Millennials and Boomers Behind Three Areas of Growth in Bras, Reports NPD

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Feb. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- They may be on opposite sides of the generational age spectrum, but Millennials' desire for comfort, Boomers' spending power, and their common attraction to pure-play e-commerce retailers are fueling key areas of growth within the otherwise mature $7.2 billion bra category, according to The NPD Group. Representing the largest share of the U.S. women's intimate apparel market, Millennials captured more than a third of dollar sales in both 2017 and 2018. Sales among Baby Boomers accounted for 17 percent of the intimate market, but showed the most growth of all generations, up 6 percent compared to 2017.

"Millennials and Boomers are two groups of consumers critical to any industry's success, and the role they are each playing in the bra category demonstrates the importance of multi-target marketing," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor, The NPD Group.

Approximately 40 percent of Millennials indicated that the majority of their closet consists of what they call "comfort wear", as seen in NPD's Trend Tracker report, The Millennial Mirror-Comfort Wear, which was published in partnership with Stylitics. Given this focus, it's not surprising that a third of Millennial bra dollars in 2018 were spent on sports bras. Overall, sales of sports bras continue to grow, contributing $139 million to the apparel industry over the past three years.

Sales of items priced between $65 and $74.99 contributed the most dollar gains to the category in 2018, to the tune of $131 million, despite being a relatively small share of the bra market. The next largest dollar gain came from the $75 and up price point. Sales of items in this upper price range are supported by the discretionary spending of Boomers.

Despite their differences, Millennial and Boomer bra consumers are both drawn to pure-play e-commerce retailers. These retailers are among the more popular bra shopping destinations for both generations. Just as online has grown to capture a quarter of bra sales, pure-plays are a growing part of the online intimate apparel space – up four percent in 2018 to more than eight percent of the total market dollar sales.

"Reaching bra consumers, of any age, with targeted messaging and style offerings that have an eye on comfort at all prices is what will differentiate the top players," said Cohen. "Innovative marketing approaches in the designer bra space, and the value and convenience provided by pure-play e-commerce are sources of new growth opportunities in this mature market."

Source: The NPD Group / Consumer Tracking Service

SOURCE The NPD Group, Inc.