Generation Z ‘Me-tail’ Entrepreneurs, Growing Threat to Retailers

Lagging teen retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle and Aéropostale shouldn’t look solely at each other as competitors, but also at some of their former shoppers. That’s because a growing number of digitally savvy Generation Z entrepreneurs, ages 13 to 17, have set out to create their own small businesses — and collectively, are becoming serious contenders in the retail space.

The Intelligence Group, a division of Creative Artists Agency, has dubbed this new wave of entrepreneurship “me-tailers,” a rise of young consumers who are becoming their own merchants via social media platforms and phone applications. Having grown up with social media, these young people are using what’s familiar to them to generate a revenue stream.