With every generation comes a shift in purchasing and buying habits. The youngest generation might be one of the largest marketing changes in history as they become less brand-loyal and more informed in their purchasing decisions.

Generation Z

Between the ages of 24 and younger, Generation Z makes up over 28% of the population in America. This is the largest Generation in existence as Baby Boomers are 21% and Millenials comprise 22%. With the older end being in their early twenties, they are now moving into the workforce and changing the way marketing is evolving. 

Gen Z’s brand loyalty must be earned as they are more likely to focus on reviews and product popularity when making their purchasing decisions. They have also become more difficult to engage as they see more ads than any generation before. Their attention spans are much lower, sometimes having only 8 seconds to capture and keep their interest before moving on to the next video/website. 

Social media remains a huge channel for Gen Z, whether through Youtube, TikTok, or Instagram. This is especially true for video ads. Your biggest bang-for-your-buck in advertising dollars is on Youtube and Facebook content delivery networks with the move to streaming. 

With their shortened attention span and higher use of mobile devices to browse the internet, 60% of Gen Z would not use a website that loads too slowly. Therefore when reconfiguring their algorithm, Google is placing more and more importance on page load times. Gen Z also places a higher priority on long-tail search terms (highly descriptive and longer than searching for one or two words). 

Gen Z also has a better understanding of the importance of SEO in the marketplace. Although they are in starting positions now, in the future, they will be part of the decision-making process for budgets, making the amount companies spend on their SEO much higher. Higher budgets will naturally drive the competition and higher price of ad buys overall.