Well, it’s official. Latest marketing reports show Gen Z are more careful than Millenials and Boomers when shopping online and engaging with ads.
The Careful Shopper
Noisy, polished, nonsensical advertising have flooded the internet. Presenting mundane and cheaply made products as “top of the line”. Plus, as income continues to decline (thanks to a consistent increase in price, lessening currency value, and almost stagnant wage increase) Gen Z is in a tough spot, mentally and emotionally, when purchasing. They were forced into learning how to be a careful consumer.
From nfinite’s 2023 report, 96% of Gen Z heavily compare prices on e-commerce sites. 95% of them obsess over product descriptions and product reviews. They’re more likely than other generations to do research before making the decision to buy.
This behaviour indirectly created a new content niche online. Creators like Marques Brownlee grew huge on YouTube just by reviewing tech products. He and several other similar creators are the go-to source, for Gen Z to fact-check if a company’s claims about their product are true.
And most importantly, if it’s worth their money.
Distrusting of polished brands
The age of polished advertising is dead. But many advertisers would say otherwise.
Today, influencers have become options for advertising agencies to use. As a student of advertising, I find this funny and depressing. We used to be the masters of selling. Today, agencies are more concerned over what is creative. Not what is useful. But this is a subject for another day.
GenZ are more likely to discover new brands through social media ads. And most importantly, they prefer influencers over brand advertising. The major reason for this? Authenticity.
According to GWI, 45% of GenZ, polled in 12 markets, are likely to purchase a product recommended by influencers.
How this will impact future advertising
Innovation has a super slow adoption rate. Humans are married to what they’re familiar with. They hate change, despite its good qualities. So, where advertising is most successful, very few agencies are there to adopt its ways.
Today, meaningful, helpful, direct, advertising (which promotes authenticity) is used as a trustworthy template for independent businesses creating their own ads, content creators, and rebel advertising agencies like Raindrop Agency.
Slowly, I humbly predict, the future of advertising will return to honest, direct, no-nonsense advertising from the days of Claude Hopkins.
