Uniquely Generation Z
What brands should know about today’s youngest consumers

In association withIBM Institute for Business ValueExecutive Report
Consumer products and Retail

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Disruptive and distinctive,
Gen Z shoppers are growing up

Executive summary

A new kind of shopper is on the rise. Relentless

Hot on the heels of the ubiquitous Millennial generation, Gen Zers are the next new “crop”

technological innovations, challenging economicof consumers. And our latest research shows that they already display characteristics andconditions and complicated global politics strongly

preferences different than those who’ve come before — enough so that retail and CP

influence the habits, behaviors and expectations

executives should take note.

of members of Generation Z (Gen Zers). Despite
their young ages, they already hold unprecedented
influence over family purchasing decisions and wield
enormous economic power of their own. To prosper
tomorrow, retail and consumer products (CP) brands
must engage Gen Zers today.

So who are these Gen Zers? Born in the mid-1990s and beyond, they are estimated to be
between 2 and 2.52 billion strong.1 Self-reliant “digital natives,” they socialize, learn and have
fun living in a fluid digital world — one in which the boundaries between their online and offline
lives are nearly indistinguishable.
At the same time, Gen Zers are pragmatic and realistic; perhaps surprisingly, more than 98
percent still prefer to make purchases in bricks-and-mortar stores. And while Millennials
expect career success, Gen Zers make their own.2
As Gen Zers begin to come of age, CP and retail brands are already feeling the impact. Not
only does this young generation have its own money to spend, but its economic influenceextends over both family members and wider communities. Gen Zers’ impact is only going toincrease as they mature and become mainstream consumers.
To better understand how they prefer to engage with brands and prioritize purchasedecisions today, the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) conducted a global survey of 15,600
Gen Zers between the ages of 13 and 21, as well as interviews with 20 senior executives (see“Methodology” at the end of the report). In this report, developed in collaboration with the
National Retail Federation (NRF) and the first of a series, we explore Gen Zers’ technology
preferences, “cyber-savviness” and economic influence. The rest of the series will look atways to build strong brand relationships — both in growth and mature markets — and tocreate authentic omni-channel shopping experiences with Gen Zers.

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Uniquely Generation Z

Nice to meet you, Gen Z
As the first true digital natives, Gen Zers have never known a world without the internet and

60% of surveyed Gen Zers will not
use an app or website that is too slow
to load.

mobile devices. Technology is second nature to them: They are “always on,” with 24/7 accessto YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat and WeChat — as well as any other apps orchannels they want to use for interactions. This generation doesn’t distinguish between online
and offline channels, as other generations might. Gen Zers expect to move seamlessly between
physical and digital worlds, and are less tolerant of technical glitches than Millennials.3

Less than 30% of surveyed
Gen Zers are willing to share healthand wellness, location, personal life or
payment information.

Growing up with the answers to their questions only a few clicks away has enabled them
to be more self-reliant. Access to product information — such as peer reviews, productspecifications and vendor ratings — empowers them to be smarter shoppers. What’s more,
the tumultuous times they’ve been raised in have given them a pragmatic perspective on
what’s really important. To engage this upcoming group of consumers, it’s vital that CP andretail executives understand how Gen Zers spend their time, what devices they use and what

Over 70% of surveyed Gen Zers
said they influence family decisions
on buying furniture, household goods,
and food and beverages.

they expect from their brand experiences.

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Free-time pursuits
Whether Gen Zers are online or off, socializing is important to them. When asked what they
do with their free time, the top response — cited by 74 percent of survey respondents —was to spend time online (see Figure 1). There was a three-way tie for the second mostpopular response, with 44 percent of participants selecting each of the following: TV andmovies, hanging out with friends and spending time with family.
Figure 1
Gen Zers are an online generation, but also spend substantial amounts of time with friends and family

74%

Spend time online
Watch TV and movies

44%

Hang out with my friends

44%

Spend time with my family

44%
29%

Try to earn extra money

25%

Read books, magazines, newspapers
Exercise or keep fit

23%

Participate in extracurricular activities

23%

Learn new things

22%

Volunteer

8%

Participate in religious activities

7%

Participate in organized group activities

6%

Question: How do you spend most of your time outside of school or work, whether on weekends or longer breaks?

