The relationship between brands and consumers is just like social media. It needs constant updates to stay relevant. And the tricky part here? The customers keep changing. And so do their behavior and preferences. As for today, the world is witnessing the rise of GenZ. 

“Generation Z is both trendy and timeless, which is rare for youth generations in the last 50 years.” ~ Tim Elmore

Over half of them prefer brands that are socially responsible and eco-friendly. Moreover, they are highly collaborative with a pragmatic attitude towards issues. Undoubtedly, this impacts their buying decision, making it important for brands and businesses to stay relevant and thriving with the next generation of consumers. 

In today’s blog, we will understand GenZ’s consumer behavior and explore how brands can connect with them. Let’s begin! 

Understanding the GenZ Mindset

GenZ is a generation with a unique mindset. A study by Stanford reports that GenZ values:

• Flexibility
• Relevance 
• Authenticity
• Direct communication

As a result, the GenZs:

• Have high expectations from brands
• Will diligently check facts about what they see online.
• More inclined to look beyond the product and understand what a company values. 
• Consider brands’ treatment of their employees as part of their purchase decision.
• Want brands to get involved in causes that make this world better.

Digital Natives: GenZ’s Relationship with Technology

GenZ is a generation that does not know a world without the internet. 68% of them use the Internet for entertainment, making digital channels a pivotal way to reach out to them. As a brand, here are 2 important things to note:

One, almost everything GenZ’s learn about a brand is via their devices. They spend a shocking 5.9 hours every day on their phones. Moreover, they spend an average of 3 hours every day on social media. Thus, make sure your brand leverages your consumer’s interest in their devices and social media. Here’s what you can do:

• Prioritize a mobile-friendly design.
• Optimize images and multimedia elements to reduce page loading times. 
• Maintain consistent branding elements, such as colors, logos, and typography, across different devices.
• Place important buttons and calls-to-action within easy reach of a user’s thumb.
• Opt for a vertical content layout, as users tend to scroll vertically on mobile devices. 

Two, Of all the generations so far, GenZ is most likely to shop online. They comb through reviews. According to The Power of Reviews [2023], 76% seek out websites with reviews. Moreover, 68% of GenZ go beyond and read the content of the review. Thus, make sure you collect genuine reviews and showcase them on your website. 

Here are some tips for you:

• Use a “Verified Purchase” badge against profiles to increase credibility.
• Include photos or videos of the product in use.
• Engage with customers by responding to both positive and negative reviews. 
• Feature longer customer stories or testimonials on your website.

Short Attention Spans and Visual Content

GenZ has no time for fluff. And they surely wouldn’t appreciate brands beating around the bush, given the shorter attention span (8 seconds, quite literally!)

Luckily, it’s not about their attention span anymore. For a generation that often spends hours watching video content on their phones, it all boils down to ‘interest.’ If you want to hold their attention, study what type of content breaks through for them. 

So here are 3 important tips to tap into the GenZ audience: 

• Create concise and engaging visual content 
• Make the content suitable for popular platforms. For example, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Turn your shorter content clips into longer, perhaps informative videos, depending on your audience’s preference.

59% of GenZ watch longer video versions of the short versions they view on video apps. So, analyze data from the above steps to determine the topics they care about. And once you have the info, dive deep into these topics for longer videos. Because when they love it, they will want more of it. 

Indian sports nutrition supplements brand MuscleBlaze’s YouTube is an excellent example of engaging GenZ with long-form videos. With over 980K followers, the brand shares transformation journeys and educational content in collaboration with fitness influencers.

Authenticity Matters

When it comes to GenZ, you must show them exactly who you are, what you offer, and how you do it to build trust because sooner or later, they’ll find out. 45% of GenZ’s report that the appearance of a brand as trustworthy and transparent is an essential factor for engagement. Moreover, nearly 70% of GenZ report switching from a brand because their experience did not live up to its promise. 

So, as a brand, don’t simply market your products or services. Instead–

• Market your values and story. 
• Give them a sneak peek into what happens behind the scenes
• share snippets from the process
• Have your leaders talk to your consumers about your brand’s why, what, and how. 

An authentic, real insight into the brand will connect with the audience. It will evoke emotions and thoughts, building stronger connections.

Socially Conscious Consumerism

A McKinsey Survey from 2018 about GenZ reveals that they:

• Are ‘well-informed’ consumers
• Try to buy products from companies they believe are ethical (70%) 
• Try to learn the origin of anything they buy (65%)
• Refuse to purchase goods from companies involved in scandals 

They are a generation that thinks about the bigger picture while acting in the present. In fact, they adopt sustainable behaviors more than their counterparts. 45% of them stopped purchasing from certain brands due to ethical and sustainability concerns. 

Such a commitment has led to adopting vegan practices, recycling materials, and buying cruelty-free, eco-friendly products. So, what can you do here as a brand? 

• Craft transparent and truthful campaigns around sustainability and Earth’s preservation. 
• Share where you source your raw material from and how you do it. 
• Publish relevant statistics and information about the environmental impact of your brand. 

Interactive Experiences

Young shoppers are enticed to spend money and engage in social media by the promise of novel, thrilling, and unusual experiences. And brands must remember this while engaging with them. 

Although online shopping has become the go-to norm, reports suggest that GenZ is equally excited about in-person shopping.  

For instance, while at a store, Generation Z is more likely to use their mobile devices to scan products with the brand’s app for checkout, get personalized discounts or coupons on their mobile devices, and scan QR codes to learn more about a product. 

Besides this, they want immersive experiences like product launches, workshops, pop-up shops, interactive installations, and AR/VR experiences. Thus, brands need to create a seamless experience both offline and online.

Conclusion

GenZ looks at the world differently. They are more progressive and boldly look at the future, all while staying old-school. On top of it, they are demanding proof and action from brands and businesses for a better world. So, if you want to keep them engaged, there’s just one mantra — “Show them what you’ve got!”

And we at StartInc know exactly how to show it because who better to entice the GenZ than a GenZ team backed with data and research? Our young and experienced team studies your brand, crafts a plan, and executes it to near perfection to create, connect, and communicate with your target audience. Trust us; we are all things GROWTH!  

So why wait? Let’s get your brand in touch with the GenZs of StartInc.