iGeneration, Gen Tech, Gen Wii, Centennials, Net Gen, Digital Natives, Plurals, Post-Millennials, Generation Z or Generation Zero… All of these are just different names for the generation of people born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s.
There are no clear boundaries when one generation ends and another begins. However, there are three factors that shape generations: parenting, economics and technology.
In other words, Gen Z is a demographic cohort that is brought up by Generations X and Y. This is a generation that does not remember a time without Internet, Social Media or cell phones and did not experience the economic crisis of the 1990s.
Generation Z: Consumer Behavior
8. Self-awareness and responsibility for own future
9. Unique identity and diversity
In 2019 Generation Z reached 32% of the global population. It is 2,56 Bln people that even outnumbered Millennials who make up only 31,5% of the Planet’s population today. What does it mean? It means that Net Gen will be the main economic force and companies must get ready for this.
So what makes them different?
“It’s like someone in the U.S. who was investing in China in the early 90s. There’s a huge opportunity here for companies that are willing to take some risk and bet on the future,”
Gregg Fisher, portfolio manager of the Gerstein Fisher Multi-Factor Growth Equity fund
By 2020 Gen Z will make 40% of all consumer shopping purchases, which is equal to $44 billion in buying power. Moreover, it is predicted that this generation is going to have an unmatched purchasing power estimated at $150 billion. Already nowadays, Generation Zero influences 93% of family spending [1].
What should brands know about iGeneration?
“I once opened my phone after being gone for one day, and I had 219 text messages,”
10-year-old Kiera [2]
Look carefully at the following numbers [3]:
Key Takeaway:
The way in which Generation Zero consumes information shows us that a mobile-first strategy should be a priority for those companies that see Generation Z as their target audience.
Here is how Coca-Cola is using this information.
In 2016, being a sponsor of the Olympic Games in Brazil, Coca Cola, as a part of their #ThatsGold campaign [4], targeted Brazilian teenagers (13 to 20 years old). Since not everyone can have an opportunity to buy tickets for the Olympic Games, Coca Cola wanted to make sure that nobody was left behind. Using Facebook Live videos and Instagram Stories, the company shared “gold moments” of the event in real time. The goal was to build up participation before the Games, engagement during the event and keep the vibes going after.
The Coca Cola Brazil Campaign reached 21 million teenagers. That’s 77% of the Brazilian teen population. 90% of those were reached on mobile.
Digital natives or iGeneration… even the name itself shows that they are closely acquainted with technology.
Source: Usertesting.com [5]
Being an advanced Internet user affects their consumer behavior. How?
Key Takeaway:
Although Gen Z is digitally educated generation, it is also very demanding and impatient. They have high expectations and low tolerance for errors and mistakes. Visually oriented design, fast loading speed, seamless experience on different devices, shareability, gamification and at the same time simplicity and clearness - this is what Digital Native generation expects.
Open-source software is an example of how some companies are successfully using high technology erudition of Generation Z to their own advantage. Among such companies are world technology leaders as Adobe, Facebook, Google, Huawei, IBM, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netflix and many others.
The attention span of an average representative of Generation Z is only 8 seconds [6]. They use so-called “8-second filter” to decide whether they like what they see or not. In comparison, Millennials have a 12-second attention span.
Jean Twenge, psychology professor at San Diego State University, while studying student laptop habits noticed that students were switching between tasks every 19 seconds. More than 75% of students closed their computer windows in less than 1 minute [5].
Reduction of the average concentration span is not surprising. Gen Z is a multitasking generation, all the time switching between different devices and platforms. Modern teenagers are using about 5 screens (phone, desktop, tablet, TV, iPod or any other portable music player) simultaneously while the previous generation had a maximum of 3.
Key Takeaway:
With Gen Z every second is precious. It is absolutely normal that in the information-rich environment we have to allocate the attention in the most efficient way. Short, personalized and interactive content might help to grab a user’s attention.
Realizing this trend, companies like McDonald's, Pandora, 4F, Citi Bank, Media Markt, TUI, Travelist, Interia, DailyMail, Business Insider etc. found an ideal solution - web push notifications.
A web push notification is a permission-based marketing tool that enables brands to send short messages to subscribers directly to their desktops/mobile screens even if the user is on the website of a competitor.
This technology:
In recent years influencer marketing has proven to be highly effective in terms of advertising products or services. Gen Z is not an exception. However, reality & authenticity go first.
63% of the Post-Millennial generation trusts more real people than pictures of the celebrities and a perfect life [7]. Opinions of friends and peers are more valuable and has greater impact on their final decision to buy.
Key Takeaway:
Real people, real data, real reviews and authentic experiences - this is what Generation Z expects from brands. Publish user-generated content or partner with influencers that share your values.
Have a look at Sprint and its #LiveUnlimited campaign, where the company partnered with influencers whose lifestyle is in line with the main idea of the campaign. As a result, it received huge social media coverage. This video presented all influencers that took part in Sprints campaign.
Although Generation Zero is 25% more likely to provide their personal details in order to receive personalized offers, they still care about the security of their data. Gen Z is a cohort of people that are more likely to read Terms and Conditions or Privacy Policy.
For example, after a data-sharing scandal that involved Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, almost half of young users deleted their accounts [8]. That’s why platforms that allow users to stay anonymous or make temporary posts (Snapchat, Instagram, Whisper) are more popular among teenagers.
It is time. #deletefacebook
— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018
Key Takeaway:
It is important for companies to find a balance between personalization and privacy. Any deviation in one side or the other can lead to defeat.
Therefore, technologies that, on the one hand, allow the user to remain anonymous and, on the other, allow companies to provide personalized experience for their website visitors are gaining popularity. It’s the classic “Win-Win” situation.
Web push notifications fit perfectly to these criteria. After a user subscribes to receive notifications, he is assigned with a unique id, no names or emails. Thanks to behavior tracking, it is possible to send highly customized content to your subscribers. Moreover, in the subscription form users can select topics they would like to hear from you about.
Generation Z values clarity and simplicity in everything whether it is an online website or a collection of clothes.
Do you remember the times when brands aimed to make their logos bigger and more visible? There was even a meme that the logo of Ralph Lauren was going to be so big that at some point it would replace the person :)
Today we can observe the opposite situation. YouTube is full of video tutorials about how to remove brand logos. Companies such as Nike, Adidas, Banana Republic, Puma etc. are trying to hide their brand tag using tagless labels [9].
Casual and minimalistic style in the clothing is on the rise.
Brands are simplifying their logos:
Key Takeaway:
Simple design, fewer steps, fewer clicks, less text to read… Remember Digital Natives don’t have time—their attention span is only 8 seconds. Less is more!
Even though Generation Z is a technical generation, they do care about our planet and the future of its inhabitants.
In 2018 a huge protest against climate change and pollution was organized by a 15-year old Swedish schoolgirl.
“I feel like I am dying inside if I don’t protest. Sweden may be well organized to recycle our trash, for example, but we do nothing to cut the amount of plastic bottles and packaging in the first place. We need drastic change.”
Greta Thunberg, 15 y.o. student
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