“They are ‘always on’ and they expect
everything to be available ‘on-demand’
because they are used to having
everything at their fingertips 24/7.”– CMO, Home and Lifestyle Retailer

4Uniquely Generation Z

Figure 2
The mobile phone is the device of choice for Gen Zers

Upon first glance, these activities may seem contradictory. In actuality, they often overlap. For

Mobile/smartphone

example, Gen Zers may spend some of their online time interacting with friends and family onsocial media. Twenty-nine percent of these young people also said they spend some of their75%

free time trying to earn extra money. Twenty-two percent said they spend it learning new

Laptop computer

A mega-mobile generation

45%

Desktop computer

30%
Tablet10%
Xbox/gaming console

8%Interactive/smart TV

3%

Wearable devices

1%

Question: What are your most frequently used devices?

things. These responses demonstrate both their work ethic and desire for self-improvement.

At a time when mobility is part of everyday life, it’s not surprising that 75 percent of respondents
selected a mobile phone or smartphone as their device of choice (see Figure 2). Gen Zers
aged 19 to 21 make up the dominant group of smartphone users, while younger Gen Zers
more often have access to a desktop computer.
The amount of time Gen Zers spend online is considerable. Twenty-five percent of respondents
said they spend more than five hours on their mobile phones every day. And they use theirphones for much more than shopping and buying. When asked, 73 percent of Gen Zers citedtexting and chatting as their primary mobile-phone activities, followed by entertainment at 59
percent and gaming at 58 percent (see Figure 3).

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Figure 3
Gen Zers use devices for a wide-ranging medley of activities

59%

73%

Text and chat

Accessentertainment

58%
Play games

36%
Do
schoolwork

28%
Learn newthings17%
Shop andbrowseQuestion: What do you mostly use these devices for?

Globally, survey respondents said they primarily use their devices to access social media,
messaging and entertainment apps and websites. There were some differences acrossgender lines and age groups. Females were most inclined to use their devices to text orchat (79 percent versus 67 percent of males), while males were most likely to use them toplay games (66 percent versus 50 percent of females). Among 13- to 15-year-olds, 62
percent named gaming as their top activity when using devices. That figure fell to 53
percent for 19- to 21-year-olds, who more often cited emailing and learning new things.

“Facebook is the most popular andfrequently used social media platform
among teens; half of teens use
Instagram, and nearly as many use
Snapchat....71% of teens use morethan one social network site.”– Pew Research Center report. April 9, 2015.4

6Uniquely Generation Z

Figure 4
Gen Zers expect fast, easy-to-use apps and websites

Fundamentals are foremost

I have access to high-speed internet at home87%

I frequently use more than one device at the same time

Technological-performance expectations are high among this group. A full 87 percent
of respondents said they have access to high-speed internet at home, while 66 percent
frequently use more than one device at a time (see Figure 4). Gen Zers have little patience
for technology that is unresponsive or prone to errors; often balancing the use of multiple
devices at once, they become frustrated quickly if the user experience lags. In fact,
62 percent said they will not use apps that are hard to navigate.

66%

What’s more, in spite of their superior technological abilities, they tend to care more about

I will not use an app or website that is hard to navigate

when choosing one brand over another (see Figure 5).

62%retail basics than about the “bells and whistles” of shiny apps and capabilities. Two-thirds ofsurveyed Gen Zers said quality, product availability and value are the most important factors

Companies that can’t meet Gen Zers’ extremely high expectations risk rapidly falling out offavor — and leave the way open to competitors. It’s vital that brands recognize and respondto this pragmatism in Gen Zers and to their maturity as shoppers.

I will not use an app or website that is too slow to load

60%

Percentage who said “agree” or “strongly agree.” Question: Do you agreewith the following statements?

Targeting Gen Z consumers with sophisticated, value-add services such as in-context,
personalized messages is important. Without the fundamentals in place, however, it’s unlikely
brands can secure Gen Zers’ continued loyalty and purchasing power. By understanding andaddressing Gen Zers’ evolving behaviors and preferences, including the devices and social
media channels they prefer, CP and retail executives can work to cultivate long-term, mutually
beneficial relationships.

