Media and Marketing for Consumer Brands

Unwrapping the Millennial Wish List: How Lululemon, Stanley, and Labubu Turned 30-Somethings Into Big Spenders

by Editorial Team

One number for the next board meeting: For the first time in the 41-year history of Deloitte's holiday survey, Gen Z and millennial shoppers are expected to account for 50% of U.S. holiday spending in 2026, with millennials alone at 34%, up from 31% a year earlier, according to Deloitte's 2026 Holiday Retail Survey as reported by Chief Marketer, Retail TouchPoints, and Chain Store Age. For a retail or consumer brand chief executive, the implication is direct: the shoppers in their twenties and thirties now control half of the most important selling season of the year, and the brands on their wish lists are setting the terms of competition.

Deloitte surveyed 4,000 U.S. consumers between August 26 and September 10, 2026, and found average household holiday spending rising 4% to $1,654, with the gains driven largely by younger shoppers who report stronger household finances than a year ago. These shoppers are also buying for themselves: 42% of millennials and 49% of Gen Z respondents plan to self-gift this season, and the average planned self-gift has risen 13% to $299.

Three brands sit at the center of that wish list economy. Stanley, Lululemon, and Pop Mart's Labubu each turned shoppers in their late twenties and thirties into a powerful revenue engine, and each did it through a different lever of brand strategy.

Stanley: Let the Community Tell the Brand Who Its Customer Is

Stanley's revenue grew from $73 million in 2019 to an estimated $750 million in 2023, driven by its 40-ounce Quencher tumbler, according to CNBC Make It, Fast Company, and ChannelNews. The turning point came when The Buy Guide, a shopping site run by three women, bought a wholesale order of Quenchers in 2019 and sold them out to its audience of young women. Stanley listened, relaunched the cup in new colors, and eventually released it in more than 100 shades, as CNBC reported.

The brand is now extending that loyalty. Stanley's leaders told Fast Company that since 2024 the company has been building itself into a premium lifestyle brand, beginning with its first line of totes, backpacks, and crossbody bags designed to carry the Quencher.

The marketing lesson: The most valuable market research can come from the customers who adopt a product first. Brands that follow the community's lead, rather than the original plan, discover audiences that surprise even their own planners.

Lululemon: Make the Product a Uniform for a Lifestyle

Lululemon reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $11.1 billion, up 5%, with international revenue growing 22% and the company ending the year with 811 stores worldwide, according to its results release and coverage by Seeking Alpha and Retail Boss. Its accessories have become fixtures of holiday gift guides, from Good Morning America's 2026 picks, which featured the brand's $78 crossbody camera bag, to Refinery29's dedicated guide to Lululemon gifts under $50.

The marketing lesson: An accessible entry product extends a premium brand to new buyers. A $78 bag gives a gift giver a way into a lifestyle brand, and gives the recipient a reason to come back for the leggings.

Labubu: The Affordable Luxury Signal

Labubu became a status symbol after Blackpink's Lisa was photographed with one clipped to her handbag in April 2024, as CNBC Make It reported. The Daily Upside described how a roughly $30 toy became an essential accessory for owners of $3,000 handbags, and the Robb Report documented Labubus hanging from designer bags at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Pop Mart's The Monsters franchise, home of Labubu, generated 14.16 billion yuan (about $2.12 billion)* in 2025, according to the South China Morning Post, China Daily, and KrASIA.

The marketing lesson: Small luxuries carry big meaning. A low-priced item that signals taste and belonging lets young shoppers participate in a luxury conversation at a price that fits a monthly budget.

The Shared Playbook: Collectability, Color, and Social Proof

All three brands share the same mechanics. Each sells at a giftable price point, releases new colors or editions on a regular cadence, and rewards customers who share their purchases online. Deloitte's survey found that 29% of millennials plan to buy personalized or monogrammed gifts this year and 33% want same-day delivery, both well above older generations. Among shoppers who find gift buying stressful, 74% say wish lists make the process easier.

