How to target Gen Z?

Who are Gen Z? The demographic after Millennials, Gen Z are born between the mid-1990s to early 2000s, meaning that the current cohort range from teens to young adults in their early twenties.

There have been a number of labels attached: digital natives, glued to their devices, social over physical, and lacking in brand loyalty…

It’s easy to paint a somewhat undesirable picture of the newest generation to come into spending power, but don’t underestimate their influence. The youth of today definitely flexed their political muscle in the recent General Election, in what the Guardian has dubbed a “youthquake” of increased turnout. They have a strong voice, and want to use it.

And their worth? A cool £16.5bn, as reported by Mintel last year. By 2020, Generation Z will account for 40% of all consumers. (And you thought you’d only just figured out Millennials).

So, how to tap into this market and capture their attention?

Getting the message across

The average Gen Z-er has the attention span of about eight seconds. They have grown up at a time when they’re presented with media and messaging from all angles, and have therefore adapted to quickly scanning and devouring large amounts of information.

This means that video messaging is more and more convenient to serve their needs. Nearly all of Gen Z use YouTube, and half of them can’t live without it.

In a time when email subscription is being challenged by new data laws, and unsubscribing has reached a record level, brands are consistently fighting for success in this channels. Most (90%) consumers have taken themselves off retailer mailing lists in the last year, and 24% of those surveyed said they had unsubscribed from a retailer because the messages they received were irrelevant – and 15% said retailers never sent them relevant offers or updates.

Gen Z is also pushing transparency and honesty over the perfectly preened post. 77% of teens today prefer ads that show real people in real life situations, and expect brands to depict people like them — who look like them and share their beliefs — in their creative messaging.

The battle for newness

This point relates to your product as much as the content and communications. If you’re checking your phone relentlessly throughout the day, you’re expecting to see something different. That’s why Gen Z demand more new content than any other demographic.

ASOS, for example, is one of our customers that is continually refreshing their “New In” pages, with hundreds of new styles added every single week.

As well as product and content newness, new technology is also on the agenda. More than half of Generation Z are either already using or interested in voice ordering; more than two-thirds are interested in social media purchasing; and 75% would sign up to subscription fashion services.

To sum up, the title of this blog is the key: ensure that the targeting is correct, and the rest should follow. Thinking of targeting Gen Z, but want to ensure you’re operating with the best technology platforms? See how we could help you deliver better omnichannel customer experience with Merret.

Sources available on request.