Student spend in Freshers' month to boost fashion - UniDays report

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 5, 2021

The UK economy could get a boost of almost £122 million during Freshers’ month as a record number of accepted University applicants start at their respective colleges. It will be the first near-normal Freshers’ Month since 2019 as 2020’s period was disrupted by the pandemic when students largely stayed home.

The estimate comes from student affinity network UniDays that said the spend will be “good news for UK retail and fashion especially, with 30% prioritising purchasing clothes and accessories” during the month.

The economic boost comes as 272,000 university applicants have been accepted in 2021. UniDays spoke to more than 18,000 Gen Z students, and found that on average, they’re looking to spend approximately £448 on goods and activities during Freshers’ month, with 7% planning to spend over £1,000.

Of course, outings to hospitality venues, such as pubs and clubs are the top priority but that comes with a need for new clothes and accessories/shoes too. 

It will be particularly good news for retailers offering pre-owned with 80% of students saying they’d like brands to offer second-hand, refurbished or upcycled items, and 45% of them opting to purchase such goods because it’s better for the environment. As many as 29% also choose to do so because it’s less expensive than buying brand new.

And as well as the percentages quoted earlier, 26% are looking to spend more during the month this year than they would have done pre-pandemic, with 47% doing so to socialise and make friends.

In terms of what influences their purchases, 67% of Gen Z responders said that price or discounts available impacted their purchasing decisions the most. Finding offers on clothing and fashion takes priority (56%), followed by a third (34%) of students looking for deals on electronics.

Meanwhile, one in five (20%) said that online reviews were most important to them, and 11% said that word of mouth reviews and recommendations from friends and peers were what they relied on most before making a purchase.