As teenagers, our “income” relies on multiple sources: parents, jobs and birthdays. Some people save up birthday and holiday money, while others take jobs as lifeguards, babysitters, tutors and dog walkers. Fortunate students have steady flows of allowances. But the one thing teens all have in common when it comes to money is that our funds are constantly fluctuating.
According to Statista.com, the two highest categories of American teen spending is clothing and food, with accessories and cosmetics coming in a tight third place. One popular store,Five Below, uses this data to market products to teens.
The store features products such as makeup, candy, room decor, clothing, electronics, toys, and basically everything marketers assume teenagers are interested in. Five Below employee Kevin Rodriguez said the experience of working there is a good one. “Five Below provides a fun, flexible work environment,” Rodriguez said. “We strive to take absolute care of our guests.”
For freshman Sage Kim, Five Below is the ultimate place to buy everything you may or may not need as a teenager. “A lot of the stuff there is definitely targeted to teens because of the flashy colors and prints and the candy and everything adults usually think we’re interested in,” Kim said. “But most of the stuff they sell is actually pretty useful. And since everything’s under $5, I can sometimes find really good deals and dupes of other, more expensive products.”
Stores like Dollar Tree and Family Dollar use other marketing strategies to attract customers. Instead of using bright colors and LED signs, these other discount stores tend to market toward families rather than the specific demographic of teenagers and kids. Instead of featuring toys, candy, and room decor, these discount stores offer similar products, but also home goods like household supplies and hardware, items that aren’t necessarily targeted to teenagers.
Freshmen Jasmine Wang said she thinks most of the products from Five Below are marketed to a slightly younger age group. “There’s definitely things in the store that I would get, like candy or an eyelash curler, pretty basic products you can find anywhere. But a lot of their stuff is definitely meant for younger tweens or even children. Things like toys and stickers, just things that a lot of teenagers don’t really use,” Wang said.
Five Below’s marketing strategies do successfully work at selling its products to teenagers and to other age demographics, as the Five Below website describes its items as “high-quality products loved by tweens, teens and beyond.” Their use of bright, vibrant colors and even more colorful packaging and their assortment of captivating products has teens reaching for items they know they don’t really need.
