How Each Generation Stores in 2022 [New Data from Our State of Consumer Trends Report]

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With new marketing channels and trends constantly popping up, it can be difficult to know where your own target audience actually is.

Not only do you need to know where they spend their own time, but also the way they like to shop –- and that largely depends on their age group.

To help you determine where you can meet audiences exactly where they are, we selected thousands of US consumers of all generations across to learn about their particular shopping habits, press consumption, and the most recent trends they’re subsequent.

While you will discover even more data within our State of Consumer Trends Report, we all wanted to give the readers a deeply dive into every generations and the distinctive themes that make all of them different.  

So let’s have a look at where and how each generation likes to store — and what actually impacts their purchasing decisions.

Download Now: Free State of Marketing Report [Updated for 2022]

We’ll get started with a quick breakdown from the shopping habits of each generation and call out the biggest differences and similarities between them, then dive deeper into each age bracket.

For those in a hurry, we’ve put a quick generation-by-generation overview below with links towards the deep dive of every age group. To jump to a broader side-by-side look at how many generations handle every stage of product discovery and buys differently. click here in order to jump to our comparison section.

Shopping Habits Overview

Gen Z Summary (ages 18-24)

  • Social media, YouTube advertisements, and internet search would be the top ways Gen Z discover new products
  • Instagram, Youtube . com, and TikTok are the top social media apps among Gen Z .
  • 33% of Gen Z have bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation during the past three months, and 28% have bought through an in-app shop
  • one in 2 Gen Zers want companies to take a position on social issues, specifically racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, and environment change. When businesses advocate for these problems, it has a strong effect on Gen Z buy decisions
  • Ads on streaming services beat cable TV meant for reaching Gen Unces. Retail discovery continues to be relevant, but less frequent than digital channels

Jump to our Gen Z deep dive > >

Millennials Overview (ages 25-35)

  • Social media, google search, and YouTube ads are also the top methods Millennials discover new items
  • Facebook, Youtube . com, and Instagram would be the top social media apps among Millennials
  • 28% of Millennials have bought a product with an in-app shop in the past three months and 26% have bought based on a good influencer’s recommendation
  • 41% of Millennials want companies to consider a stance upon social issues, specifically racial justice, revenue inequality, climate change, affordable healthcare, plus LGBTQ+ rights. Whenever companies advocate for people issues, it has a powerful impact on Millennial buy decisions
  • Ads on cable TV defeat streaming services designed for reaching Millennials with a small margin. Store discovery is still relevant but less frequent than digital stations

Jump to the Millennial deep dive > >

Gen X Overview (ages 35-54)

  • Gen X likes to discover new products through search, television advertisements, and in retail stores
  • Gen X finds out new products on social media more frequently than every other channel, even though it is not preferred
  • 90% of Gen X use social media — Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are a common apps
  • 18% of Gen By have bought a product through an in-app shop during the past three months. The same number bought based on a good influencer’s recommendation in this period
  • 35% of Gen Xers say companies ought to take a stance on social issues, particularly climate change, inexpensive healthcare, racial proper rights, and income inequality. 38% say companies shouldn’t engage with interpersonal issues, and 26% aren’t sure

Jump to our Style X deep dive > >

Boomer Overview (ages 55+)

  • TELEVISION ads, internet search, and retail stores are the best ways Boomers find out new products
  • Social media falls flat designed for boomers –  just 17% have discovered a product on it in the past 3 months, and only 4% possess purchased a product on the social app in that time
  • About 50 % of boomers state companies should not take a stance upon social issues. When it comes to influencing their buy decisions, social issues simply have no effect on a majority of Boomers.

Jump to our Baby Boomer deep jump > >

short-form video and influencer advertising are the top advertising trends of 2022, so the fact that Style Z is fully embracing these channels to discover products isn’t surprising.

41% of Gen Z . say they would rather discover new products upon social media through short-form videos, and one in 4 would rather find out about products through influencers.

