How to Market to Gen Z in 2024? Expectations and Characteristics of Generation Z

How in the world can a retailer market to Gen Z? Until Gen Alpha (born between 2010 and 2025) comes into their maturity, retailers are looking at the second youngest generation – those born between 1997 and 2012. They’re so different from millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers, so getting them to patronize your brand is easier said than done. It seems everything retailers tried failed – because of the assumption that whatever worked for millennials would work for Gen Z, too – a misnomer, to say the least. The eldest Gen Zers are 27 years old now, and they have very big ideas on how the world should be run. They’re often stereotyped as young people attached to their phones and breaking into TikTok dances at random, but there’s so much more to your Gen Z shoppers than meets the eye. Insider Intelligence anticipates that by 2025, Gen Z will make up more than 85% of the population. We look into the second-youngest generation, go deep into Gen Z characteristics, and find out what you can do to attract the attention and loyalty of your Gen Z consumers. Any savvy Amazon seller needs to consider this population’s specific needs, and start speaking to them in a language they understand.

Shall we get started?

How to Market to Gen Z: Understanding Typical Gen Z Characteristics and How They Differ From Millennials

Defining this Centennial generation might be easier if we compare millennials and Gen Z. According to the WGU Blog on Gen Z and the Workplace, there are some commonalities and some differences. So, although a blanket approach might work with Gen Z and millennials, conversion happens on a more micro level.

Market to Gen Z and Millennials at the same time: their commonalities

Here’s a list of things that Gen Z consumers and millennial consumers have in common – compared to other generations, that is:

1. Embracing technology: Both generations have grown up in a digital age and are highly proficient in using technology and social media platforms. Remember, they don’t remember a world without the internet.
2. Emphasizing social causes: Both Gen Z and millennials show a strong interest in social justice issues, environmental sustainability, and advocating for change. Social responsibility is a key driving factor for both generations.
3. Valuing diversity and inclusion: Both generations tend to embrace diversity and inclusivity, promoting acceptance of different cultures, races, and identities. Based on statistics, over 20% of Gen Z adults (aged 18 to 26) self-identify as LGBTQ+. Among Millennials (aged 27 to 42), nearly 10% identified as LGBTQ+. The figures dropped to under 5% for Generation X, 2% for Baby Boomers, and 1% for the Silent Generation.
4. Seeking authenticity: Gen Z and millennials value authenticity in brands and are skeptical of traditional advertising tactics, preferring genuine and transparent communication. It’s important to be transparent about company practices and values, and having a genuine purpose beyond profit. Young people today value brands that prioritize their needs, engage with them in meaningful ways, and humanize the communication. In order to build trust, it’s important for brands to be responsive to feedback and adaptable to change.
5. Embracing experiences over material possessions, contributing to the rise of the experience economy: This shift in consumer behavior is driven by a desire for meaningful connections, self-expression, and fulfillment. Experiences offer more value and satisfaction than owning material goods. So, these generations are likely to spend money on travel, dining out, attending events, or engaging in hobbies that enrich their lives. That’s not to say that they won’t buy your products; you just have to position your products in such a way that resonates with what Gen Z and millennials are looking for.
6. Flexibility in work arrangements: Both Gen Z and millennials are more likely to prioritize work-life balance and seek flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or freelancing. Havin these flexible arrangements allow them to adapt work to their individual lifestyles and preferences, such as education, family responsibilities, or personal passions. So, as a retailer, look for a product or service that caters to this wanderlust, such as accessories for smartphones that let them work while on the go. This combined generation prioritizes their free time; they know that there are only so many hours per day, and are unwilling to spend the bulk of that behind a desk.

Products that would resonate with both target markets would include eco-friendly products, unique artisanal products, personalized print-on-demand products, and the like.

Market to Gen Z specifically: they’re very unique

Generation Z kids and millennials aren’t identical, though.

