According to a consumer survey, young people have more money than ever before. This makes them an attractive target group for the jewellery and watches industry. For when it comes to shopping, the little ones already feel like grown-ups. Many designers respond to this development and extend their collections for children and young people, while others have specialized exclusively in this generation.
According to the “2013 Kids Consumer Analysis” (“Kids Verbraucheranalyse 2013“) conducted by the Egmont Ehapa Publishing Company (Egmont Ehapa Verlag) children between six and 13 years of age have an approximate purchasing power of nearly five billion euro per year, generated by pocket money and gifts of money on special occasions such as birthday, saint’s day, First Communion, Confirmation or as a reward for the achievement of good grades in school.
This year, the Youngcom market research institute has surveyed 1,132 young people between 13 and 20 years of age in Germany to find out on what they spend the largest part of their money: 24.3 percent of the sum available is spent on jewellery and watches alone.
Many of the current jewellery trends are geared towards the taste of young people or those who have stayed young. In this season, for example, a recall of the beauty of nature reaches a new peak: leaves, blossoms, butterflies, beetles or shimmering insects, whether as pendant bracelets or chains, earrings or finger rings, “vivid and flashy” is the motto. Symbol jewellery is also very favoured, especially among young people. s.Oliver Jewels follows this trend in his latest kids collection.
The infinity symbol incorporated in finger rings, pendants or earrings, as well as anchors, hearts, stars, love, or jewelleries with one’s own name, everything is permitted and adorns the wearer. The LuckyLife charms jewellery collection by max fröhlich offers a great variety of accessories of daily life ranging from football pendants to silver plated pretzels. Triangel Schmuck offers a selection of guardian angels which are given away with a guidance quote for important occasions such as the first day at school, important examinations or forthcoming events.
Another important topic for 2014 is colour: especially watches shine in the most intense shades. No matter whether in radiant orchid, i.e. the trend colour of the year or in intense yellow, orange or red – the flashier the better. This motto is reflected in the latest Ice Watch collection. With cherished motives and symbols on their faces, timepieces become genuine eye catchers: little blossoms, dragons, little stars, or points – a trend followed by Esprit in its latest watches for children.
A survey conducted by the University of St. Gallen proves that young people strongly identify themselves with brands, which leads to the formation of a sense of belonging and a feeling of their own social environment. A certain watch brand expresses part of the desired personality, for example. Moreover, the survey has shown that this age group already compares products to find out the best quality at the most favourable price and make their purchasing choices accordingly. Young people and children are a profitable target group and companies try to establish their brands early on to foster long-term loyalty.