We all know that different generations shop differently. Generation Z is no different.
A couple of months ago, I wrote an article about why it’s important to define which generation you’re marketing to before you develop a marketing plan. You can read the entire article here, but the general idea is that each generation consumes and accesses information differently and interprets it differently. That means, advertising that you create for Millennials probably won’t work the same for Baby Boomers.
Generation Z
The up and coming generation is Generation Z, sometimes called the New Silent Generation. For this article, we’re going to call them anyone born in the year 2000 and later.
That means their members are just starting to come into their own. The oldest members are turning 20 this year and that means they’re starting to become a significant part of the consumer landscape.
Things to Know About Generation Z
To market to an audience, you have to know a little about them, so here are a few key things you want to know about Generation Z.
Generation Z is the next big thing, even bigger than Millennials
Generation Z is massive. According to Bloomberg, Generation Z makes up more than a third of the 7.7 billion people in the world. For those who are counting, Millennials make up approximately 31.5% of the world’s population.
Generation Z takes connectivity to a whole new level
While some Millennials grew up in the world of dial-up internet, that’s a foreign concept to members of Generation Z. They’re used to cell phones, high-speed internet, and more than 100 channels on the television. For them, it’s all about connectivity.
IBM’s Institute for Business Value did a study in association with the National Retail Federation and found that if you want to connect with one of their members, you have to go online.
– 74% spend their free time online;
– 66% of the time they’re using more than one device at a time to connect;
– 75% will use a smartphone instead of a computer or another device to connect.
Generation Z has money and it’s shopping online
Like most teens living at home, Generation Z has money. LinkedIn found that the average member receives $16.90 per week in allowance. That’s $73.23 per month and $878.80 per year. That’s a good chunk of change.
To get to that money, you have to be online. Criteo found that over 32% of their transactions happen over a mobile device. That “Buy Now” button on Amazon’s app is there for a reason.
Marketing to Generation Z
So, what does all this mean for you and your business? If I had the secret formula for marketing to this generation, I would be a billionaire. That said, I do have some insights.
Be mobile and fast
If Generation Z is mobile you have to be too. That means your website must be mobile-friendly, you cannot put it off any longer. Most website creation software like Squarespace and WordPress will let you test out your website looks in desktop mode and mobile mode. Some will also let you look at how it looks on a tablet. Do not ignore these views, they are important.
You also don’t want to overload your site with large picture files and too much data. According to that same IBM study, 60% of people in this generation will simply delete an app or leave a website if it is too slow to load.
Do not be a casualty of slow data.
Video is a must
As I said earlier, Generation Z is online almost all of the time. But what are they doing? According to Criteo, for at least 23 hours each week, they’re streaming video. We’re talking a whole part-time job’s worth of video. Be some of that video.
We’ve talked about this in previous posts but it’s worth revisiting, sometimes it’s as simple as taking an old blog post turning it into a quick one-minute video. Then you have two pieces of content that you can share on multiple platforms.
Social media is a must
The other thing Generation Z is staring at when they’re staring at their phones is social media. According to Business Insider, 62% of Generation Z check Instagram daily; 60% visit YouTube daily. If they’re there every day, then you need to be too.
The World Economic Forum offers more insight into this constant social media connectivity. It found that the average member logs onto social media for about two hours and 55 minutes each day!
Think about the future
And as you’re developing your plans, don’t forget to think about the future. Generation Z easily adapts to new technology and its always looking for the newest and best thing. You need to be prepared for that. According to Cognizant, 60% of them are likely to use Virtual Reality (VR) in the future and 52% expect that it will be used for online entertainment like videos or video games.
Written by Erika Towne