For years, Lululemon, the athletic apparel brand, has been a household name reaching an almost cult-like status amongst exercisers in the U.S. and beyond. Analysts have said the brand could grow to compete with Nike directly, whose market cap is five times that of Lululemon right now. CivicScience tracks Lululemon favorability among consumers 24/7. Ahead of their earnings call on Wednesday, here’s a check-in on the retailer through the lens of consumer favorability.
Favorability of the Lululemon brand among U.S. adults has remained relatively even over the last two years, although there has been a slight increase since Q2 of 2018.
Who Buys Lululemon Clothing?
Gender
When it comes to gender, favorability is nearly even, with 14% being male and 15% being female. Competitors – like Athleta and Fabletics – might have a few more women in the favorable category, but they can’t boast almost equal favorability between the sexes.
Age
At this time, Gen Z shows the greatest favorability of Lululemon, and by a wide margin. Favorability decreases by almost 38% when looking at Gen Z compared to Millennials. As age increases, favorability decreases and neutrality increases.
What’s interesting is that despite the favorable numbers and positive company growth, Lululemon shows a small jump in dislike among Millennials. Clearly this has no impact on sales, but it is still an odd spike to see.
Income
The data shows a 33% increase in favorability among people earning more than $100K annually, which isn’t too surprising considering a standard pair of full-length Lululemon leggings starts at $98 a pop.
Lululemon Lovers Don’t Need a Reason to Sport Athleisure Â
Although Lululemon’s products can be worn for a variety of physical activities, it is clear that a subset of its following is passionate about yoga and similar forms of exercise.
In addition, a quarter of U.S. women over 13 who love Lululemon also say they wear yoga pants every day – even when they aren’t exercising.
Aspirational PurchasesÂ
It is worth noting that social media usage and Lululemon favorability are also linked, potentially indicating not only that these platforms could be excellent mediums for advertising, but also that consumers of the brand could be particularly focused on image.
Further data suggests that Lululemon consumers may be especially image-focused as the most Lululemon lovers show up in the group of American adults who have had cosmetic surgery, or would like to.
Another potential indicator of the image phenomena was revealed when Lululemon favorables were crossed with perception of attractiveness. Of those who had a favorable opinion of Lululemon, more than half said they were more physically attractive than their peers.Â
It seems clear that shoppers may be more interested in achieving the often aspirational lifestyle promoted by companies like Lululemon in the 21st century. Regardless, Lululemon has a strong niche market of customers and things only point to their earnings increasing.