Auction houses are benefiting from an effort to bring in younger bidders, and they’re biting. Josh Pullan, head of global luxury at Sotheby’s, says that a third of its clients buying watches, handbags and spirits are under 40, an increase from previous years as the category performs well among young buyers. At Phillips, Gen Z and millennial clients have grown 56% in the last five years, says worldwide head of jewelry Benoît Repellin. According to figures released by Christie’s, in 2025 so far, 39% of female bidders and buyers have been millennials or Gen Zs, up from 32% in 2024. Among men, 32% were millennials or Gen Zs, compared with 28% the previous year.
Part of this growth is driven by more expansive merchandise, in terms of both category and price, making auction houses more approachable by expanding their physical and digital reach, and by investing in educational content and cultivated collector communities.
The luxury auction category has expanded to include sneakers, sport collectibles like Cristiano Ronaldo’s jerseys (sold by Sotheby’s in Saudi Arabia), wines and spirits, cars, couture pieces (for example, the archival Ralph & Russo that Bonhams will offer during Dubai Watch Week), and fashion accessories.
Broadening the spectrum has not only helped to attract a younger cohort from vaster geographies, but has also kept the core art business alive, as younger collectors move more nimbly across categories, according to Pullan.
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