Changes in the Behavior of Generation Z Representatives From Million-Strong Cities in the Russian Fashion Market

In today's world, the fashion industry plays an important role in forming culture and lifestyle. The Russian fashion market is undergoing changes due to the departure of many foreign brands, by the end of 2022, more than 70 companies have temporarily or completely suspended their operations and sales in Russia, and by the beginning of 2024 the number of such companies has increased to 140, as all new types of fashion market products are included in the sanctions lists. The withdrawal of foreign brands from the Russian fashion market has a significant impact on consumer behavior and makes adjustments to the process of choosing goods and services in the process of choosing goods and services. The graduate qualification work is a research aimed at studying the changes in the choice criteria of consumers of generation Z on the fashion-market in Russia. This paper will help to determine what aspects of products are becoming more important for consumers and what factors influence on their decision when choosing one or another brand. Data gathering and developed recommendations will help companies to customize their offer more accurately and meet the requirements of Russian consumers, which meets the practical significance of the work. The purpose of this study is to identify key changes in the behavior of Generation Z consumers from cities with a population of millions of people in the Russian fashion market. The first stage was to analyze secondary information from foreign and Russian sources. In the course of the work the key concepts within the theory of “consumer behavior” were identified, specifically the definition, different approaches of the theory classification, as well as existing models and tools. In order to achieve the research objective and apply the information obtained during the first stage of the work, a research methodology was developed. The empirical part is based on a mixed research method, which can be characterized as qual -> QUANT (auxiliary method - qualitative research, namely a series of in-depth interviews, the main method - a quantitative research in the form of an online survey). As methods of quantitative data processing, frequency, correlation and cluster analyses were used. The result of the work were the developed practical recommendations for working with each identified segment of Generation Z consumers. These recommendations are aimed at both men and women of Generation Z living in million-strong cities in Russia. Applying the recommendations in practice will help companies to more accurately customize their offer, stimulate sales, and meet the requirements of Russian consumers in the updated environment.