With Gen Z changing into a drive to be reckoned with amongst shoppers, manufacturers should rise as much as their expectations. And let me inform you, they’re fairly excessive, which isn’t any shock since we’re speaking in regards to the first digital native era of shoppers.
To assist manufacturers determine what communication channels to make use of and craft promotional messages that make an influence, the advert design platform Creatopy surveyed over 1,100 Gen Zers between the ages of 18 and 26 residing within the U.S. on their procuring and on-line habits and preferences. The aim was to know Gen Z higher and give you concrete details that manufacturers can reap the benefits of once they need to market their merchandise to them. Curious what they found?
Table of contents
General Gen Z traits & stats
Before moving into the survey findings, let’s go over some primary details about Gen Z.
1. They’re essentially the most numerous era in American historical past
As you may know, Gen Zers are people born between 1996 and 2012. What won’t be as well-known is that they’re essentially the most numerous era in American historical past when it comes to ethnicity and race, predicted to turn out to be majority nonwhite by 2026.
2. They aren’t lazy
Although the media typically portrays them as not captivated with work, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that round 7.3 million Gen Z people work full time within the U.S. yearly, plus 6.3 million are part-time workers.
3. They make up 40% of the worldwide client inhabitants
No marvel Gen Z’s spending energy has reached $360 billion. They already account for 40% of global consumers and are anticipated to make up over 41 million of U.S. digital patrons by the tip of 2022.
Gen Z procuring habits
With Gen Z having such huge spending energy, one may ask how precisely this era outlets. Do they generally tend to spend roughly than millennials? What makes them want to purchase something? Here are some answers.
4. They have stable sources of income
When asked whether they have a stable source of income, over 70% of respondents answered yes. This is not to say the rest have no income at all. Just think about it: many Gen Zers are still students, so they rely on side hustles (small business ideas here) like reselling items, influencer work, or walking dogs to earn money. A lot of that income also goes into savings, whether investing in crypto or wiring the money into retirement accounts.
5. They’re not impulsive buyers
So, how does Gen Z spend their dollars? Well, it might come as a surprise, but they are not impulsive buyers. Even though around 50% shop online monthly, the same percentage make a purchase when they need something, and 33% look for good deals and buy when there are sales.
One explanation for this could be the 2008 financial crisis, during which Gen Zers witnessed their parents and families facing economic uncertainty, which eventually shaped their perception of money and protecting their income as they grew up. It goes to show that just because Gen Z found many smart ways to earn money, that doesn’t mean they are quick to spend it on temporary joy.
So, Gen Z is a diverse crowd with strong opinions on various social issues. Naturally, they want to purchase from brands that get involved in improving society. Whether that means encouraging recycling, protecting the environment, or taking a stand on equality and racial justice, it’s up to each brand. The important thing is to be genuine about it and commit to it wholeheartedly because if there’s one thing that Gen Z can easily spot, it’s fake activism and virtue signaling.
Gen Z social media usage & preferences
This tech-savvy generation of consumers is used to being connected to the internet from an early age. It’s obvious when looking at how they relate to social media.
Most of the survey respondents spend 1- 5 hours per day on their feeds. Only around 11% of them spend less than one hour on social media.
But keep in mind they don’t just use social media to communicate and stay up to date with the latest news; they also use it to do research on products or brands and make purchase decisions. Countless studies have shown this, like this one depicted by Marketing Charts.
The draw back of that is that their consideration span can be shorter, which means that your model has a mere few seconds to make a long-lasting impression. You have to seek out further artistic methods to make use of that very small window of time.
9. They favor YouTube, TikTookay & IG
YouTube, TikTookay, and Instagram are the most well-liked social media platforms amongst Gen Z. It is perhaps as a result of they dabble in content material creating themselves or as a result of they devour twice as a lot video content material as Millennials, and that is the place they discover it.
That mentioned, your enterprise could need to look into YouTube advertisements or natural YouTube content material (lots of YouTube video ideas here).