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Figure 5
Gen Zers care strongly about product quality, availability and value

To what extent do you agree with thefollowing statements?

66% agree:
46% agree:

It matters to me
that the brandsells high-quality
products

My friends’
recommendations
and opinions matterto me when I amchoosing a brand

45% agree:
I choose brands thatare eco-friendly andsocially responsible

How important are the following to you?

66%

want:
Very few products toever be out of stock

65%

want:
To get real value for
their money, withdiscounts, couponsand a rewards
program56%

want:
The store experience
to be fun so they won't
get bored

Percentage who said “agree” or “strongly agree.” Question (left): Thinking about the brands you like, to what extent do you
agree with the following statements? Percentage who said “important” or “very important.” Question (right): Think about
what makes you decide where to purchase a product. How important are the following to you?

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Uniquely Generation Z

Cyber-savvy with a tight circle of friends
Figure 6
Personal information Gen Zers said they’d be willing to share witha brand

My purchase history

Growing up with access to 24/7 news coverage of turbulent global events — such asrecession, terrorism and highly publicized cyberattacks — has shaped Gen Zers’ thinking,behavior and attitudes. In addition, schools today provide education about the risks and62%

dangers of cyberspace. As a result, cyber-savvy Gen Zers have learned the importance of

My contact details

Only 22 percent of surveyed Gen Zers said they are supervised online by an adult and only

42%

My online history

privacy and security and are capable of “policing” themselves.

19 percent said their parents have set security filters on their devices. Even so, Gen Zers are
cautious about sharing sensitive personal information online. Less than one-third said they28%

are comfortable sharing personal details other than contact information and purchase history

My photos and videos

brands, a mere 21 percent said they would share more sensitive personal data. Also

28%
My location

27%
My health and wellness information

27%

My personal life information

21%

My payment information

18%

Question: Which information would you be comfortable sharing withyour favorite brand?

(see Figure 6). And while 62 percent are prepared to share purchase history details with
noteworthy, only 18 percent said they are comfortable sharing their payment information.

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Their cautiousness extends into online interpersonal relationships, as well. Social media is an
important tool for Gen Zers; however, they restrict their posts to a tight circle of family andfriends (see Figure 7).
When expressing themselves online, Gen Zers post comments, photos, videos and opinions
via social media. These preferences vary in different types of markets — 25 percent of Gen
Zers in growth markets are willing to share reviews of products and restaurants publicly,compared to only 14 percent in mature markets.
Figure 7
Gen Zers use social media mostly to share with friends

72%

Comments on my friends posts

62%

My photos and videos

45%

My opinions

36%

Blogs, articles or news
Reposts of other people’s content

31%

Links to songs/playlists

31%

My location
Reviews of products/restaurants, etc.

23%
20%

Question: Which of the following have you shared on social media in the last month?

10Uniquely Generation Z

Establishing trust with Gen Zers is vital when engaging with them as future customers. Before
they share, they expect brands to be transparent about how their personal data will be stored
and used (see Figure 8). If the brand does not demonstrate sufficient diligence in protecting
sensitive personal information, Gen Zers may not be as likely to provide it. In that case, brands
will miss out on the customer data they need for personalizing the shopping experience —a key differentiator in a highly competitive landscape.
Figure 8
Gen Zers prefer brands that keep personal data secure

Offer secure storage and protectionof personal data

61%

Provide clear terms and conditions
in how to use my information

43%

Explain clearly what data tocollect and how it will be used39%

Offer incentives in return foraccess to my information

31%

Allow me to change my mind if I decideto stop sharing my information30%

Are honest about recovery
solution to security breach

26%

Will not use my personal
data to spy on me
Provide the ability to check myinformation any time using any devices

21%
14%

Question: Which of the following are most likely to make you feel better about sharing your personal information
with brands?

