Behind Pacsun's strategy for keeping a pulse on the changing tastes of Gen Z

"In September, it formed its first Youth Advisory Council, a group of actors and creators who meet regularly with Pacsun executives to chime in on "creative aspects and strategy." Also that month, Pacsun released takeaways from its inaugural Youth Report based on insights from 6,000 Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha respondents. Topics touched on everything from mental health to social commerce. Pacsun then used findings from both the Council and the survey to develop a shoppable app called PS Community Hub."

"Olson: "It's really a convergence of community, commerce and creativity. It was launched in response to social listening and understanding where the pain points were: for consumers to build their own brands, to be a part of an overall ecosystem of a brand and to have long-term, sustainable opportunities to create value. The app feeds into other ecosystems that our users"

Over recent months, Pacsun developed tools and adjusted campaigns informed by feedback from teenagers and twenty-somethings. The company created a Youth Advisory Council of actors and creators and published a Youth Report surveying 6,000 Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha respondents on topics including mental health and social commerce. Pacsun used council and survey findings to build the PS Community Hub, a shoppable app where shoppers can curate, buy products and earn commissions. Leadership leverages social listening to tailor product releases, marketing and technology. Those insights enabled collaborations such as with McDonald's and informed expanded mall store openings.

Read at Digiday