• Digital Natives vs. Digital Pioneers: Gen Z are true digital natives, having grown up in an era where technology, particularly smartphones and social media, is ubiquitous. Gen Z are the most digitally connected and socially aware generation in the nation’s history. Millennials, on the other hand, experienced the rise of the internet during their formative years but adapted to it as digital pioneers.
• Worldview and Values: While both generations are diverse, Gen Z tends to be more socially conscious and politically active compared to millennials. They are more likely to advocate for social justice issues and environmental sustainability, often leveraging social media platforms for activism.
• Work Preferences: Gen Z employees prioritize job stability and financial security more than millennials, likely influenced by witnessing the economic challenges faced by their predecessors during the Great Recession. Millennials, on the other hand, often prioritize meaningful work and opportunities for personal growth. Interested in more? Check out Champagne Cruz – who provides a lighthearted, comedic, and slightly accurate perspective on the differences between the generations in the workforce.
• Communication Styles: Gen Z tends to prefer shorter, more visual forms of communication, such as memes and emojis, while millennials may lean towards longer-form written communication. Gen Z also gravitates towards platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, while millennials may favor Facebook and Instagram.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Gen Z exhibits a strong entrepreneurial spirit, with many aspiring to start their own businesses at a young age. Millennials are also entrepreneurial but may approach it with a different mindset, often seeking to disrupt traditional industries or create innovative solutions to societal challenges.
• Financial Habits: Gen Z is more financially cautious and values savings and financial security, possibly due to witnessing the impact of student loan debt and economic instability on millennials. Millennials, meanwhile, may be more inclined towards experiences over material possessions, leading to different spending habits.

How to Market to Gen Z: The Importance of Social Shopping on Keywords

If a “digital native” is interested in a product, they’re likely to research it on YouTube. Then, in order, they’re on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. That being said, trends show that TikTok usage jumped from 50% to 63% year-on-year, whereas Instagram showed a decline (but not enough to unseat it from first place_ – and Snapchat stayed stagnant. According to eMarketer though, the Facebook-owned social media platform though is putting up a winning fight with InstagramReels, so “Insta” doesn’t seem to be dying any time soon.

To quote a recent study by Deloitte, “…reworking of the English language is the beginning of Gen Z’s influence.” To quote Jana, “Gen Z consume ads on TikTok and they’ll buy what’s trending. They dictate the trends, which will impact which keywords start doing well on Amazon. If something is trending on TikTok, keywords are likely to follow suit.”

In other words, many Gen Zers prefer social shopping, which integrates social interactions into the shopping experience to mimic the social dynamics of brick-and-mortar malls and stores.

A Quick Look at Social Shopping

There are 5 main types of social shopping experiences:

1. Group shopping sites, exemplified by companies like Groupon and LivingSocial, encourage you to shop wholesale – think of Costco.
2. Shopping communities bring together individuals with shared interests to discuss, share, and shop for products. Think of Zwibe, which brings together people to discuss, share, and shop for products across various categories. Consumers can even create custom shopping lists to share with friends. Furthermore, Zwibe incentives users by offering rewards to influencers that make sales. It just goes to show – shopping communities foster engagement, collaboration, and collective decision-making among users with similar interests.
3. Recommendation engines enable shoppers to offer advice and recommendations to others, akin to asking for recommendations from fellow shoppers in a physical store. While traditional online review platforms like Amazon facilitate interactions among strangers, newer social shopping startups promote conversations about purchases among friends or acquaintances.
4. Social Shopping Marketplaces, such as Shopcade, Polyvore, and Etsy, connect sellers with buyers, resembling offline marketplaces like farmers’ markets. These platforms facilitate communication and transactions between independent sellers and buyers while serving as discovery engines for consumers.
5. Shared Shopping mechanisms allow shoppers on catalog-based e-commerce sites to form collaborative shopping groups. Here, one person can lead an online shopping experience for others, using real-time communication with both other shoppers and the retailer.

For retailers, social shopping sites offer various revenue streams, including affiliate marketing, advertising, click-throughs, and sharing user information with retailers. Also, social shopping encourages user participation through rewards both social or tangible, like reputation points or gifts.

What does this mean for the Amazon Seller? See how many of these you can incorporate into your marketing tactics and bring your shopping experience to a more social level. Gen Zers believe their peers way more than a brand’s communication, so if you want to sell to them, it’s best to see how social you can get.

Market to Gen Z Consumers: Understand Generation Z Values

Diversity is Key

The same Deloitte study mentions how crucial diversity is to Gen Z – “not just isolated to race and gender, but also related to identity and orientation.” Used to be, sellers chose models for their photos that best represented a “neutral demographic” – usually a blonde woman who was attractive but not extraordinary, with a pleasant smile. A model like that was easy to localize to Europe, America, and Australia. Sometimes the same model would convert an Asian audience, depending on the product. But with Gen Z making such a huge impact, it looks like more diversity is expected in a brand’s marketing. If you’re selling to a predominantly Gen Z market – for example, tech products and ecofriendly accessories – consider including nonbinary models in your infographics as well.