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Entrepreneurs and influencers
Although Gen Zers have limited spending power, they wield significant influence over familypurchases. In the U.S. alone, consumer spending on Gen Zers totaled a whopping USD 829.5
billion in 2015.5 With this degree of potential financial impact, retailers and CP companies
shouldn’t underestimate the importance of Gen Zers to their businesses.
The digital knowledge of Gen Zers often exceeds that of older members of their households
and can influence family members’ paths to purchase: from product evaluation, to purchasing
methods, to post-purchase activities. This influence extends into purchases of householdproducts, food and beverages, and particularly “big ticket” items like furniture and travel,
where prices far exceed Gen Zers’ own personal budgets (see Figure 9). According to oursurvey, 75 percent of Gen Zers spend more than half of their monthly income. Clothes, apps
and entertainment top their shopping lists.

“Gen Z, tweens/teens carry significant
influence on household purchases thanprevious generations. Ninety-three
percent say their children have atleast some influence on their family’s
spending and household purchases.”– Deep Focus press release. March 30, 2015.6

12Uniquely Generation Z

Figure 9
Gen Zers have significant influence on family spend

Spend their own money
Clothes and shoes

Influence family spending

55%

60%

Books and music(physical copies)

52%

Apps

52%

Toys and games

50%

Event and outings

48%

41%
20%
30%
48%

Personal care

43%

Electronic goods

42%

61%

Eating out

42%

63%

Digital streaming
Sports equipment

55%

37%

37%
31%

47%

Food and beverages

26%

Travel26%

Household goods

18%

Furniture

16%

77%
66%

Question: On which of the following categories do you spend your own money or influence how your parents spend
their money?

73%
76%

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Motivated, creative and tech-savvy, Gen Zers have applied their entrepreneurial skills toto innovate. In addition to the 59 percent who receive an allowance, 22 percent said they also

Young entrepreneurs start online
businesses7

make money online and 16 percent work for themselves (see Figure 10).

Entrepreneurial Gen Zers are using technology

creating a new array of careers in the digital world — using new capabilities that enable themto start their own businesses — sometimes at

Figure 10
In addition to typical teen ways to get money, Gen Zers use their entrepreneurial skills

startlingly young ages and with remarkable results.
• An 8-year-old has his own YouTube channel

24%

59%
Receive anallowanceWork
part-time

22%

Make money
onlineon which he reviews new kids’ toys and video

16%
Work formyselfgames, garnering over 750 million views since
the channel debuted and USD 1.3 million a year.
• An 11-year-old is the CEO and owner of an
online boutique that sells eco-friendly
accessories.
• A young app developer founded Summly at

22%

Receive moneyas gifts

9%Work full-timeQuestion: How do you get the money that you spend on yourself?

Forward-thinking Gen Zers are using their digital know-how and the media now available
to them to great advantage — often through the use of innovative technologies (see sidebar,“Young entrepreneurs start online businesses”). Across Gen Z age groups, 28 percent of
19- to 21-year-olds make money online, compared to 22 percent of 16- to 18-year-olds andeven 14 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds.

15, an application that uses natural language
processing and machine learning to generatenews summaries from web pages, and sold it
at 18 for USD 30 million.
• At age 8, a girl started blogging about fashionand now runs her own online magazine at 15.

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Uniquely Generation Z

Figure 11
How surveyed Gen Zers said they prefer to make purchases

Gen Zers behaviors and attitudes are likely to change to support their different life stages,
such as moving into higher education, getting married, starting a family or buying a house.
As they grow older and enter the workforce, their spending power increases and gives them

Shopping
in a store

Using aweb browser

Using
an app

67%

22%

13%

31%

54%

35%

greater independence. Even those Gen Zers with less spending money today are developing
shopping habits that are likely to continue into adulthood.
Although they live in an age of rapidly advancing technological innovations, Gen Zers remain
pragmatic and grounded when choosing brands or deciding where to shop. Gen Zers’ omnichannel shopping expectations revolve around basic retail imperatives. Despite using digital
devices since toddlerhood, the majority of Gen Zers still make their purchases in store(see Figure 11).

5% 20%

This may be due in part to younger Gen Zers’ youth and lack of access to credit cards.

Callingby phone

Online shopping is slightly more prevalent among 19- to 21-year-olds (84 percent) than
Most of the time

Some of the time

Question: How do you typically make purchases?

13- to 15-year-olds (69 percent), while using an app to make purchases is more common
in growth markets than in mature markets.

