Are you a fan of Pura Vida bracelets? Do you drink your beverages out of Hydro Flasks? Do you wear scrunchies, both in your hair and on your wrist? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a VSCO girl.
Who Are the VSCO Girls?
This trend, which is taking teens by storm, stems from the VSCO photo editing app. VSCO, which stands for Visual Supply Company, is both an app and a way of life, according to today’s teens. This trend is reminiscent of the days of preppy girls, Valley girls, and the daughters of Baby Boomers who liked to go shopping and made otherwise common sayings, like “as if,” popular.
Remember the movie Clueless? As if.
The VSCO girl trend is mainly targeted toward Gen Z —a population of consumers 74 million strong which is roughly one-quarter of the US population. These girls are tech-savvy and 45% report they are online constantly. An emerging aspect of this group of girls can be found on the Tik Tok video app— where lip-syncing and showing off your VSCO girl trends has made the trend soar in popularity. Roughly, 69% of Tik Tok’s users are between the ages of 13 and 24, the perfect age range for self-proclaimed VSCO girls.
VSCO Girl Behavior
However, being a VSCO girl is more than a trend—for some, it’s a way of life. Her lifestyle includes taking photos and engaging in sustainability practices such as ditching plastic straws for metal ones. She uses phrases such as “and I oop” and “sksk.” If you hear this, she’s excited or expressing an “OMG” moment. She’s environmentally conscious and is shaking up the retail landscape for these in-demand products. From a retail perspective, 37% are more of teens are willing to spend a premium on environmentally-conscious products.
What This Means for Marketers
How can marketers get in on the VSCO Girl trend? Answer: Meet them where they are.
To date, there are over 442.4 million videos with the #vscogirl on Tik Tok, according to a NY Times article published in September of 2019. In addition, the VSCO app alone has over 20 million active users. These huge populations are a marketer’s dream if the goal is to reach this demographic. Brands that are already capitalizing on this trend include Burt’s Bees, Crocs, Birkenstocks, Pura Vida bracelets, and Hydro Flasks. VSCO girls tend to gravitate toward products deemed to be sustainable or environmentally friendly. As a result, companies who want to be involved more with this popular trend should make these concepts priorities for their products.
If you want to learn more about this trend, Google searches for this term are up since the beginning of summer. The Business Insider reports this is a virtual trend that’s impacting consumer behavior and will continue to do so in 2020.
Want to learn more about earning your BS – Marketing degree? Complete the Request Info form on this page or call 855-JWU-1881.
For more fashion and marketing news, follow me on Twitter: @KristenRegine.