Labor Day, a traditional fashion demarcation point, is at hand. Sweaters reappear, students return to classrooms and more traditional office wear replaces casual summer looks.

Clothing sales tend to tick up in the fall, reaching a spending crescendo at the holiday season.

That climax may be relatively muted this year, according to a new Harris Poll survey of American fashion attitudes and plans, in which more than 7 in 10 (72%) Americans who purchase fashion items for themselves said that they have spent less on clothing over the past year. Similarly, two-thirds of fashion shoppers (67%) identified price as a factor when shopping for clothes—the top element they consider, more than quality (62%) and style (55%), the next two most popular answers. And 9 in 10 Americans set a budget before they go shopping. An astounding 4 in 10 shoppers identified fashion spending as a source of stress.

This practical streak far outweighs considerations such as where apparel is manufactured (22%), brands’ sustainability efforts (17%), stand on social issues (15%) or employment standards (13%). Socially conscious shopping, in other words, remains the province of a relatively small group.

Drilling down, we found three other key takeaways to guide marketers’ planning:

Boomers value price, quality

Baby boomers target tangible considerations more than younger cohorts: 78% of boomers identified price as a factor they consider, followed by quality (74%), item style (64%) and convenience (53%)—each cited by boomers more often than other generations by at least 10 percentage points.

On the other hand, boomers who said they overspend at least some of the time do so because they found a specific item they wanted enough to splurge on (61% versus 49% of Americans overall, with no other generation outmatching the general population). Older shoppers know what they want and are more likely to have the financial wherewithal to act on that desire. But at the same time, boomers least often reported overspending for emotional reasons (to celebrate a good day or make up for a bad one).

The key to appealing to this cohort, then, is to emphasize substantive considerations such as cost, quality and convenience. 

Socially responsible shopping

Socially responsible shopping might not dominate but appeals to some groups. Younger Americans and people of color seem to bring their values into the shopping equation more often than their counterparts. People of color roughly twice as often as whites identify sustainability efforts (24% versus 13%), a brand’s social stands (21% versus 11%) and a brand’s employment standards (19% versus 9%) as key issues when considering a clothing purchase.

Similarly, Gen Zers far more often than baby boomers, for example, care about sustainability (22% versus 12%), social stands (25% versus 6%) and employment standards (24% versus 5%). (These issues’ salience decreases with each successive generation, younger to older.)

Younger Americans and those of color more often express willingness to pay more for an item that embodies social responsibility (e.g., through sustainable manufacturing): A majority of people of color (57%), for example, signaled a willingness to do so while a majority of whites (59%) disagreed. Similarly, majorities of Gen Zers (57%) and millennials (61%) are willing to take that step, while two-thirds of baby boomers said that they would not.

Still, price is the top factor for people of color (60%), with similar numbers for Gen Zers (63%) and millennials (56%).

Appeal to these groups by leaning more into socially conscious considerations while keeping in mind that price remains the top factor.

The gender breakdown

Women and men approach shopping in different ways. Women—who purchase fashion items for themselves (73%) far more often than men (59%)—identify price as a consideration, for example. They also more often than men consider quality (66% versus 59%) and style (59% versus 50%).  

But they also overspend more than men, with 71% of women who set some type of budget before shopping for fashion items saying that they at least sometimes overspend their budgets, versus 65% of men. Why? A majority of women (52%) said that they do it when they find an item they want enough to purchase, against only 45% of men. Women are also more likely to engage in shopping therapy—buying to celebrate a good day or put a bad one behind them—with 1 in 5 naming it as a factor for overspending, against 14% of men. Perhaps that’s why, regardless of shopping habits, fewer women identify fashion spending as a source of financial stress (41% versus 47%)—because it’s enjoyable.

Treat women as the discerning shoppers that they are, then, to leverage their practical approach to clothing.

The bottom line: Know your customers and sell to them where they are, and your fall fashion season can be a success.