Gen Z Marketing: How to Secure the Sceptical Consumer

In the era of technology and globalisation, marketing strategies are very different from classical "book" practices. Each new generation differs from the previous ones in personality preferences, level of self-knowledge, and perception of the world. The main reason for these differences is social and economic change.

All age categories were grouped into these four generations:

1. Baby boomers - 1946-1964;
2. Generation X - 1965-1980;
3. Generation Y or millennials - 1981-1996;
4. Generation Z or ‘Zoomers’ - 1997-2012.

The teenagers of the XXI century do not perceive deep theories. They prefer to solve multi-functional problems with simple and effective methods. They love visibility, technology, and gadgets. Representatives of generation Z actively use smartphones, tablets, all kinds of wearable devices for all occasions, as well as feel at ease in VR- and 3D-reality. Let's pay attention to the main trends and consider what to do to sell products and services efficiently.

1. Sell emotions

Zoomers are not affected by aggressive advertising. They do not want to hear how great your product is - they are more interested in how it will be useful to them and what emotions this product will help them experience. They also like branded clothes so you can make your own merch to increase brand awareness.

2. Use more video, Zoomers like it

Video content can play a key role in your marketing campaign. For example, Zoomers like to watch YouTube when they're sad or bored. Generation Z is very active on video platforms like YouTube and TikTok, so it's a great place to get their attention.

3. Engage generation Z, encourage them to leave reviews

We all know how important feedback is when building a relationship between a brand and an audience. But when it comes to interacting with generation Z, feedback importance increases many times over. It's important to work on getting your customers to leave reviews. However, it's not enough to collect feedback - it's important to respond to it.

Case studies of brands that Zoomers like

Dyson

Source

Dyson is the producer of household appliances and has launched a peculiar loyalty program in China. Each product has a QR-code, which should be scanned to get a two-year warranty. This way the brand receives information about the client at once: when and what product was bought.

Dyson takes product data into account and personalises it for each specific customer in the app, taking into account the product he or she owns: offers training videos, and sends reminders. For example, a customer will get a reminder in the app that it's time to buy a new vacuum cleaner filter when it's due.

What Generation Z likes

Generation Z is demanding of products and services - technologies do everything to help them. Dyson is taking all the work in-house and bringing the customer's shopping experience to digital. At the same time, the brand personalises this experience and creates offers that are truly relevant to customers.

Domino's Pizza

Source

To keep customers from leaving for third-party services the company has integrated a robot into the app. It entertains customers while they are waiting for delivery: it tells jokes and anecdotes.

What Generation Z likes

This approach is perfect for Zoomers because they like gamification. Domino's Pizza's mechanics engage customers in the game, thereby brightening up their wait time. Customers have fun ordering a pizza when they hear the robot's new joke.

Good Vibes Juice Co

Florida-based fresh bar Good Vibes Juice Co has built a loyalty program around Zoomers' love of social media. The brand suggests customers bring their used glass bottles back to the store - and rewards them with bonus points for doing so. But in order to involve more members of Generation Z, the brand revised its strategy and moved the mechanics to digital.

What Generation Z likes

The brand is active with social media, and that's where Zoomers feel like a fish in water. And beside that, they like everything to do with caring for the environment, so they're happy to share their creative ways to reuse bottles in social media - and thus become increasingly involved with the brand.

Walgreens

Source

According to CrowdTwist, the loyalty program of the second-largest U.S. drugstore chain has been a favourite of Generation Z. But not so long ago, the brand relaunched the program, and Zoomers showed even more interest.

The discount has gotten bigger: customers can now get 1% cashback on any purchase and 5% on Walgreens items. Loyalty program members also get access to a variety of special offers and educational content. And best of all, the accumulated bonuses can be donated to charity.

What Generation Z likes

Zoomers are more interested in charity than other generations. And for them, the opportunity to donate their rewards to a good cause is a definite advantage and driver for participation in the loyalty program.

Urban Outfitters

Source

The Urban Outfitters youth clothing brand loyalty program was created especially for generation Z because they are the core to the brand's target audience.

The program has three levels: standard, silver, and gold. At the first level, customers accumulate points and get discount coupons and other rewards in return: early access to sales, birthday discounts, gifts, seasonal specials. On the second and third levels, they accumulate points faster: on the silver level, they get 20% faster, and on the gold level, they get 40% faster.

Bonuses can be obtained for eight types of interaction with the brand: making a purchase, downloading the app, subscribing to an email newsletter, buying products made of eco-materials, visiting the site, subscribing to push notifications, and writing reviews. For example, participants get three points each for the first three reviews. Members need to accumulate 300 points in a year to go to the silver level and 600 points to go to the gold level.

What Generation Z likes

Generation Z likes gamification in the loyalty program. Its members can earn bonuses for a wide variety of digital interactions with the brand - and exchange them for personalised rewards, exclusive discounts, and gifts.

Conclusion

Today's consumers talk about their desires. Quality and personal service are the keys to boosting Zoomers’ loyalty. All sorts of loyalty programs and other perks can help increase profits and showcase your brand in a better light.