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Every generation has its unique habits, aspirations and wants, and Gen Z is no different. Generation Z (Gen Z), also known as post-Millenials or the i-generation, refers to the group of people that were born after 1995. They are transforming how shopping, both online and in-store, is conducted.
A large part of Generation Z is in its mid-teens and early 20s. And, as most marketers know, that is the age range to win customers for decades. Finally, to put numbers to it, Gen Z makes up approximately 25% of the U.S. population and directly and indirectly consumes roughly $40,000,000,000 in goods and services – and they figure will only continue to grow as Gen Z leaves college and joins the workforce.
Gen Z has grown up with computers, software, smart devices and the Internet touching nearly every aspect of their lives. Gen Z can’t recall a time when there wasn’t an Internet, and most would stare at a rotary phone or a corded phone as a strange antique.
Thanks in large part to the Internet and technology, Gen Z looks for great value but also holds high expectations of their shopping experience and the quality of the products and services they purchase. These expectations, of great deals and high quality, are typically incongruent. However, some online retailers have been able to bring the two expectations into closer alignment – but that is for another blog.
Gen Z will not stick around long if a website or an app’s user experience isn’t intuitive. The number of clicks/taps needed to navigate to what they want must be carefully evaluated and kept to the bare minimum. Moreover, the UI interface must be logical in its layout and functional.
As stated earlier, Gen Z has grown up surrounded by smart devices and technology. Moreover, a majority of Gen Z has had access to high-speed Internet since they were born. They do not know what a dial-up speed means. This expectation of fast access – downloads, uploads, and functionality – must be achieved to meet their expectations. To ensure a rapid and smooth experience with fast download times, optimize your site and app for speed. Look at your bandwidth and server speed for starters. You don’t want to lose a shopper once they are on your site or app because of lagging response times.
Gen Z moves away from underperforming sites and apps faster than other generations. According to studies from IBM, ForeSee, and The National Retail Federation, approximately 60% of Gen Z will avoid websites and apps with antiquated navigation or slow response times. We are talking about just a few seconds (or nano seconds) of inadequate response, and they will be on another company’s site.
Now that we have a better understanding of Gen Z’s demographics, online shopping habits, we will outline why digital marketing including social media is vital to connect with this group.
If you thought Millenials used social media, then you haven’t see Gen Z. Gen Z has been a first adopter of many platforms to connect and share their lives, consume content and receive an education. In fact, Gen Z spends over 70% of their free time on a device and connected to the Internet.
Because of their comfort with online shopping and their “virtual” hangouts or community spaces, marketers must adapt to Gen Zs, behaviors and lifestyle to reach them. It’s often stated but bears repeating – learn about and know your customers.
Gen Z has been born into a world with devices small enough to fit in a pocket. These devices have thousands of times the computing power than past generations. For Gen Z, this technology is just second nature to them.
Online businesses are feeling the emergence and influence of Gen Z on revenues. To maximize access to and success with Gen Z keep this points in mind:
At IMPROZ we team with clients to help them maximize the value of their online advertising experience. We are customer focused and use data to build and analyze traffic, demographics, psychographics and performance. If you are interested in connecting with Gen Z, contact us to learn more.
