As the Millennial’s are approaching towards middle age and obsolescence, but businesses need to make way for Generation Z. Understanding this generation will be critical to companies wanting to succeed in the next decade and beyond, because by the year 2020, Generation Z will account for 40% of all consumers.
This generation has grown up in a world where their options are limitless but their time is not. Making them learn to adapt and quickly sort through and assess large amounts of information. By doing research and heavily relying on trusted curators and trending pages within apps, this allows them to shrink their potential option set down to a more manageable size. Once something has demonstrated attention-worthiness, they can become intensely committed and focused.
Generation Z has a very carefully tuned mind for being sold to and a limited amount of time and energy to spend assessing whether something’s worth their time or not. Once your business has made it past these filters and you’ve won their attention, it will mean you’ve provided them with engaging and immediately beneficial experiences.
Older generations will forever struggle to understand why Generation Z – and some Millennials – spend so much time online. But they are under immense pressure to simultaneously manage both their professional and personal brands to help them fit in while also standing out. They need social media to build their personal brands but must resist being defined by it. They seek social validation and inclusion but are looking to differentiate themselves professionally. Businesses and companies who understand this, will be able to provide Generation Z with the proper tools they need to reconcile and better manage their personal and professional brands.
Society and other generations seem to either romanticize youth or criticize the things they’re doing differently. But the reality of Generation Z is somewhere in between that. They’re going through many of the same challenges that everyone faces in that stage of life, but they’re doing it in a very ultra-connected, fast-paced technological age. Companies need to meet them in the middle and where they are, rather than try a change them to where they want them to be.
Be sure to visit the Bullfrog Blog often for more tips on marketing, productivity and risk mitigation.