On top of that, 33% of Style Z have made the purchase based on a good influencer’s recommendation in the past three months, the highest associated with any age group.  

The indicators to invest in these stations couldn’t be more clear. Did I point out that they also have the highest ROI of any marketing trend? One more powerful trend all of us identified in our Social Media Trends 2022 studies selling directly on social media.  

Taking into consideration 28% of Style Z has purchased a product on social media marketing directly on the app in the past three months plus 29% prefer to discover new products through social networking shops, there’s never been a better time for you to get started.

gen z activities in the past three months

Our recent Instagram Marketing Document explains why the particular app presents such an incredible opportunity for interpersonal selling, and we even published a data-backed guide on the top tools and strategies for offering on Instagram.

YouTube Ads Trump Social Media For Reaching Gen Z Men

46% of Gen Z offers found new products through YouTube Ads in past times three months, and 56% say it’s exactly where they discover products most often.  

what channels do gen z discover new products on

On top of that, 34% of Gen Zers say Youtube . com ads are their own preferred way to find out new products.

General, YouTube Ads stick to social media as the second best way to reach Style Z. If you can not leverage both, here’s an insight to help you choose to use:

Style Z women prefer to discover new products upon social media, while discovering products through Youtube . com Ads is strongly preferred by young men.  

channels gen z prefers to look for products on

SEO Nevertheless Matters For Style Z

42% of Gen Z . has found new products by searching the web in the past few months, and 50% say it is where they find products most often.  

26% of Gen Z state searching the internet is definitely their preferred method of discovering new products, but how exactly is Gen Z searching online? A whopping 74% associated with Gen Z make use of their mobile phones generally when shopping online, whilst just 15% utilize a computer. devices gen z uses most

 

Additionally , 72% of Gen Z use their particular phones most often in order to up a question on the search engine.

This means you should be optimizing your website to be mobile-first to offer the best experience to your customers. To learn more about the top SEO strategies, have a look at our Web Traffic & Analytics Report.

Retail Discovery is usually Less Frequent, But nevertheless Relevant For Gen Z

While 36% of Style Z has discovered new items in retail stores in the past three months, when we questioned where they find out new products most often, it came in at #8.  

Therefore Gen Z is still visiting retail stores, but they’re discovering items through online resources much more often.

Does that mean wish is lost designed for retail? Not quite. 19% of Gen Z . still say it’s their preferred way to discover new products, behind social media, YouTube ads, and searching the web.

gen z product discovery channels

Ads on Streaming Services Beat Cable television for Gen Unces

23% associated with Gen Z has discovered new products on film/TV show streaming providers in the past three months, and 33% of them state they discover new products through streaming most often.

19% of Gen Z have also discovered new products upon music streaming solutions like Spotify, along with 55% of them saying that music streaming is where they discover new items most often.

Does that mean cable TV advertisements are lost upon Gen Z? Thinking of less than 1 within 5 have discovered a brand new product through their own television in the past 3 months, it isn’t the best channel to reach individuals age 18-24 (though still very related for older age groups).

1 in 2 Style Zers Say Companies Should Take a Position On Social Issues

Gen Z . is known to be singing about the causes they will believe in, but will that tenacity for your environment and interpersonal justice translate for their purchase decisions? Let’s take a look.

We asked whether companies should take a position on social problems, and 50% of Gen Z state they should, the highest of any generation.  

does Gen Z think companies should take a stance on social issues

We then requested those who want companies to take a stance on social issues which issues are usually most important to them. Racial justice was undoubtedly the top issue just for Gen Z (69%), followed by LGBTQ+ rights (50%), gender inequality (46%), and weather change (42%).

social issues gen z cares most about

 

The burning up question is whether these types of sentiments translate to purchase decisions, and we discovered that they have a significant impact on Gen Z ., dwindling slowly along with each generation.  

gen z purchase motives

  • 60% of Gen Z have chosen a product based on it being owned with a small business in the past three months
  • 50% of Gen Z have chosen a product in line with the brand’s commitment in order to diversity/inclusion in the past three months
  • 49% associated with Gen Z have got chosen a product in line with the brand being possessed by a person associated with color in the past 3 months.
  • 43% of Gen Z have chosen a product in line with the brand being woman-owned in the past three months.
  • 30% of Gen Z have selected a product based on the brand name being owned with a member of the LGBTQ community in the past 3 months.

