Having grown up seamlessly jumping between the physical and the digital world, for Gen-Zers, the boundaries between our physical and online lives are blurred. Virtual realms with seemingly endless creative opportunities quickly became our playground of choice, moving from building structures with colorful blocks to building castles in Minecraft worlds. Born between 1997 and 2012, our generation was raised alongside the digital age. We quickly went from Tamagotchis to Brick-Breaker on our parents’ Blackberrys to creating our first social media accounts on our very own iPod Touches by the time we hit Middle School. We have been scrolling through Instagram and using Snapchat filters for as long as we can remember. Thus, Gen-Zers are, above all, true digital natives.
As we now move through our teens and early-twenties, we represent not only a significant chunk of today’s consumers (40% of the total US consumers) but also consumers who are willing to spend (with around $360 billion in disposable income). As a result, there is a huge opportunity for brands that can successfully capture the elusive attention of Gen-Zers (and our dollars), but this is by no means an easy task. Not only is there an ever-growing sea of content competing for our attention, but our expectations are high. While we still look for good, quality products and convenience, Gen-Zers demand much more from businesses.
Scrolling through hundreds of posts a day, our eyes are trained to spend less than half a second on each post before moving on to the next. We’re used to high stimulation, and we won’t wait around for it. Low-quality images that aren’t aesthetically pleasing are an immediate write-off. Unless something really grabs our attention, we don’t bother. There’s so much out there that you have to be selective. Quality content is essential for businesses hoping to snag even just a minute of our attention.
Consistency is another key aspect of a business’s online presence. We follow people we relate to and have a very clear idea of what we’re looking for. In fact, 46% of college students polled said they intentionally interact with content (like, comment, or share) to train social media platform algorithms to give them the content they want to see. With an endless range of content out there, we won’t risk clogging up our feed. Thus, even if you have quality content, if your aesthetic is muddled, or you produce content that isn’t 100% suited for your target audience, odds are you won’t get a follow. With dwindling organic visibility on social media, which has dropped to around 5%, businesses must know how to target their ideal consumers.
To keep themselves relevant, businesses must invest in consistent, thumb-stopping, and high-quality content that signals to Gen-Zers they’re worth more than a quick glance.
As much as we are online creatures, we are still human, and we crave the je-ne-sais-quoi of the human touch that AI just can’t replicate. Best exemplified by Wendy’s viral Twitter account with 3.8 million followers to date, we want our brands to feel authentic and to feel personal. A spunky personality and quick wit show us there’s a person behind the account, and its meme-ability makes it all the better. Brands should strive to add a human touch to their digital presence, whether it’s showcasing their brand’s strong personality or the people behind the product.
Our generation has a distinct lack of trust in institutions. So it’s important that brands understand our need for transparency. According to Morning Consul’s “Gen-Z Worldview Tracker”, across two months the average trust in large institutions dropped 10% (from 56% to 46%). While the largest drops were seen in the police and criminal justice, U.S. government, and news media, all brands (both small and large) are increasingly subject to the scrutiny of Gen-Z consumers. Dubbed the “True Gen,” we investigate the practices and driving force of businesses. Preferring TikTok and YouTube over media outlets, social media platforms serve as our coffee shops. We disseminate information quickly online, where almost half (49%) of our cohort gets their news. We emphasize social responsibility and will unapologetically demand positive social reform, which can have implications for businesses (particularly those who aren’t upfront about their practices). While earning our trust is difficult and requires time and effort, it can be lost with one viral post. Particularly skilled at detecting insincerity, our information-savvy generation is on a mission to uncover the truth, and our desire for accountability is unrelenting.
Brands no longer have the option of remaining neutral on societal issues. Brands unwilling to take a clear stance on social justice issues, even out of fear of losing some consumers, leave a bitter taste in our mouths. Understanding the power of our dollar, we buy from brands that align with our values and whose practices embody them. Our relationship with brands goes beyond making a purchase. We want to relate to the brands we buy from and know that the products we buy reflect our vision of progress for the world. Our purchases are an important way in which we participate in implementing important social change. Thus, we care about brands caring, and we support brands that support causes we support.
Gen-Zers don’t just want to make a purchase. As consumers, we look beyond the product. We demand everything from content and personality to transparency and accountability from the brands we shop from. From product to digital presence to social reform, brands hoping to capture Gen-Z consumers should be ready to deliver on all fronts.
