Designing for Gen Z: Youth Trends in Marketing
Gen Z has recently entered ‘the spending territory’ where they have money and no longer rely on their parents and caretakers.
For marketers following the latest trends in digital marketing, that means an entire generation of relatively untapped territory. And while the benefits are plentiful, selling to Gen Z comes with challenges.
Today, we’ll discuss some challenges and how to curb them.
Who Are Gen Z?
Generation Z have been born between the late 90s and early 2010s.
They are defined by the presence of technology in their lives. They are highly tech-savvy, value inclusivity and diversity, and value experiences over material possessions.
Gen Zs also have an entrepreneurial spirit and strive for education. So, when you’re typing “write paper for me”, there’s a high chance that Gen Z started the company.
Now, let’s go over some statistics.
Gen Z have grown up during the global pandemic, which has inadvertently rid them of socialisation in their formative years. That means that now, they want to go out and explore.
This year, TikTok has reported a 410% increase in travel-related searches, corresponding with current content marketing trends.
One in three people of this generation has experienced a mental health disorder, such as anxiety or depression, according to the Health Foundation charity.
Gen Z is also concerned for the environment. Unfortunately, it leads to even more anxiety for them. According to a survey by The Lancet, more than half of those surveyed believe humanity is doomed.
So, what does this mean in terms of trends in marketing? Keep reading to find out!
They Are Nostalgic
Unlike previous generations that were drawn to sex, Gen Z keeps coming back to better, simpler times. This is why Y2K fashion is rising, and every other company is trying to reinvent the flip phone.
Gen Zs were born into technology. The internet, smartphones and social media seem essential to their lives. Many people, however, admit it’s unhealthy for them.
Reading the news about the planet on fire, the rising cost of living and raging wars every day leads to anxiety and stress. Many try to escape this, either by taking mental health days or following the Y2K fashion trends.
For marketers following current trends in marketing, this means simple, old-school website design, flash photography and personal connection with the audience. Gen Zs don’t care for polished, retouched faces.
They want to see actual humans on brand campaigns. They appreciate people of all sizes, colours, and ethnicities being shown in the media. And they like those people even more if they are holding a flip phone.
They Want Something Real
As we’ve just said, according to recent trends in marketing, Gen Zs don’t want to be sold an image of the perfect life.
The American dream has crumbled for them with the rising cost of living. Simple product photography on your brand’s Instagram account won’t cut it anymore. To sell to Gen Z, you must connect to them personally.
That can be achieved through more candid video content. Interviewing people around the office, showing what you eat or how you clean up—these are some of the types of content Gen Z appreciates.
Behind-the-scenes videos are also viral among Gen Z.
Even if you post retouched pictures of models, show how they get their makeup and hair done. This type of content helps build a better connection with the audience, according to the latest trends in digital marketing.
Take Fenty Beauty, for example. They have successfully built a strong bond with their audience by:
- Posting the creator using the brand
- Reposting customers’ makeup looks
- Posting the makeup on a wide array of models—all genders, races and skin tones
- Showing the behind the scenes process
- Selling a high-quality product
- Being environmentally-conscious
This approach is what many brands now strive for, as reflected in trends in affiliate marketing, and for good reason, because it works!
Gen Z cares about inclusivity and diversity because they want to see themselves represented.
Fenty Beauty did this by launching the most comprehensive foundation shade range at the time. They constantly repost creators, big or small, who use their makeup. The most significant selling point is that Rihanna is always seen using her brand.
They Are On Their Phones. A Lot
According to Harmony Healthcare, Gen Z spends an average of 6 hours on their phones daily. That means they get all their information, whether entertainment or education, from their phones.
For marketers to keep up with trends in marketing, that means mobile-centred design. If your website is not optimised for the mobile version, don’t try getting Gen Z on it.
That also means that most of your sales efforts have to move to social media if they haven’t already. According to the Influencer Marketing Factory report, 97% of Gen Z use social media to find shopping ideas.
They compose inspiration boards on Pinterest, watch trend reports on TikTok, and save items to buy later on Instagram. According to the Pew Research Centre survey, 35% of the younger generation also use TikTok as their primary news source.
So, if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to set up a TikTok account. Make sure your content is relatable and easy.
Follow the trends in digital marketing, repeat popular dances and be authentic. Post behind-the-scenes processes and engage with your audience. Stitch or repost videos of them using your products, and collaborate with influencers they like.
Prioritise micro-influencers over those with millions of followers. Gen Z prefers those accounts because they feel more genuine and can build rapport with their followers. That means their followers also trust them more.
Sending PR to a micro-influencer will yield more profits than an account with a massive following.
They Value Social Responsibility
Gen Z values brands that understand and share their concerns. The era of picture-perfect influencers is long gone.
Instead, they want to see big companies tuning into the hard conversations and supporting important causes, which is also reflected in recent trends in email marketing.
If Gen Z notices a brand greenwashing, they simply stop using it. If they see a celebrity ignoring a war or any other big problem, they block them.