Not only that, yet brands taking a stance on these issues furthermore makes a significant portion of Gen Zs more likely to purchase. We questioned all the Gen Zs in our survey how the following attributes effect their purchase choices, if at all, using a 5-point scale from much less likely to much more likely. Here is what they said:  

gen z more likely to purchase from brands that

Below are just a few of the factors that effect Gen Z purchase decisions, aside from the product itself:

  • Corporate Trust: 84% of Gen Z state they’re more likely to purchase from a company that treats its employees well, while 83% state they’re more likely to purchase from a company that they can believe in with their data
  • Economic and Environmental Impact: 60% associated with Gen Z state they’re more likely to purchase from a brand actively endeavoring to reduce its environment impact, while 46% are more likely to purchase items from small businesses.
  • High DI& B Standards: 53% of Gen Z state they’re more likely to purchase based on a brand’s commitment to diversity/inclusion, while 51% say a brand advocating for racial justice makes them more likely to become a customer. Additionally , 39% of Gen Z state they’re more likely to buy products from brands possessed by a person of color.
  • Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 42% of Gen Z say brand names that advocate regarding gender equality may get their purchases, while 37% of Style Z are more likely to buy from brands that counsel for LGTBTQ+ legal rights.

While Gen Z is highly influenced by Environment, Social, and Governance (or ESG) endeavours, there are other factors within their purchase decisions which are even more important – let’s take a look.

What Drives Gen Z Purchase Decisions?

The top factors in Gen Z’s purchase decisions are usually unsurprising, with cost, quality, and look/feel taking the lead.  

what factors are part of gen z purchase decisions Nevertheless we ask Style Z to choose the three most important factors within their purchase decision, we discover some interesting insights. Take a look at the top 8 most important factors when Gen Z can be forced to choose simply three of those they consider:

gen z purchase considerations

While price and quality nevertheless lead, we note that donations to charitable organization, an active community, recommendations from influencers, and how brands treat their own employees rise to the top.  

Granted, they are nowhere near the best factors in this group’s purchase decisions, but for those who consider them, they are critical.

One other thing to notice is that recommendations through influencers drive Gen Z purchase choices even more than recommendations from their friends and family (55% vs . 24%, respectively) – yet another reason to leverage changer marketing.

How exactly does Gen Z Prefer to Purchase Products?

When it comes to making purchases, 55% of Gen Zers still prefer to buy things in-store (the lowest associated with any generation), yet online channels are close behind.  

how does gen z prefer to purchase products

One in two Gen Zers prefer to make purchases through online stores like Amazon, whilst 37% like to proceed directly to a company’s website.

23% of Gen Unces prefers to buy via social media apps, whilst 22% favor experiencing a company’s mobile app.

How Does Gen Z Love to Pay?

47% of Gen Unces has purchased a subscription for a actual product in the past three months, the highest of any kind of generation.  

how does gen z like to pay for products

Nevertheless we asked which payment model they prefer, Gen Z still largely favors buying a product intended for full price as needed.

which payment model does gen Z prefer

And that wraps up for Gen Z .! Now we can discuss their slightly old, yet noticeably different counterparts, Millennials.

this post on overall shopping developments from the same study we note above.

And for even more data on the key consumer trends that could impact your marketing strategy in the next six months, have a look at our upcoming Condition of Consumer Styles Report and downloadable PDF.  

In the meantime, check out our most recent research survey below.

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