Australian retailer Kmart is the top local brand in the eyes of Gen Z.
The latest Australia’s Top 100 Youth Brands Report has revealed cost-of-living pressures have shaken up the latest rankings.
Compiled by YouthInsight, the research arm of youth support platform Student Edge, the survey of Australians aged 14 to 24 showed Woolworths had lost its title as Gen Z’s favourite retail brand, dropping to sixth place, as Kmart replaced it due to its “affordability and trendiness”.
Student Edge Co-Founder Damien Langley said financial pressure was shaping a more cost-conscious mindset and driving love for brands which could meet these needs for young people.
“Australian success stories include Kmart which has emerged as the favourite Australian brand of Gen Zs as it helps them get new clothes and furnish their rentals without breaking the bank,” Mr Langley said.
“Canva too is another local brand which is up there in favourability above many of the biggest names in global tech as it helps young people unleash their creativity in a fun and easy way.”
He said, overall, YouTube (90 percent) was the most popular brand in the report’s top 10 list, followed by Spotify (84 percent), Kmart (83 percent), Google (82 percent), Netflix (81 percent), Officeworks (80 percent), Instagram (80 percent), JB HI-FI (80 percent) and Aldi (79 percent).
The report showed Gen Z’s top 10 brands featured seven global brands and three Australian brands, showing how overseas names carried more clout with young Australians than homegrown.
Overall, the top 10 Australian brands to make the top 100, behind Kmart, were Officeworks (80 percent), JB HI-FI (80 percent), Chemist Warehouse (78 percent), Woolworths (77 percent), Coles (74 percent), Big W (74 percent), Bunnings Warehouse (72 percent), Canva (70 percent) and Boost Juice (69 percent).
“In the food category the Colonel has beaten the Clown as KFC (73 percent) has taken over McDonald’s (70 percent) as the most popular brand, with young deal seekers rating it for its good value, as the former number one fell to fifth spot this year,” Mr Langley said.
“Meanwhile, Japanese clothing maker Uniqlo (69 percent) has edged out Australia’s Cotton On (68 percent) as Gen Z’s favourite clothing brand, both popular for their affordable prices.”
He said despite Gen Z concerns around AI and job security, ChatGPT (72 percent) had shot past tech giants like TikTok (58 percent), Messenger (54 percent), Snapchat (53 percent), Discord (52 percent), Facebook (49 percent), and X (31 percent) in overall youth favourability, showing its popularity with young people for work, study and life.
“Social media brands took the biggest hit in 2025, especially legacy platforms like Messenger which fell 7 places, X down 6 places, Snapchat dropping 4 places, and Facebook declining 4 places.
“Instagram (80 percent) however has held onto its number one position as the most popular app and social media brand with Aussie Gen Zs.”
