dresses
girls
tops pants/shorts sleepwear activewear denim jeans skirts/dresses
3 in 4 childrenswear items
at retail contain cotton.
PRODUCT ALLOCATION
AVERAGE ASKING PRICES
$15.31
$15.78
$15.47
$10.68
$17.87
$19.88
$16.98
MASS RETAILER
CHAIN STORE
DEPARTMENT STORE
SPECIALTY STORE
BOYS GIRLS
BOYS GIRLS
tops
pants/shorts
sleepwear
activewear
denim jeans
skirts/dresses
50% 41%
17%
12%
21%
18%
12%
7%
2%
10%
10%
CHILDRENSWEAR AT RETAIL
WHY DO PARENTS CHOOSE COTTON?
2 in 3 parents say they
are willing to pay a premium
to keep their children’s
clothing cotton-rich.
“I have used [brand] polo shirts for five years for my boys’ school uniforms. This
year, they changed the shirt from a cotton/poly blend to all polyester. The shirt is
so thin you can see through it. My boys don’t want to wear a T-shirt under their
school shirt, so these will not work. Returning them.”
~Customer review of 100% polyester shirt
of parents have taught their kids to
check fiber content labels, and 89% of
these parents also teach their kids to
check for cotton.
52%
comfortable breathable durable fashionable
Compared to childrenswear made from manmade
fibers, most parents say cotton childrenswear is the
MOST…
of parents prefer their children wear cotton-rich clothing.
of parents say they
are bothered by fiber
substitution away from
cotton in their children’s
clothing.
HALF
68%
57%
68%
46%
86%
100%
cotton
SUPPLY CHAIN INSIGHTS
PARENTS & COTTON CHILDRENSWEAR
Sources: Cotton Incorporated
Lifestyle Monitor
TM
survey, an ongoing consumer survey among 6,000 U.S. consumers annually;
Retail Monitor
TM
survey,
a quarterly retail audit of apparel products at 25 major U.S. retailers, in store, and online; and Customer Comments Research, a collection and analysis
of over 625,000 online customer reviews. External Data Source: Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
1
before the first day of
school
a few weeks after the
first day of school
1-2 months after the
first day of school
60% 20% 20%
WHEN DO BACK-TO-SCHOOL (BTS) SHOPPERS PURCHASE BTS APPAREL?
Half of parents say they make back-to-school clothing
purchase decisions with their children.
WHO DECIDES?
“They fit perfectly. Waist is comfortable
– not too tight, not too loose. Also, the
material is 100% cotton, which I like for
breathability, and it’s also very soft and
smooth...Bottom line: I have been buying
these pants for my boy since he was a
year old, and we still love these.”
~Customer review of 100% cotton pants
$231
in 2013
HOW MUCH DO BTS SHOPPERS PLAN
TO SPEND ON BTS APPAREL?
$265
in 2015
$243
in 2014
BTS SHOPPERS PLAN TO PURCHASE...
tops socks jeans pants under
garments
86%
53%
73%
73%
71%
BACK-TO-SCHOOL APPAREL SHOPPING HABITS