For Retailers to Appeal to Gen Z, They Must Focus on Experiences that are Desirable, Accessible and Tangible
NEW YORK—June 5, 2018—Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO), the leading commerce marketing technology company, today released findings from its Gen Z Report, based on the Criteo Shopper Story. The report analyzed shopping perceptions from thousands of members of Generation Z (Gen Z) and found that this powerful group of shoppers share a love of real-world retail experience, augmented by technology. The report also revealed key findings about the demographic’s spending power, retail behaviors and expectations.
“Gen Z is at the forefront of the mobile commerce revolution, and represents a crucial opportunity for marketers as they develop lifelong brand loyalties,” said Jonathan Opdyke, Chief Strategy Officer, Criteo. “While specific shopping habits may vary, Gen Zers are native omnishoppers who like to visit stores but still prefer to take care of their shopping needs online. In order to deliver a personalized experience on all touchpoints, brands and retailers need to employ a data-driven approach to connect Gen Z customers with unique, on-trend products.”
Gen Z is young and mobile – they crave novelty and experience. The Instagram generation lives by visuals and expects their retailers to make experiences cool and aesthetic, show how products are used, and feature them in their best light. To do this, retailers must improve the online experience and enhance store display and design. Retailers and brands that embody Gen Z values, and ultimately win their loyalty, offer personalized experiences, limited-edition merchandise, uncommon products, good-looking stores and authentic brand stories.
Key “Gen Z Report” Insights Include:
- Significant Spending Power: Both online and off, the amount Gen Z spends across categories is strong, particularly in consumer electronics where they spend an average of $182 online and $125 offline over a six-month period.
- Preference for Mobile: Gen Z spends more time on their mobile devices than any other generation, clocking in 11 hours of mobile online access per week (not counting work and email).
- Web Watchers: From TV shows and online videos to music and podcasts, Gen Z loves to watch and listen from the web. This group streams 23 hours of video content per week.
- Real-World Retail: Gen Z values real-world retail for experience and discovery. While 75 percent prefer to do as much shopping as possible online, 80 percent look forward to shopping in store when they have time.
- Retail Websites and Apps are Influential: Over 50 percent of Gen Z indicated that retail websites and apps are more influential in the purchasing process than search, TV ads or online banner ads. Social media follows as a close second for influence.
- Prepared Players: Gen Z is more likely to regularly Scan & Scram and less likely to Click & Collect. They also research online but buy in store, with 34 percent engaging in Webrooming (research online, buy in-store) and 18 percent engaging in Showrooming (see it in store, buy it online).
- Personalized Everything: Gen Z wants everything personalized, including ads. 62 percent say they like ads that provide value.
Study Methodology
The Gen Z Report surveyed thousands of members of Gen Z in the US, UK, France, Germany, Brazil, and Japan to understand what they think about shopping.
For a complete look at the Gen Z Report, view the report at https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GenZ-Report.pdf.
About Criteo
Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) the leader in commerce marketing, is building the highest performing and open commerce marketing ecosystem to drive profits and sales for retailers and brands. 2,700 Criteo team members partner with over 18,000 customers and thousands of publishers across the globe to deliver performance at scale by connecting shoppers to the things they need and love. Designed for commerce, Criteo Commerce Marketing Ecosystem sees over $600 billion in annual commerce sales data.
For more information, please visit www.criteo.com.