Short, Cute, and Simple Sells Best

The A.List Daily study showed that Gen Z value content that is entertaining, fun, or funny. They like being encouraged to express themselves. With recent changes in Amazon’s user experience, Gen Z customers can now scroll your image feed from the search page alone – which means your images need to stand out all the more now, and be entertaining, fun, and easily digested. Don’t make that A+ too long and wordy if you’re selling kawaii phone cases; you’ll lose out on conversion. Pictet calls this type of content “snackable.” It’s crucial to adapt your content to their (rumored) 8 second attention span. The mixture of text, images, and video works very well – so don’t neglect on that video in your image array.

Listen Well to Their Needs

To quote Insider Intelligence:

After ignoring the digital revolution and millennial buyers for too long, retailers and brands have spent the last decade trying to catch up to millennials’ interests and habits—so it’s critical for them to get ahead of Gen Z’s tendency to be online at all times, and make sure to meet this generation’s digital expectations.

This is the first generation to so warmly embrace cultural diversity and inclusion. It is quite the diverse generation. Ask yourself, as an Amazon entrepreneur: how can you answer their unique needs? This generation will have considerable spending power by 2026. In fact, many of them already invest in cryptocurrencies. They’re tech-savvy and mobile-led – and they have very short attention spans. They care about the planet, about each other, and have strong values.

Here’s How to Market to Gen Z Shoppers

As we’ve established here, this generation learns on social media – and they use their mobile phones to consume social more than laptops. Here are some tips to market to Gen Z:

1. Focus on the sustainability and/or social consciousness of your product
2. Speak to the values of your brand, especially if they resonate with Gen Z’s values
3. Include cultural, racial, and gender diversity in your marketing
4. Most conversions are likely to be done on mobile, so keep your content mobile-optimized
5. Take your marketing off Amazon. External traffic is key to conversions – if your target market is Gen Z, use TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram as platforms for your content.

Market to Gen Z Properly with YLT Translations and Localization

Localization can allow you to adapt your strategies to meet the diverse needs and preferences of Gen Z consumers in different regions, ultimately enhancing brand relevance, engagement, and sales.

• Cultural Relevance: Gen Z values authenticity and cultural relevance. By localizing their marketing messages, products, and services to resonate with the specific cultural nuances and preferences of different regions or communities, sellers can establish a deeper connection with Gen Z consumers. This can include using locally relevant language, imagery, and references in marketing campaigns. A good translator would learn more about Gen Z in the region you’re localizing to, and use that language to translate your listings.
• Personalization: Gen Z expects personalized shopping experiences. Localization allows retailers to tailor their offerings based on the unique preferences and needs of consumers in different geographic locations. This could involve offering region-specific product recommendations, promotions, or discounts based on local trends or seasonal preferences.
• Community Engagement: Gen Z values community and social connection. Localized marketing efforts can focus on building and nurturing communities around retail brands within specific geographic areas. This can involve hosting local events, partnering with local influencers or organizations, and fostering online and offline communities where Gen Z consumers can engage with each other and with the brand. Remember, local influencers won’t pay attention to a brand if the brand feels too foreign; they want something that will resonate with their audience. So, keep that in mind when you plan to cater to your Gen Z consumers across the globe.
• Omnichannel Presence: Gen Z is accustomed to seamless digital experiences across various channels. Localization enables retailers to provide an omnichannel shopping experience that is tailored to the preferences and behaviors of consumers in different regions. We can optimize websites and mobile apps for local languages and currencies, but you’d also want to offer local payment methods. Although offering regional customer support may be a pipe dream for the smaller seller, you can start with translating your Chatbot to answer questions in real time. Seeing as Gen Zers are known for their short attention spans, you’d do well to be on top of your customer service.
• Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Gen Z is passionate about sustainability and social responsibility. Retailers can localize their sustainability initiatives and ethical practices to address local environmental and social concerns. This might involve sourcing products locally to reduce carbon footprint, supporting local artisans or communities, or participating in local environmental or social causes.

Conclusion: Market to Gen Z With a Nuanced Approach

In conclusion, tapping into the Gen Z market requires a careful understanding of their unique characteristics and preferences. As the second-youngest generation and poised to dominate the consumer landscape, Gen Z presents both challenges and opportunities for Amazon sellers. By embracing localization strategies and adapting marketing tactics to resonate with Gen Z values, you can effectively engage this diverse and socially-conscious demographic. From prioritizing sustainability and social responsibility to fostering community engagement and delivering personalized experiences, catering to Gen Z requires a proactive approach that embraces cultural relevance and authenticity. With the right strategies in place, retailers can successfully navigate the ever-evolving preferences of Gen Z consumers and build lasting connections with this influential demographic.

Interested in approaching your Gen Z customers across the globe with this level of cultural sensitivity and competence? Reach out; YLT Translations can help localize your listings and content to help increase engagement and conversion!