TWEEN CONSUMERS - CATALOG CLOTHING PURCHASE BEHAVIOR

The purpose of this study was to compare the catalog shopping behavior of students in their tween years (i.e., between childhood and adolesc ence; ages 12-14) with that of older students (ages 15-18). Junior hig h and high school students who had purchased clothing from a catalog i n the past 12 months responded to a questionnaire that examined the la bel information sought and product-specific attributes considered. Res ults indicated that tweens were more concerned with style, brand names , and the latest fashion than were older students. This finding was es pecially interesting, as these attributes all relate to status; the tw eens were more interested than the older students in wearing the lates t fashions, being in style, and gaining the prestige of wearing brand- name clothing. This supports previous findings indicating that the twe en years are a time when peer pressure and ''fitting in'' are very imp ortant.