2019 vs. 2018 Year-Over-Year Nationwide Prom Dress Sales Trends Follow Two-Year Cycle

    NEW YORK, NY, April 30, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Today, Occasion Brands, LLC, releases the fourth 2019 issue of Pulse of Prom to compare year-over-year (YOY) 2019 and 2018 online purchase trends for both junior and senior proms. In 2018, 40% of the total prom dress sales were for junior prom and 60% for senior prom. This trend for more senior prom dress sales than junior prom dress sales has continued to hold in 2019. Junior prom sales in 2019 increased by 3% in 2019 to 43%, but still came in second to the number of senior prom dress sales at 57%. In 2019, there was an increase in the majority of consumers purchasing junior and senior prom dresses priced between $100 and $300. There were only slight variations between the top 20 prom dress styles sold for junior and senior prom in 2019 and 2018. In fact, 35% of the top 20 styles sold in 2018 were also among the top 20 styles sold in 2019. The data shows there were minimal variations between dress styles sold nationwide in both 2018 and 2019. This suggests that dress style trends will be nationwide and will last at least two prom seasons.

Consumers Purchase Within Specific Price Range
In 2019, 68% of prom dress buyers spent between $100 and $300, which was a 7% increase from 2018. This price range was favored by both junior and senior prom dress purchasers. Looking more closely at just junior prom dress sales, only 23% of junior prom dresses purchased in 2019 were under $100 compared to the 30% that were under $100 in 2018. However, only 9% of junior prom dress sales were over $300 in 2019, whereas 11% were over $300 in 2018. With a 9% increase in sales between $100 and $300 for junior prom dresses in 2019 compared to 2018 (59% in 2018 and 68% in 2019), this suggests that more consumers were spending between $100 and $300, and this was the price range in which the majority of consumers bought their dresses. In 2018, 23% of senior prom dress sales were under $100, but only 20% were under $100 in 2019. When looking at senior prom dress sales over $300, there was a 4% decrease from 2018 to 2019 (15% in 2018 and 11% in 2019). This decrease in the highest and lowest price ranges led to an increase of 7% more senior prom dress buyers spending between $100 and $300 in 2019 (69% of senior prom dress sales) compared to 2018 (62% of senior prom dress sales). This shows that similar to junior prom, even more senior prom dress consumers spent between $100 and $300 in 2019 than 2018. The data suggests that prom dress purchasers in 2019 are budgeting from $100 to $300 for their dress.

Simple Styles and Stand-Out Features Preferred in 2018 and 2019
Nationwide, the top 20 prom dress styles sold for junior and senior prom in 2018 and 2019, representing 14% of all prom dress sales in each year, show only slight variations year-over-year. The style trends observed were similar across the U.S., suggesting that, in this digital age of television, internet, and social media, prom trends are shared nationally.

In 2018, simple classic styles held preference to the more embellished styles that were popular for prom 2017. This trend for simple classic dresses has carried through to 2019. The majority of the top 20 prom dress styles sold in 2019 were simple with a stand-out feature, typically a statement back, lace detailing, illusion insets, or some sequins. Another common stand-out feature that carried through from 2018 to 2019 was the side slit and double side slits. In 2018, burgundy red, navy blue, and mauve pink were among the top-selling colors. In 2019, shades of blue and red continued to dominate, but there was more variation in the popular hues. With such similar trends among the top 20 styles sold in 2018 and 2019, it appears that nationwide prom style and color trends are on, at least, a two year cycle.

About Pulse of Prom
Pulse of Prom is an industry-focused hot-sheet report which highlights what is selling online across each region of the country during prom season. This late season issue focuses on year-over-year sales trends for junior and senior prom. Future issues will feature end of season data.

The Data
The data for these 2019 prom trends represent sales between January 1 and April 19, 2019. The data for these 2018 and 2017 prom trends represents sales between January 1 and April 23. All data is across the United States by Occasion Brands, a leading national online prom retailer.

For more information about Pulse of Prom, please contact: Megan Reeves at [email protected].

About Occasion Brands, LLC
PromGirl, founded in 1998, has sold over 2 million dresses online and is the largest online retailer of prom, homecoming, and other special-occasion dresses. It offers an unparalleled selection of high-quality, in-stock dresses at all price points. Through the website, mobile and social platforms, PromGirl's reach is global, delivering "dream dresses" to more than 140 international destinations. As part of the Occasion Brands portfolio, PromGirl supports the Occasion Brands mission to be the premier retailer in the special-occasion dress market by providing a world-class shopping experience and maintaining customer trust through an understanding of their needs as they experience some of the most important moments in their lives. Occasion Brands' staff is based in New York City and Middletown, Delaware, and its state-of-the-art facility in New Jersey houses hundreds of thousands of dresses for PromGirl and its sister brands, Simply Dresses and Kleinfeld Bridal Party. In 2018, Occasion Brands expanded its reach by opening a PromGirl pop-up store in New Jersey, a Simply Dresses pop-up store in New York City, and a Kleinfeld Bridal Party Showroom located on the upper level of the Kleinfeld Bridal store.

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