This #blockout2024 movement recently led to Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift losing hundreds of thousands of followers overnight. This is the thing about Gen Z—if they don’t like something, they speak up and take action.
According to current trends in marketing and its impact on society, unlike previous generations before them, Gen Z representatives understand their power as consumers and are willing to execute it. If a brand doesn’t actively support this generation’s values, they’ll find a more responsible alternative.
Due to them being keen researchers, finding a similar but more ethical brand will be easy. Digging up dirt on a brand is easy, too.
So, for brands willing to appeal to Gen Z in 2024, there’s only one piece of advice—do good. A single-use, not sustainable packaging brand just won’t cut it anymore.
Gen Zs are looking for a company that would use recycled materials and help curb the waste problem, not contribute to it.
If your company volunteers on the weekends or cleans rivers—show the process on your TikTok. Don’t just do it for views, in any case. Gen Z can smell a scam from a mile away.
Ensure your employees are of diverse backgrounds, genders, and ethnicities to stay up to date with the new trends in digital marketing. You want everyone to have a voice if you are going to appeal to Gen Z.
They Use Humour
Gen Zs are on TikTok a lot. They are the ones who start new trends in digital marketing.
TikTok has funny sketches and humorous content, so you must be on top of that.
Suppose your company’s social media manager finds it hard to follow the trends and be in the loop. In that case, you’re better off hiring a Gen Z. Their methods might seem controversial initially, but they will work wonders in promoting your brand.
The thing about Gen Z humour is that it evolves fast, in a snowball way. So, the joke starts as one thing, and then everyone adds to it, making it more convoluted and further detached from the original one. But when everyone is in on the joke, they still understand it.
It looks like an exchange between friends but over the internet. Due to the amount of time that Gen Zs spend online, this back-and-forth evolves very quickly, as reflected in recent trends in marketing. This makes it hard for people out of the loop to join in, like an inside joke, but for thousands of people.
Gen Z’s humour is often absurd and very complicated for millennials.
In turn, they mock millennials’ humour for being dated and cringe.
So, if you hire a millennial to promote your social media, Gen Z will know. This mistake can be fatal for your business because once they start mocking you, they don’t stop. And neither do they forget about your mistakes.
Gen Z Enjoy Shopping
According to new trends in marketing, one thing to remember about Generation Z is that they like shopping. They enjoy the experience of going to the store, testing sample products, trying things on and being served by the salesperson. They don’t want shopping to be a simple transaction. Instead, they want to be catered to.
So, when they visit your physical store, you have to do just that—cater to them. But be careful not to cross the line. They will leave if they refuse help, but the salesperson keeps looming over their shoulder.
The number of brands fighting for Gen Z’s attention is insane. To stand out among the chaos, you need to offer them something unique, according to trends in sports marketing and other industries. It can be an individual approach or a store that looks different somehow.
It would help if you appealed to their values to get Gen Z to trust you. That means using up to 70% recycled materials and taking real action to fight global warming and climate change. Offer refills of your products at a lower price, and make sure your packaging is sustainable.
Sourcing your materials ethically is another thing Gen Z appreciates, as current trends in marketing show. They know it costs more, and they are willing to pay.
Generally, Gen Z are willing to pay for higher-quality materials that will last them longer. This is why brands like Patagonia are gaining more traction among the younger generation.
You Have To Overcome Ad Blindness
Gen Z has grown up in the era of omnipresent ads, which has helped them develop a sort of immunity to them. Modern specialists familiar with the latest trends in digital marketing must learn to overcome this resistance by using several simple tricks.
Partner with micro-influencers. As we’ve mentioned, Gen Zs value the opinions of influencers of their age and who share their values.
On the contrary, they follow fewer and fewer celebrities and huge influencers who seem out of touch with reality. So, if you want your product to be used by Gen Z, you should send it to influencers whose opinions they value or care about.
The latest trends in content marketing urge you to provide valuable content. Gen Z can watch an ad if it contains educational information. They appreciate the value of education and can sit through an ad if it’s engaging and exciting and tells them something they didn’t know.
In this case, however, you must do proper fact-checking or consult a professional in the field. Gen Zs don’t like to be misled and don’t hesitate to cancel a brand.
Surprisingly, getting Gen Z to participate in your ads is more accessible than making them notice them. Let us explain. User-generated content is a well-known means of advertising. You give some perks to users who post your product.
Sometimes, even a like or repost would do. However, for users to want to share your product, it must be high quality. Otherwise, according to current digital marketing trends, you don’t get any respect from Gen Z.
And Short Attention Span
The shortening of attention spans is a big problem among Generation Z, and they all admit it. This has led to TikTok introducing the 2x speed button, among other things.
Attention span also forms the way content is produced. To grab the attention of Gen Z, you must start the video with an enticing hook. This has always been the case, but now it will make or break your success.
After you’ve grabbed the viewer’s attention, you need to keep it. Based on the newest trends in higher education marketing, particularly video content marketing, this means quickly changing shots, preferably to the beat of the background music and captions.
There must be captions whenever a conversation happens, whether it’s a voiceover or an interview. Gen Z has grown increasingly dependent on captions, but on short-form video content, it’s essential because most prefer watching videos on mute.
