Pacsun has launched a shoppable social commerce app targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha users, as retailers continue to try out creator-led and owned digital platforms.
The app, called PS Community Hub, combines content creation, community engagement and ecommerce, the retailer said. Users can browse and purchase Pacsun products, while creators can earn commissions and gain access to greater visibility and potential collaborations with the youth-focused apparel brand.
Pacific Sunwear of California LLC, also known as Pacsun, is No. 232 in the Top 2000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest North American online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. In the database, PacSun appears in the database’s Apparel & Accessories category.
How the Community Hub app fits into Pacsun’s broader strategy
Pacsun announced its PS Community Hub in January. It also promoted the launch during a discussion on Gen Z and Gen Alpha research at the National Retail Federation’s NRF 2026 conference.
The new initiative reflects a broader shift in Pacsun’s retail strategy, said CEO Brieane Olson, who co-led the discussion.
“The creation of PS Community Hub demonstrates Pacsun’s purpose-driven retail strategy, putting creators and our youth community at the heart of our plan to fuel sustainable growth, cultural relevance, and innovation in retail,” Olson said in an announcement about the launch.
Rolled out in the first week of January, PS Community Hub is positioned as a co-creation and social connection platform. Pacsun opted for this direction instead of pursuing a traditional retail or loyalty app. The retailer described it as “a first-to-market concept.” If it is successful, Pacsun would like to see it reshape how consumers and brands interact at a fundamental level.
“The app delivers an immersive ecosystem where customers, creators, and brands come together to collaborate, share authentic perspectives on fashion and lifestyle, and actively co-create what they want rather than being told what to wear,” said Shirley Gao, the retailer’s chief digital and information officer, in a released statement. “This is not just a new app; it’s a new model for how fashion connects, listens, and evolves.”
On the creator side, PS Community Hub includes tools for content publishing, personal brand building and affiliate-style monetization. Pacsun said top-performing users may also have opportunities to co-create capsule collections, linking creator engagement to product development.
At the same time, the platform incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) across content moderation, personalization, customer service and analytics. The capabilities are meant to support a mobile experience “designed specifically for Pacsun’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha customers, the most digitally fluent generations to date,” Gao said.
Insights from the company’s 2025 Youth Report also helped inform the initiative, Olson explained, as Pacsun looks to better align its digital strategy with how younger consumers discover and shop online.
Why Gen Z and Gen Alpha are central to the strategy
Pacsun’s 2025 Youth Report, which included contributions from GlobalData Analytics, highlighted a growing overlap between content creation, identity and commerce among Gen Z and Gen Alpha shoppers.
More than one in five young consumers (22%) surveyed said they aspire to be or are already pursuing a career as a content creator or influencer, a figure that rises to 28% among Gen Alpha, according to the report.
That behavior increasingly influences purchasing decisions. Three-quarters of Gen Alpha respondents said they bought clothing specifically to create social media content within the past year.
The report also pointed to TikTok’s role in product discovery. About 66% of youth respondents said they use the platform to keep up with current events or pop culture trends. TikTok users were also more likely than average to say social media helps them discover brands they did not previously know.
At the same time, digital shopping continues to gain share. In the U.S., non-store retail spending on clothing is expected to outpace in-store growth in the coming years, Pacsun said, with 57% of youth respondents saying they spend more than 40% of their apparel budgets online.
Even so, the report found younger shoppers remain highly value-conscious, with 56% saying they consistently look for deals and and 36% seeking out coupons before purchasing.
Digital-first shopping doesn’t mean stores don’t matter
While Gen Z and Gen Alpha spend more time shopping online, their path to purchase has become increasingly fragmented.
Younger consumers often discover products on social media, compare prices in apps and complete purchases in physical stores, according to PwC’s 2025 Holiday Outlook survey.
Released in September, the survey found that 37% of Gen Z shoppers had planned to shop in-store more frequently during the most recent holiday season, up from 27% a year earlier. Many cited the ability to see and touch products, experience store environments and find promotions.
Social media continues to influence that journey. About 43% of Gen Z shoppers said they planned to use social platforms to discover gifts during the 2025 holiday season. That compared with 30% of shoppers overall. Others said they would use social media to research products (39% versus 27%). A smaller share said they would compare items before purchasing (32% versus 22%).
Pacsun expands its physical footprint
Against that backdrop, Pacsun is pairing social commerce with renewed investment in physical stores, citing double-digit growth in in-store traffic.
In December, the retailer announced plans to open 20 to 35 new stores over the next three years. Nine leases have already been signed for 2026. Pacsun opened at least nine U.S. locations in 2025, marking its first domestic store expansion in nearly two decades. The company is also expanding internationally. Its first overseas store scheduled to open this spring at Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates.
In an interview with Forbes, Olson said the retailer is seeing interest in physical retail among younger consumers since the pandemic.
“They’re drawn to having the in-store experience and the feeling of being able to experience the brand in full 3-D,” she said.
That interest is shaping Pacsun’s store strategy. Olson said the retailer has been investing in experiential elements. In doing so, its stores have been increasingly designed to support activities such as livestreaming and content creation.
“Having those experiences and moments are important,” Olson told Forbes, “when you think of the full brand expression and when you think about the intersection of fashion with music and art.”
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