The marketing lesson: Design for the wish list. Products that are easy to name, easy to photograph, and easy to collect in new variations make it simple for a customer to ask for them and simple for a loved one to buy them.

The Broader Takeaway

The millennial wish list maps directly onto the metrics a CMO tracks: share of holiday wallet, average order value, repeat purchase, and the earned reach that comes from customers posting their finds on social media. The lessons travel to any category. Listen to the community that adopts a product first, create an accessible entry point into a premium brand, and refresh the line often enough that each season brings a new reason to ask for it by name.

Earn a Place on the List

RSL News Inc. builds brand strategy, customer experience programs, and the measurement framework that shows which products are earning a spot on your customers' wish lists. If you are ready to win the shoppers who now drive half of holiday spending, let's talk.

Related reading

* The original source reported this figure in Chinese yuan. It has been converted to US dollars at the November 10, 2026 rate of 6.67 yuan per dollar.

References

  1. Deloitte, "Holiday spending set to increase 4% while shoppers focus on value," https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/about/press-room/deloitte-holiday-spending-set-to-increase.html
  2. Chief Marketer, "Gen Z and Millennials Now Drive Half of Holiday Spending," https://www.chiefmarketer.com/gen-z-and-millennials-now-drive-half-of-holiday-spending/
  3. Retail TouchPoints, "Deloitte: Holiday Spending to Rise 4% as Gen Z and Millennials Drive Gains," https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/?p=621781
  4. Chain Store Age, "Survey: Consumers expected to increase holiday spending," https://chainstoreage.com/survey-consumers-expected-increase-holiday-spending-especially-retail-goods
  5. Deloitte Insights, 2026 Holiday Retail Survey, https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/articles/2026/amer189387_cic_holiday-retail-survey/pdf/DI_2026-Holiday-Retail-Survey.pdf
  6. CNBC Make It, "How a 40-ounce cup turned Stanley into a $750 million a year business," https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/23/how-a-40-ounce-cup-turned-stanley-into-a-750-million-a-year-business.html
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  8. ChannelNews, "The Stanley Cup Success With Females To Be Replicated For Men," https://www.channelnews.com.au/the-stanley-cup-to-be-replicated-for-men/
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  10. Seeking Alpha, lululemon fiscal 2025 results, https://seekingalpha.com/pr/20441515
  11. Retail Boss, lululemon fiscal 2025 results, https://retailboss.co/?p=13876
  12. Good Morning America, "Holiday gift picks for everyone on your list," https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/Shop/story/holiday-gift-picks-list-105393599
  13. Refinery29, "The Best Under-$50 Lululemon Gift Ideas," https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/lululemon-under-50-gift-ideas
  14. CNBC Make It via NBC Chicago, "This $30 Labubu doll became an international status symbol," https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/this-30-labubu-doll-became-an-international-status-symbol-it-brought-in-423-million-for-its-company-last-year/3789013/
  15. The Daily Upside, "Can Labubu Mania Last Forever?" https://www.thedailyupside.com/industries/consumer/can-labubu-mania-last-forever/
  16. Robb Report, "Labubu Pushes Pop Mart to a Whopping US$2 Billion in Sales," https://robbreport.com.my/2025/09/02/pop-mart-labubu-first-half-revenue-2025/
  17. South China Morning Post, "Pop Mart shares dive despite soaring profit," https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3347851/pop-mart-shares-dive-despite-soaring-profit-investors-fear-labubu-dependence
  18. China Daily via Newsgd, "Pop Mart posts revenue, profit jump in 2025," https://www.newsgd.com/node_1299786306/b0594d4d62.shtml
  19. KrASIA, "Pop Mart shares fall on concerns over limited IP diversification," https://kr-asia.com/pop-mart-shares-fall-on-concerns-over-limited-ip-diversification

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