NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Attain, the most trusted and comprehensive source for live purchase data, today released a new research report co-authored with dentsu, Inside the Gen Z Wallet: How Gen Z Spends, Where They Shop, and What They Care About. Drawing on Attain’s proprietary consumer data, the study examines a year of Gen Z spending behavior, revealing a generation whose purchasing patterns challenge conventional assumptions about consumer loyalty, retail engagement and the path to purchase. The data depicts a shopper whose wallet is smaller than the average U.S. shopper’s, but distributed across a broader set of merchants and disproportionately weighted toward discretionary spending.
According to the findings, Gen Z shoppers spend approximately 25% less annually than the average U.S. shopper, yet spread their purchases across 6% more merchants. Their smaller wallets are disproportionately directed toward discretionary categories, including restaurants, entertainment, fitness and mobility. And while Gen Z is more likely than the average shopper to say it values brand names, that affinity doesn’t necessarily translate into loyalty: Gen Z is 18% less likely to say it usually buys from the same brands. For brands and marketers, the findings highlight the challenge of understanding and reaching a generation whose spending is increasingly distributed across retailers, categories and purchasing occasions.
A smaller wallet, spread across more merchants
Analyzing purchase behavior from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026, the report identifies five key findings:
- A smaller wallet, spread wider. Gen Z spends approximately 25% less annually than the average U.S. shopper, yet shops across 6% more merchants.
- Discretionary spending dominates. Gen Z directs 66% of its everyday wallet to discretionary categories, compared with 58% for the average U.S. shopper.
- Experiences capture outsized spend. Public transit, rideshare, gaming, fitness and restaurants all command a disproportionately large share of Gen Z’s wallet.
- Brand-conscious, but not brand-loyal. Gen Z is 25% more likely to value brand names over price, but 18% less likely to stick with the same brands.
- Convenience wins. Gen Z is 19% more likely to prioritize saving time and 12% less likely to prioritize everyday low prices.
What Gen Z’s changing wallet means for brands
Gen Z’s shopping behavior reveals the limitations of relying on individual retailers, platforms or categories to understand consumer demand. As this generation spreads its spending across more merchants and shows greater openness to switching brands, marketers need a more complete picture of purchasing behavior to identify growth opportunities and measure performance.
“Gen Z is showing us why the traditional view of the consumer is no longer enough. They shop across more merchants, prioritize different spending occasions and are willing to switch brands,” said Jeff Zifrony, SVP of Strategy at Attain. “When you can see what people actually buy across retailers and categories, you can begin to understand the full picture of consumer demand, not just the portion visible within any single platform. That’s a critical advantage for brands looking to turn consumer understanding into growth.”
The report also highlights the importance of connecting brand investment to actual purchase behavior. With Gen Z expressing greater interest in brand names but lower repeat-brand preference, traditional measures of media efficiency may not tell the full story. New-to-brand acquisition, repeat purchase and cross-retailer sales outcomes offer additional ways to understand whether marketing investment is translating into customer growth.
“Gen Z’s fragmented spending behavior requires brands to connect audience understanding, media planning and buying, commerce and measurement rather than treating them as separate disciplines,” said Aisha Khan, Head of Retail and Commerce, dentsu North America. “The research provides an evidence-based foundation for rethinking how brands compete for consumer spending across the full commerce ecosystem.”
Research Methodology
Inside the Gen Z Wallet is a co-authored research report from Attain and dentsu, analyzing consumer purchase behavior from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026.
Spending behaviors are measured using Attain’s consumer purchase data. All indexes compare Gen Z with the average U.S. shopper, with an index of 100 representing parity. The report examines shopping frequency, merchant breadth, transaction value, category reach, wallet share and consumer attitudes.
Download the full report: here.
About Attain
Attain is the most trusted and comprehensive source for live purchase data. Through the consumer applications Attain builds and manages, Attain maintains direct relationships with millions of individuals, capturing real-time, deterministic commerce behavior. Attain extends that data across the advertising ecosystem, helping brands, agencies, retailers and media platforms connect media investment to verified sales outcomes.
About Dentsu
Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in approximately 120 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.
Dentsu, Innovating to Impact.
Find out more:
www.dentsu.com
www.group.dentsu.com
Media Contact:
Aimee Miller
Broadsheet Communications for Attain
aimee@broadsheetcomms.com
