A new research reveals Gen Z's favorite brands for 2024

As the end of the year approaches, brands are beginning to take stock of their successes—and failures—over the past twelve months. Despite this year being challenging, to say the least, for the retail world, with multiple luxury and sales crises, some brands have managed to overcome consumer disinterest and continue to attract Gen Z undeterred by the global economic issues. The report on this was just released by dcdx, a company that researches Gen Z consumer behavior, presenting a highly varied top 25. According to the study, brands capable of attracting younger consumers control the main economic forces and manage to stand out from competitors. The methodology to assess the "Gen Z score" is entirely based on brand engagement and consistency of organic User Generated Content (UGC) on TikTok. According to dcdx, UGC is the only metric that genuinely represents the brand’s influence on consumers, as people increasingly rely solely on their peers for purchase advice, making influencers progressively irrelevant.

The list is predominantly composed of Silicon Valley tech brands, American retail giants, and fast-food chains that have not yet expanded into the European market. Regarding the fashion world, the only brand on the list is Shein, which ranks last. Disney holds the top position with an almost perfect Gen Z score of 98.4. Following closely with a score of 98.3 is Roblox, which saw a viral boom mid-year with the mini-game Dress To Impress. Among the most impressive results, as noted by Andrew Roth, founder and CEO of dcdx, is the rise of ChatGPT, which ranked nineteenth, surpassing Google by over five spots. Compared to last year, one of the brands with the most significant fluctuations is the NFL, which jumped thirteen spots, moving from twenty-seventh place last year to fourteenth this year, perhaps thanks to the pop culture rise of Travis Kelce. Walmart also saw a popularity boost this year, climbing to twelfth place from twenty-fourth in 2023. Brands that made it into last year's list but failed to make the top twenty-five this year include Skims, which dropped twenty-eight spots, and Nike, which fell twenty-one. The report also revealed that Samsung, Audi, Tesla, Charlotte Tilbury, and Temu are all just outside the top twenty-five.

For 2025, the report predicts that Gen Z will take on an increasingly proactive role in brand campaigns, determining brands’ relevance in pop culture themselves. The report also highlights that, after a couple of years overwhelmed by microtrends, Gen Z’s priorities will return to brand loyalty, focusing not on the product itself but on the brand’s commitment to fostering its community. In China, Jing Daily recently reported that "experiences" are among Gen Z consumers’ favorite marketing moves, as they bring a sense of community and authenticity to brands. Overall, 2025 hints at a certain sense of hope, perhaps even a bit delusional, in the retail world. Who knows if Christmas will bring better fortune to the luxury landscape.