Marketing to Generation Z

02/02/2020 | Share:

It’s the year 2020. The generation following the millennials is now starting to enter the workforce and will soon have buying power. Depending on what you sell, this generation could very quickly become an audience that’s interested in what your business has to offer. It’s time to meet Generation Z.

Know Your Audience

Who are Generation Z? The post-millennial generation consists roughly of those born in the late 1990’s up to the early 2010’s. Notorious for having their eyes glued to their screens, this generation is the first to grow up in the digital age, never knowing life without the internet or mobile phones.

Those that are still currently in school will have been taught tech related topics at school, including basic coding and will have used the internet in their learning from a young age. They’ve also grown up with the rise of social media and this will have had a large influence on their lives.

When it comes to e-commerce especially, you need to bear their background in mind and how the internet and social media affects their communication and expectations. Compared with the older generations, there are some stark differences. Here are our tips for your e-commerce marketing strategy, targeted to members of Generation Z.

Mobile First

It should come as no surprise that you need to focus your efforts heavily on mobile. This generation are mobile natives and will have had a mobile device from a young age.

It’s likely their preferred method of interaction with your site and business. This means your website should run perfectly on mobile. Focus on making the mobile site run seamlessly as a first step.

Focus on Video Content

Video content is becoming more and more popular as the years go on, for all generations, so regardless of whether you are targeting Gen Z or not, it’s still worth investing in.

However, this is the generation that grew up with Youtube and then streaming services like Netflix. They’re less interested in traditional media such as TV, print or radio and spend more of their time watching on-demand content. Generation Z is also the biggest demographic for social media channels such as Snapchat and TikTok, which are both video-based platforms.

It becomes clear then, that this is a very video-centric demographic. Any advertisements or content you make should be targeted at places where Gen Zers go for video. Consider creating Youtube videos for a channel or video content for your site. Maybe even get familiar with some of the newer, less “traditional” social media channels to deliver content that your targeted audience will appreciate the most.

Grab attention quickly

As the internet and social media has grown, so has the amount of information and content available to us. With instant access to information or content all of their lives and a constant barrage of stimuli, members of gen Z have the lowest attention span of them all.

With so many people and businesses fighting for attention, you need to grab attention extremely quickly. You have about 8 seconds before Gen Z will lose interest in your landing page, video, social media post or ad if you don’t do something to grab attention.

Less Brand Loyalty

If you thought that grabbing their attention just once would be enough, then you might be mistaken! Time to up your digital marketing efforts once again!

Generation Z is the hardest to retain as customers. Whilst millennials appreciate the mechanics of a loyalty scheme, Generation Z prefers instant gratification. They’re used to obtaining information and content instantly, and this is no different when it comes to online shopping.

For the younger generation, it’s more important that a brand offers a good customer experience with speedy and frictionless transactions. If something doesn’t work or takes too long, they may go elsewhere (remember that 8-second attention span?).

However, this can actually be great news for smaller e-commerce businesses, as they’re able to better compete with bigger brands, provided their needs are met. In the age of social media, they’ll also gain a lot more exposure.

Sustainability

Unlike Baby Boomers and Generation X, Generation Z have grown up in a time where there is increased pressure on businesses to be sustainable and environmentally responsible. It is highly likely that this generation will have been taught in school about the issue of global warming.

This issue is therefore likely to be at the forefront of their mind and with good reason. After all, they are the ones inheriting the earth from the previous generations. Gen Zers value brands that are environmentally sustainable and have a positive impact on the world. If you’re just out to make money, they’re less likely to connect with you.

This is why we recommend doing your best as a business to consider the environment and then make noise about it! It’s not only good for the planet but it’s appealing to a growing audience demographic.

Increased interaction with brands

Generation Z value interaction with brands and like to feel that their comments and opinions matter. They grew up in the world of social media, where direct interaction with brands and celebrities can happen over the internet for everyone to see – something unheard of whilst previous generations were growing up.

They’re most likely to get in touch with your business via social media, chatbots and even WhatsApp, rather than the traditional approach of picking up the phone. Make sure your presence on these platforms is substantial enough to deal with customer queries and interaction.

Careful with their money

It’s important to remember that this generation grew up during the global recession and this potential influence on their upbringing means that they’re generally more responsible with their money, meaning it could take a lot more effort to market to them.

By being aware of the points above, you can hopefully understand the steps you can take to make your marketing more Gen Z friendly.