Recent work conducted in the teenager apparel market by
Bridge Strategy Group provides a very interesting narrative of how the skate culture found its way into becoming a major retail success story across the country, and how different retailers have attempted to leverage this emerging trend, some more successfully than others.
With its origins linked to the surf culture of the late 1980s, skateboarding evolved to develop its own cultural identity, rooted in a rebellious and fearless attitude that still permeates the skateboarding scene. However, over the years, skateboarding evolved from a niche activity practiced by mainly white suburbanites with an epicenter in Southern California, to a mainstream sport that attracts teens from various ethnic and social groups in cities and suburbs across the country. The growth of skateboarding beyond the suburbs attracted a larger influence of urban culture, creating a new trend known as "skurban." Skateboarding also started to attract non-participants, specifically teenagers who identify themselves with the tribe attitude and the lifestyle, and want to borrow that perception to create their own personas.
Skate and brand loyalists generally skateboard at some skill level (pro, amateur, recreational) or express their affinity for skateboarding by displaying brands worn by actual skateboarders. Most dress bottom-up, using their skate shoes as the centerpiece of their look. Brands such as DC, Vans, etnies, Element, C1rca, Nike SB, 6.0 and Lakai are worn with pride and populate teen closets from Huntington Beach to Virginia Beach, and anywhere in between. Camcorders are ubiquitous and used for recording new tricks and dares, which are then aired for a world audience on YouTube and MySpace.
Skate tribe members find role models in other members performing at a higher skill level, following a pyramid structure which has professional skateboarders, such as Tony Hawk and Paul Rodriguez, sitting at the top. Meanwhile, skate aficionados look to the pros, recreational participants look to the aficionados, and so on.
The skateboarding market has been traditionally served by local specialty skate shops, typically owned and operated by skateboarders, which become the reference point for aficionados in the neighborhood. As skateboarding expands into the mainstream, a critical challenge for retailers has been to target this segment of the teenage population by developing more inclusive retail concepts without losing authenticity.
THE MAINSTREAM CHALLENGE: ZUMIEZ VS. PACSUN
How do you leverage elements of niche segments into the mainstream? The key to success is to retain the authenticity that attracts enthusiasts not physically participating in the tribe's core activity, but who are keen on showcasing tribal values, lifestyles and perceived attitudes. As the examples above suggest, this is a fine line that is being walked successfully by Zumiez, and less successfully by PacSun.
Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ), which operates close to 300 stores, mainly in U.S. shopping malls, successfully connects with skateboarders by selling tribe-appropriate products and creating a store atmosphere that reflects skate attitudes. Unstructured, even messy, dark stores have an underground look, complete with industrial fixtures. Loud punk rock and classic rock are on the store soundtrack. Sales personnel, who are hardcore skateboarders immersed in skate culture, know the brands. A mix of soft goods and hard goods helps affirm credibility with customers. Zumiez has experienced consistent growth, successfully creating a concept that is a mall-based version of independent skate shops which helped launch the tribe decades ago.
PacSun (NASDAQ: PSUN), with its 823 retail stores and 121 outlet stores, is one of the nation's largest sellers of skate (and surf) apparel. Unlike Zumiez, the chain has struggled considerably over recent years, mostly due to its lack of an authentic store experience that connects with tribe members. Though it has tried to rework certain design elements, the store environment still lacks personality. As part of its research on teen tribes and shopping behaviors, Bridge Strategy Group revealed that teen consumers indicated PacSun “does not tell a story." Store personnel do not share the same level of passion for the activity, culture and lifestyle -- ultimately offering a less credible shopping experience.
Findings of the Bridge Strategy Group research reinforce that each teen tribe is a fertile ground for retailers and consumer product marketers who are seeking to learn more about teen consumers and how to leverage tribe cultural references, lifestyle and artifacts.
Bridge Strategy Group is a Chicago-based management consultancy. For more information, visit www.bridgestrategy.com or call 312-357-6740.