WWD x BCG Report: 53% of Consumers Now Buy on Quality-Per-Price

Fifty-three percent of consumers now rank "quality for the price" as the single biggest driver of value, according to the WWD x BCG Future of Fashion Report released Tuesday at the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit. The figure is the sharpest signal yet that price-led discernment has replaced brand loyalty as the default purchase mode.

The study rests on Boston Consulting Group surveys of more than 4,000 consumers, an analysis of nine million social media posts and 10 one-on-one interviews with industry leaders. Interviewees included Joe Preston, president and CEO of New Balance; Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of Gap brand; and Michael Kliger, CEO of LuxExperience. That methodology mixes measured survey data with executive opinion — a distinction buyers and planners should keep in mind when weighing the recommendations.

What is driving the consumer shift?

Impulse buying is fading. Consumers research more carefully before spending and no longer default to familiar brands. The report frames this as wariness driven by declining consumer confidence and broader political and economic uncertainty, though it does not quantify the decline itself.

Three findings stand out for sourcing and pricing teams:

• 53 percent cite quality for the price as the top value driver.
• 91 percent actively research fashion choices before purchasing.
• 46 percent treat cultural relevance as an important decision factor.

For suppliers, the quality-per-price finding tightens the squeeze: brands will demand better make at stable cost, and the report offers no margin data to show who absorbs that. On this point the study is silent.

Is wellness the expansion play?

The report points to lifestyle spending on wellness, fitness and sports as a growth avenue for fashion brands, linking it to rising GLP-1 usage and a broader health focus. It also urges brands to connect products, services, experiences and communities. No revenue figures, market sizes or timelines accompany the claim. Treat it as directional, not confirmed.

The report states: "In a world focused on AI and digital, finding ways to communicate fit and craftsmanship is increasingly important." That is a direct prompt for sourcing teams — fit consistency and construction claims become marketing assets, which raises the bar on factory quality control and specification discipline.

Does culture move units?

Younger consumers are 10 points more likely than the average shopper to cite cultural relevance as a brand-choice factor, and 60 percent of all consumers said they would pay more for products perceived as "original and innovative." The report calls cultural leadership "a prerequisite rather than a differentiator" — a claim asserted without supporting pricing data.

Sports carry unusual weight here. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said sports and its culture influence their fashion decisions. Sixty-six percent see fashion brands as having a natural role at major sporting events, and 61 percent said they are more likely to buy from a brand that activates around sports. That is a licensing and sponsorship argument. Who funds the activation — brand marketing budgets or licensing partners — goes unaddressed.

How deep does the AI split run?

AI adoption has polarized shoppers, and the numbers show the split plainly. While 73 percent would use AI tools to narrow product choices or assess value for money, 51 percent would rather research products themselves than use AI at all.

Skepticism runs further. Forty-seven percent said they would be more likely to purchase from brands that commit to using only human-created creative content. Ninety-one percent reported concerns about AI-assisted shopping. The report's own conclusion: consumer trust has yet to catch up with brands' widespread implementation of the technology.

For product and content teams, that 47 percent figure is effectively a testable merchandising claim — "human-made" as a declared attribute — though the report measures stated intent, not actual purchase behavior.

What should executives take from it?

The report's core argument is that growth remains available despite macro headwinds, but it must be earned through fit communication, cultural relevance and careful AI deployment rather than through brand gravity alone. Brands that treat the findings as measured behavior — the 53 percent, the 91 percent, the 61 percent — will find concrete pricing, sourcing and channel tests to run. Those that treat the growth thesis as proven should note what the study does not say: no margin impacts, no cost estimates, no timelines. How quickly trust in AI-assisted shopping rebuilds, and whether quality-per-price expectations hold through the next spending cycle, will determine which of these findings hardens into strategy.