Social Insights Reveal How Gen Z Shops, Buys and Talks Online

Gen Z has an estimated $143 billion in buying power in the US alone. 

Unpredictable as they may seem, this generation talks online more than any other generation before them. If you listen to what they say about themselves, you can position your brand to compete for their coveted buying power.

We happen to offer a social listening platform capable of researching these young consumers and finding out what makes them tick.

Our latest social insights report on Gen Z reveals how Gen Z consumers shop, buy and interact online. It provides the winning playbook for brands to connect with these essential consumers.

This exclusive analysis dishes the goods on Gen Z shopping experiences, buying behaviors and what they choose to spend their money on.

In this article, we’ll go over 3 major takeaways from our research which will make you feel compelled to download the report, because --  let’s face it --  you can’t afford to ignore Gen Z.

Here’s what you’ll find in the report:

Social Insights Reveal the Secret Formula to Winning Gen Z

Connecting with Gen Z is challenging, but the formula is simple. If you listen to understand what Gen Z wants and how they buy,  then offer brand values and purpose that they can relate to, you’ll succeed.

This is a major conclusion we drew from our social listening research. Here’s what it looks like:

Again, to reiterate, the winning formula to win over Gen Z is this:

Listen to Gen Z  +  Connect with them by offering brand values that resonate = Gen Z love!

Pretty simple to understand, and yet it’s so important. Brands must monitor and listen to these audiences and also offer attractive brand values that speak to those consumers’ core values, lifestyles and needs.

Gen Z talks online about purchases more than any other generation

Generation Z seems flakey, and their brand loyalties appear fleeting, at best. They remain an obstacle for brands to figure out how to push them down the purchase pipeline.

The good news is that Gen Z talks about purchases they make or want to make more than any other generation before them. With the right data on Gen Z buying behaviors, these unpredictable consumers can become less of a mystery.

This is what our data says:

The chart shows how different generations discuss purchase-related topics online. Compared to millennials, Generation X and baby boomers, Gen Z talks about purchases or purchase intent more than any other group.

Inside the report, we also deep dive on how Gen Z spends money. Here’s a preview to what they discuss buying the most:

Smaller purchases that lead the way for Generation Z are clothes, food and drink, and music. But also on the list are big time spends like houses, cars and vacation.

Download the report to find out more about what Gen Z spends their money on.

More authentic posts from Gen Z influencers drive purchase intent over partnered posts

Gen Z, influencers and Insta-culture seem to be forever linked as the future of the social media world. But how effective influencer campaigns are ties to how well influencers and their posts relate to Gen Z interests. Authenticity always wins with young consumers.

Underscoring the importance of authenticity for winning with Gen Z, when you analyze popular influencer posts with social listening, you can see that this generation values authentic and organic online experiences with influencers.

Above you see analysis of audience comments on popular influencer posts. These Instagram comments from everyday users show how they express purchase intent, and whether their comments were positive or negative. 

Emma Chamberlain’s post promoting luxury brand Louis Vuitton, for example, only led to 3% of comments expressing purchase intent. And the 2 million+ engagements on this post had 62% positive sentiment. Compare that to the successful campaign for Summer McKeen’s less luxurious promotional post, which inspired a 13% purchase intent and 75% positive sentiment from commenters. 

The best way to measure how well your influencer message is resonating with the right audience is to analyze the comments. You can use social listening to dive deep into the comments--  and the people who write to them- to find out sentiment, emotions and themes of the conversations. 

This analysis will help you accurately measure the effectiveness of the campaign and learn more about audiences.

Conclusion

Gen Z can be understood with the right data. It will take listening and analyzing what they say about themselves and their lifestyles to learn how they buy and why. And your brand can’t afford to ignore these insights.

In addition to these key takeaways, here are some of the fascinating, and even surprising, insights featured in the report.

• Analysis on Gen Z buying behaviors, purchase intent and top emotions expressed
• A breakdown of how and why Gen Z saves their money and the types of purchases they’re most likely to make
• Analysis on how Influencers resonate with Gen Z and insight on how to succeed with Influencer campaigns targeted at Gen Z
• A deep dive in some new shopping trends and products/services Gen Z loves
• A look at how Gen Z feels toward QSR brands like Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Starbucks
• Insight on how to offer better customer experiences and online shopping experiences for Gen Z
• Brand comparison scorecard between top apparel brands like Old Navy, Urban Outfitters and more