Economy
07 April
Crocs, e.l.f. Cosmetics gain share among Gen Z
Check out 12 findings from Piper Sandler's latest Taking Stock with Teens survey.

Photo by Zachary Nelson on Unsplash
Check out 12 findings from Piper Sandler's latest Taking Stock with Teens survey.
The preferences of teenagers say a lot about what one of the most valuable cohorts of consumers wants to see on the digital shelf, and where tastes are heading next.
That’s why Piper Sandler’s annual survey of teens proves to provide valuable insights. This spring's Taking Stock with Teens report received input from 5,690 teens across 47 states. The survey was fielded February 13 to March 21.
Here are a dozen key findings showing Gen Z preferences in areas that are relevant to ecommerce and retail:
Teen spending is up 2% year-over-year, with core beauty (cosmetics, skincare, fragrance) growing a notable 19% year-over-year to $313 annually. Cosmetics were up 32% year-over-year.
Shopping channel preferences are showing a shift to off-price (+500 basis points YoY) and secondhand (+200 bps YoY).
Buy Now Pay Later: PayPal’s “Pay in 4” was most popular, followed by Square’s Afterpay.
Apparel: Nike held onto the top spot for most popular brand, while lululemon fell to No 3.
Footwear: Crocs ranked No. 6 and Hey Dude ranked No. 8, both gaining share. On Running and Hoka were No. 12 and No. 19, respectively.
Beauty: e.l.f.remains the top cosmetics brand, gaining 900 basis points to 22% for female teams.
Beauty retail: Specialty Retail for beauty purchases was 75%, equalling spring 2021 highs. Mass/dept/drug reached a new low of 12%.
Snacks: Teens report the highest intentions to eat more or the same amount of Cheez-It and Goldfish. Goldfish remain the most preferred snack.
Plant-based: 42% of teens consume or are willing to try plant-based meat, vs. 49% in spring of 2021. In dairy, 40% are willing to try plant-based dairy.
Customer service: Phone is the No. 1 preferred method, while text/SMS showed the best multi-year gains.
Shopping: Amazon remained the top destination for shopping, while Nike gained the No. 2 spot.
Apps: TikTok remained the overall top app among teens.
On the Move has the latest hiring update from The Vitamin Shoppe and At Home.
Heidi O’Neill has a new role at Nike. (Courtesy photo)
This week, Unilever, Nike and BigCommerce are seeing major transitions in the executive ranks. Meanwhile, The Vitamin Shoppe named a permanent CEO, and At Home brought on a longtime Walmart executive as president.
Conny Braams. (Courtesy photo)
Consumer goods giant Unilever announced key changes in top leadership roles. These include:
Graeme Pitkethly will retire as chief financial officer, effective at the end of May 2024. The board is set to launch a formal search for his successor. Pitkethly has been with Unilever for 21 years.
Conny Braams, who serves as chief digital and commercial officer, will leave the company, effective August 2023. Braams previously held senior management roles including Executive Vice President (EVP) of Middle Europe; and EVP Foodsolutions Asia, Africa and Middle East.
Craig Williams. (Courtesy photo)
Nike, Inc. announced several key leadership changes focused on consumer-led growth and marketplace. They are as follows:
Heidi O’Neill who is currently president of consumer and marketplace, will become president of consumer, product and brand.
Craig Williams, who is currently president of the Jordan Brand, will become president of geographies and marketplace at Nike, Inc.
Matthew Friend, EVP and Chief Financial Officer at NIKE, Inc., will expand responsibilities to include procurement, global places and services and demand and supply management.
Jared Carver will serve as CEO of Converse. Over the last four years, he served as VP/GM of North America for Converse.
Scott Uzzell, the previous CEO of Converse, transitioned to a new role as VP/GM, North America for Nike, Inc.
“These shifts will allow us to streamline our focus across product, brand storytelling and marketplace, mining deep consumer insights to deliver breakthrough innovation and engagement, while building long-term growth and profitability,” said Nike CEO John Donahoe, in a statement.
Lee Wright. (Courtesy photo)
Lee A. Wright was named CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe on a permanent basis, after serving as interim CEO since January 2023. Wright previously served as Chief Commercial Officer of Franchise Group and in executive roles at Conn’s.
Muriel Gonzalez was promoted to president of the retailer, after serving as EVP and chief merchandising and marketing officer of The Vitamin Shoppe since August 2020.
BigCommerce announced the following leadership roles:
Daniel Lentz was promoted to chief financial officer of BigCommerce, effective July 1. He previously served as SVP of finance and investor relations. Lentz will succeed CFO Robert Alvarez, who is retiring after a 12-year stint as CFO.
Chuck Cassidy was promoted to general counsel, effective June 2. Cassidy previously served as VP and associate general counsel. He will succeed Jeff Mengoli, who is retiring.
Hubert Ban was named chief accounting officer. He will replace Vice President of Accounting and Principal Accounting Officer Thomas Aylor, who departed the ecommerce platform on May 19.
Jeff Evans. (Courtesy photo)
Jeff Evans was named president and chief merchandising officer of At Home, the home goods retailer.
Evans previously served as EVP of entertainment, toys and seasonal at Walmart, managing the largest general merchandise business for the retailer. He rose to the position after serving in executive roles at Walmart US and Sam’s Club.