10. Facebook & Snapchat are much less widespread
Snapchat and Facebook are much less widespread with Generation Z—they nonetheless get used, however not as a lot because the frontrunners. These figures alone show that, particularly with regards to Gen Z, investing time, cash, and energy into social media promoting ought to be a prime precedence for manufacturers in 2022 and past. After all, step one to reaching your audience is to be on the similar place they’re at.
Marketing to Gen Z: What works & what flops
Being on-line on a regular basis, Gen Z is well accessible, however that doesn’t imply any sort of commercial simply sways them. Your enterprise must put real effort into understanding their preferences.
11. Wokevertising flops 👎🏾
Stiff branded content material and “wokevertising” have zero probabilities of profitable over Gen Z. They need manufacturers to speak their language and will reject any performative action. Being the first digital native generation of consumers, they’ve learned how to spot inauthenticity and will not hesitate to dismiss whatever comes across as fake, irrelevant, misleading, or disingenuous.
12. UGC works 👍🏾
Instead, what does work, and what your business should have a go at, is user-generated content, including that of influencers, as Gen Zers are more likely to form authentic connections with them.
An Instagram repost of a repost of a repost…the ultimate UGC.
13. Visually captivating ads work 👍🏻
It’s all about trust with Gen Z, so they appreciate ads that are true to a brand’s core values. However, creative and visually captivating ads will also spark their interest.
14. Clickbaity ads flop 👎🏻
On the flip side, Gen Zers dislike clickbaity ads or ads that are too long because they lack the patience to watch them. Disruptive ads are just as bad an idea and should be replaced by ads with a native feel.
15. Video AND static ads work 👍🏽
When asked to choose between static and video ads, the responses were almost equally divided, which goes to show that both of these advertising channels can work wonders if used right. Gen Z might consume more video content on social media, but they don’t necessarily prefer video ads to static ones.
16. TV & print work too 👍🏽
Still, the biggest surprise came when they revealed they still trust traditional advertising above other forms. TV and print are alive and kicking.
17. Personal data flops 👎
Gen Z does not appreciate ads that rely on personal data. Let’s be real, most of us don’t, but the digital native consumers care more about their privacy than other generations. 60% of respondents would not give personal data for a more personalized experience, and 75% believe ads that rely on personal data are invasive.
18. Transparency works 👍
This goes back to the importance of trust. If brands want Gen Z to trust them, they have to ease up on the use of personal data, or at the very least, commit to being completely transparent about it.
How to market to Gen Z: Key takeaways
- Trust, trust, trust. Gen Z can recognize inauthenticity when they see it. If brands want to appeal to Gen Z, they need to start building a relationship based on trust.
- Inclusivity and relatability. To set up belief, manufacturers should converse Gen Z’s language and perceive its values. It’s time to give attention to extra inclusive promoting and work with individuals (whether or not they’re influencers from exterior or workers of the corporate) which are a part of Gen Z.
- In-person connections. As a lot as Gen Z is aware of about expertise and is immersed within the on-line world, they nonetheless worth in-person communication. Brands ought to give attention to offering hybrid experiences via customer-first cross-channel advertising.
- Never underestimate the ability of an excellent deal. Gen Z is aware of the way to search for an incredible low cost and isn’t an enormous fan of retail costs, so manufacturers have to tailor their sale methods accordingly.
Want extra Generation Z traits & stats?
Gen Z represents a big a part of at this time’s shoppers. If they’re in your target market and if you would like them to purchase your services or products, it’s good to take heed to them.
Gen Z is the primary digitally native era that spends the vast majority of their time on-line and has a steady revenue. But additionally they care about society and are keen to assist manufacturers whose values align with their very own.
Brands who perceive what makes them distinctive from millennials and regulate their advertising methods accordingly are those that will reach the long term.
You can download Creatopy’s whitepaper based on the survey and discover all the findings here.
About the creator
Monica Aldea is a Content Marketing Specialist with a deep love for writing. Monica began as an search engine optimisation copywriter engaged on touchdown pages for residences for hire. She now writes academic weblog articles and guides about promoting and advertising tendencies as a part of the group at Creatopy.