Visual appeal and relevance are also important. For your ads or brand content to be engaging for Gen Z, it has to be attractive and exciting to them, as reflected in the latest trends in digital marketing. If you’re explaining complicated topics like the chemical compounds of your product or the long chain of command, you must make the videos engaging.
Follow the same advice—short, often changing clips, upbeat music, and professional editing. The editing can even be done in an old-school IMovie way, but make sure the irony is easy to understand.
Make Your Online Shopping Experience Better
According to L.E.K. Consulting, 64% of Gen Z prefer shopping in-store rather than online. While it may seem surprising, since they are such a digital generation, it does make sense.
Gen Z consumers are the most informed compared to the generations before them. They are willing to put in the time and effort to do proper research and buy a quality product made from ethically sourced materials, as trends in marketing show.
According to the same research, 39% of Gen Z are in a constant state of shopping. That means browsing, comparing, and taking notes.
For them, the choice between online and offline shopping depends not on the shipping price but on what makes more sense at the time.
If the online store provides a virtual try-on option, they’ll use the online store. If the physical store has friendly representatives that provide a pleasurable shopping experience, Gen Z will go to the store.
For online shops that follow current trends in marketing, this means putting in the effort to improve their shopping experience. Makeup and clothing stores need to have the following services available:
- Makeup/clothes on models of different skin tones
- High-resolution photos and videos of the product
- Mobile-friendly website
- Free shipping, if possible
- Save carts or offer єFavorites’ function
Create Interactive Content
Regarding Instagram, Gen Z enjoys taking polls, quizzes, and Q&As, as reflected by trends in content marketing. This will help you raise engagement and involve the youth in making decisions about your brand.
You can ask their opinions about your products' colour palette, size range, and styles.
Gen Zs like to feel involved. When a brand takes feedback into account, they see it as more reliable and responsible. You have to show them that you care. It’s essential to reply and consider the negative comments as well.
Gen Zs judge a brand on their crisis management. And if people hate the product and the brand representative gets defensive, they lose respect for that brand.
Live streams are also a popular tool for engaging the Gen Z audience. As trends in affiliate marketing demonstrate, if you show a face behind the brand, they will be more likely to trust you.
This is what Rihanna does with Fenty Beauty—she goes live quite often, sometimes just to put on makeup, other times to answer questions or to show off a new product before the launch. This can build suspense and raise sales on launch day.
Offer Reliable Customer Service
Similarly to offline shopping, Gen Z likes high-quality support when shopping online. Live chats are an essential feature for an online store. If you’re operating on a smaller scale and through social media, answer DMs quickly and efficiently.
Having enough support reps is essential if you have a more extensive operation. Gen Z are used to getting what they want fast. This is why you should keep your wait time to a minimum.
When it comes to AI chatbots, though, Gen Zs view them as limited and unreliable. So, adding an FAQ section is cheaper and more efficient than investing in an AI chatbot.
Along with the frequently asked questions, follow trends in digital marketing and ensure that your contacts are easy to find. They must be clickable and, of course, easy to access from the mobile version.
Add Reviews
Gen Zs are eager to research and compare products, prices and even ingredients. They are okay with putting in the effort before finding the perfect product. This is why your product descriptions must be detailed to a certain extent.
Nobody will read a wall of text, but Gen Zs need to have the essential information about the product. Otherwise, they won’t buy it.
Add a rating function under your products on the online store and encourage customers to leave reviews. If you follow the latest trends in digital marketing, you know that Gen Zs like to leave positive and negative reviews.
So, when you see a positive review, thank them. When they leave a negative review, ask what you can do to improve their experience.
Where a 5-star system is impossible, like on Instagram, encourage them to post your product on their stories. You can give them a small discount on their next purchase.
Some sites still have a separate page dedicated to reviews. They aren’t connected to a service or a product offered, and all look the same.
Gen Z hates that.
Fake reviews will not help you build rapport with Gen Z, and even if they are authentic, Gen Z will only believe them if real people leave them—recent trends in email marketing support that.
Final Thoughts on Designing for Gen Z
Getting Gen Z to become your customer is a huge task for many marketers trying to keep up with current trends in marketing. And if you don’t have any Gen Z on your team, it’s practically impossible. Still, researching Gen Z’s spending habits is an excellent place to start.
Make sure your business is ethical and supports Gen Z’s values. This is one of the most important steps you can take in advertising for the younger generation. Appeal to nostalgia, show people of different backgrounds, and promote equality within your company.
Remember that Gen Zs like shopping. You just have to make it easy for them. You can do that by offering reliable online support, displaying ratings and reviews and offering perks for reviewing your product!
Author Bio: Content writer Nicole Hardy is celebrated for her detailed and thoughtful journalism within education and the arts, particularly emphasising performing arts education. Throughout her decade-long career, Hardy has earned a reputation as a trusted expert in her field. Her writing is marked by thorough analysis and a captivating style of storytelling. She earned her Master's in Journalism from the University of Arts, focusing on arts and culture journalism.