��re making up to justify spending today. While generation and gender are helpful predictors of what that math might look like, singles math is especially interesting, considering the decline in the marriage rate. With singledom on the rise, is it changing American spending attitudes and behaviors? What would it look like if retailers paid more attention to this growing group? Singles don’t necessarily spend all that differently from their coupled peers. The crucial spending differences seemingly lie more between single men and women, than they do between singles and those who are coupled up. Single men spend slightly more on food, doubly more on alcoholic beverages, and more on entertainment, but single women spend more on apparel. These differences probably have much more to do with gender than they do with relationship status. Relationship status becomes a more interesting filter when looking at saving and investing. Though singles under the age of 55 have a significantly lower average savings balance than those coupled C+R Research reports that they invest and save at higher rates overall. The market research firm found that singles are more likely to be cost-conscious, which makes sense, because they are solely responsible for their income and are automatically more likely to know exactly where their money is going. Combine that single-minded frugality with the fact that they have fewer financial responsibilities, and the fact that higher percentages of Gen Z and Millennials than other generations are likely to be single, and a unique money mindset comes into play. After all, these generations experienced their formative years wedged between highly impactful events – The Great Recession and The pandemic. The recession taught them to hold onto their hard-earned money, but the pandemic taught them to YOLO-spend as soon as they could. There’s also these generations’ unique awareness that they’re spending a considerable amount of money on their friends and family’s marital milestones, potentially strengthening the urge to spend on themselves. Needless to say, brands and consumers are trying to figure out what to do with the roughly $450 billion of worth of Gen Z/Millennial singles’ spending power.  Most articles written about singles and their financial status take the angle that singles are stressed and far worse off financially than if they were partnered. On the whole, however, Gen Z and Millennials are accumulating wealth at record rates, so once again the tension strikes between cost-consciousness and the desire to splurge. We’ve seen brands and retailers successfully speak to parents. Take US baby clothing brand Monica + Andy’s compassionate blog post telling moms to “treat themselves” with a long list of indulgences offered by mom-owned brands. Mom Water literally created an alcoholic beverage brand implicitly targeting moms, thanks to its name. With singles, retailers have been less successful at connecting. A few retailers, like Walmart, have curated Galentine’s Day assortments, but otherwise, retailers’ most frequent attempts at appealing to singles have mainly been offering Singles Day discounts, which anyone could leverage. Retailers should be inspired by how brands are speaking to parents, celebrating singles year-round, and acknowledging the complexities that come with shopping for one. Messaging to singles beyond Valentine’s Day and Singles Day would also align with Gen Z and Millennials’ history of embracing singledom. Single-serve meals, while convenient for those providing solely for themselves, don’t achieve the level of innovation and resonance that brands could reach with this audience. Further, with modern dating culture facing tons of backlash and criticism, brands would be wise to speak to this cohort in ways that define them as more than uncoupled. Retailers would do well to support singles in the pursuit of adventure and enjoyment, celebrating their relationship status rather than lamenting it.  Here are some examples of singles math and how brands and retailers can help this group of consumers more comfortably save and spend on themselves. Singles math: Justifying ordering a meal because buying all the ingredients to make the meal would cost just as much, and then the remaining perishable ingredients would likely go to waste. Subscribing to a clothing rental service because buying new ‘going out clothes’ that consumers want to wear only once isn’t cost-effective. Booking a trip to visit a friend because most of the season’s travel has been for weddings and a portion of paychecks should, on principle, go back to oneself, visiting places on one’s personal travel priority list. How brands can celebrate singles  Salt Escapes is a global travel company that builds trips for fitness enthusiasts to aspirational destinations around the world. Each day’s itinerary includes a group workout and options for continuing to be active or relax. The brand, clearly aware of the ages and life stages of its intended audience, intentionally communicates to potential escapers not to be intimidated by the idea of signing up alone: “Most of our guests come solo and are in their 30s, but we welcome all adventurous souls to explore incredible destinations, stay in jaw-dropping private villas, workout on stunning beaches around the world, and make unforgettable memories with new friends.” The nod to the ability to make new friends also speaks to the Gen Z/Millennial singles’ unique need at this particular time – something other brands would be wise to replicate. For brands that aren’t designing dreamy vacations, there are still plenty of opportunities to turn spending into more of a destination geared towards singles in search of the missing ‘third place.’ Assortment launches, collaborations and partnerships already lend themselves well to appointment retail, but occasions must be created in stores, other physical spaces, and online specifically for singles if that’s the intended audience. Retailer apps or websites could host online games digitally for individual consumers on a regular basis, where winners would be awarded a discount, exclusive product, or other perk. Building in matching algorithms based on shopping history to link these individuals, allowing them to compete as teams, could be a fun added layer to online events. Grocery brands could incorporate calculators into virtual channels that build shopping lists for individuals so they can cook single servings of their favorite restaurant meals in the most cost-effective, least wasteful ways. In apparel and accessories, brands could set up chat communities for consumers to upload pictures of how they’re thinking of styling items before a date and get real-time help from other singles while getting ready. Similarly, carving out space for singles to join ‘get ready with me’ livestreams together to hype one another up pre-date would build the sense of community and relationship many consumers are seeking to have with other patrons when their sense of identity aligns with the brand for which they’re shopping. In the physical realm, brands could hold certain shopping hours specifically for singles. Consumers could receive a free gift or be granted a longer return window if they make a new friend while there.  Hosting content creators who primarily create for singles at shopping pop-ups is another option, but if retailers intend to simultaneously play matchmaker, they’ll have to host multiple content creators with different demographics at once. Retailers could also collaborate with other spaces and services (such as gyms or ride shares) to offer discounts on those services when sporting the brand. For example, a fitness apparel brand takes some money off a single person’s monthly gym membership for every day that month the consumer is wearing the brand to the gym. Or, there’s a ride discount for singles wearing a particular brand when using the ride provider en route to a date.  In today’s world, where loneliness is a more often talked about collective feeling, it’s extremely timely and resonant for brands to show up for singles. They are increasingly aware and proud of their relationship status, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to meet like-minded others. Thus, the key for retailers lies in crafting experiences and establishing incentives that recognize that mindset, rewarding the solo shopping mission and single lifestyle. This story first appeared in the September 2024 issue of Inside Retail US magazine.