Why Values?
Demographics tell you who your shoppers are. Values tell you what they will do. Here is why that distinction matters more than anything else in fashion retail today.
Demographics Are a Map of Who.
Values Are a Map of Why.
For decades, fashion brands have segmented their audiences by age, income, gender, and geography. These are useful descriptors. But they do not predict behavior.
Two women, both 38 years old, both earning $120,000 a year, both living in the same city — can have completely opposite responses to the same marketing message. One buys immediately. The other walks away. Demographics cannot explain why. Values can.
The Valuegraphics research database — built on 1,000,000+ surveys across 152 languages — proves that shared values predict shared behavior far more accurately than shared demographics.
- • Age range
- • Income bracket
- • Geographic location
- • Gender identity
- • Education level
Why they buy. What they care about. How to reach them.
- • What motivates purchase
- • Which messages resonate
- • Which channels to use
- • What builds loyalty
- • What drives advocacy
Everything you need to win the sale and keep the customer.
How Valuegraphics Works
The Valuegraphics methodology was developed by David Allison and his team after surveying more than one million people across 152 languages. It identifies 56 core human values that drive behavior — and measures which ones are most active in any given audience.
Survey
1,000,000+ people surveyed across 152 languages. Respondents answer questions about their values, priorities, and what matters most in their lives — without being asked about products or brands.
Identify
56 core human values are identified and ranked for each audience. The data reveals which values are significantly elevated above the general population — these are the values that drive behavior.
Apply
The values data is translated into actionable intelligence for marketing, sales, and product development. Every recommendation is grounded in the data, not intuition.
The Research Is Clear.
Valuegraphics research has been featured in publications by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and dozens of industry publications.
The core finding is consistent: when brands align their messaging, products, and experiences with the values of their target audience, they see measurable improvements in engagement, trust, loyalty, and willingness to pay a premium price.
For premium fashion specifically, the data shows that the highest ROV gain is Loyalty (+27%) — the most commercially valuable outcome for any fashion brand.
Values-aligned brands earn 27% stronger loyalty from premium fashion shoppers.
Shoppers engage 21% more deeply with brands that reflect their values.
Values-aligned brands earn 20% more trust — the foundation of repeat purchase.
Shoppers are 18% more willing to pay a premium price for values-aligned brands.
David Allison & Valuegraphics
David Allison is the founder of Valuegraphics Research Company and the author of We Are All the Same Age Now and The Death of Demographics. His work has been featured by the ICSC, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and dozens of industry publications worldwide.
The Valuegraphics methodology has been applied across retail, real estate, healthcare, financial services, and dozens of other industries — always with the same result: values outperform demographics in predicting and influencing behavior.
LEARN MORE AT VALUEGRAPHICS.COM →Ready to Put the Data to Work?
Explore the full dataset, use the AI tools, or get in touch to commission a custom Valuegraphics study for your brand.