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Recommendations: Taking the first step
Build a comprehensive Gen Z experience• Employ a mobile-focused strategy when developing new capabilities. Connect with Gen
Zers in real time: provide enhanced mobile functionality — incorporating a chat function
when possible — for shopping, issue resolution, social interaction, gamification and selfeducation. Create an environment where they can interact with your brand based on theirlifestyles and preferred activities. Repurpose your stores and increase your mobile
capabilities to anticipate and exceed Gen Zers’ shopping expectations.
• Let Gen Zers shape their own experiences. Tap into their entrepreneurial spirits. Build aninteractive capability to capture Gen Zers’ ideas for new product design and development,
and then reward them on their terms. Appeal to their entrepreneurial natures by providing
opportunities for income generation related to promoting your brand or increasing sales —for example, when they advocate on behalf of your brand through their social channels.
• Don’t make them wait. Benchmark the capabilities of your back-end systems frequently
and analyze where performance lags behind digital-experience metrics. Identify andimplement corrective actions, particularly for mobile capabilities.
Foster a safe online environment built on trust• Be transparent regarding data collection and use. Equip all channels of engagement,
particularly mobile, with clearly defined and easily accessible policies on data collection
and privacy. Let Gen Zers know how seriously you take privacy threats by stating threatresolution procedures and disaster-recovery responses upfront.
• Give Gen Zers control. Develop safe, secure and swift means for them to manage theirpersonal data. Let them choose when, how and what they wish to share. Carefully consider
how to introduce your brand into Gen Zers’ online “crowds” for access to their inner circles. If
possible, partner with trusted Gen Z influencers, such as peers or others in their communities.

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Uniquely Generation Z• Understand international compliance requirements. Data protection regulations varydepending on the country. Know what you need to do to be compliant in all countries where
you’re conducting business — and make sure you do it.
Tap into their influence and preferences — both economic and social• Don’t underestimate the revenue that Gen Zers can generate and their influence on family
spending. Develop marketing and engagement strategies now to attract Gen Zers as they
develop habits and brand relationships that they will probably take into adulthood. Usecustomer relationship management (CRM), connected marketing and advanced analytics
capabilities to help develop those strategies.
• Value their opinions and let them help. Identify your Gen Z advocates and enlist theirassistance in championing your brand with other generations, both within the household
and in the wider community. Give them the tools to engage, based on authentic crossgenerational product and service messages tailored for both the physical and digital worlds.
• Don’t dictate to or impose on them. Develop programs and initiatives to understandyounger Gen Zers as influencers, and allow them to help shape the brand messages.
Reward them in areas where they can directly influence the “shopping basket.”

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Are you ready to engage Generation Z?
• How well do you know your Gen Z customers and what they really want? How are youchanging the way your business operates to better serve these young consumers?
• What capabilities do you have in place to allow Gen Zers to individualize their brandexperiences and make them their own?
• How can you leverage Gen Zers’ entrepreneurial capabilities to create new revenue models
and drive competitive advantage?
• How can you use transformational technologies, such as cognitive computing, the Internetof Things, “bot” technology and collaborative ecosystems, to differentiate your brandexperience for Gen Zers?
• What safeguards do you have in place to counter potential data breaches and privacy
threats? How does being transparent influence your security and privacy policies?

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Uniquely Generation Z

For more information

Methodology

To learn more about this IBM Institute for Business Value

To understand what drives Gen Zers in choosing a brand, the IBM Institute for Business Value,

study, please contact us at iibv@us.ibm.com. Follow @in collaboration with Oxford Economics, surveyed 15,600 consumers aged 13 to 21 in 16

IBMIBV on Twitter, and for a full catalog of our research orcountries across six continents. We asked them about their digital habits, preferences into subscribe to our monthly newsletter, visit: ibm.com/iibv.

choosing a brand and priorities in making purchases. We analyzed responses by age group,

Access IBM Institute for Business Value executive reports
on your mobile device by downloading the free “IBM IBV”

gender and market (growth versus mature). In addition, we conducted interviews with 20
senior executives in the consumer products and retail industries.

apps for your phone or tablet from your app store.
The right partner for a changing world
At IBM, we collaborate with our clients, bringing together
business insight, advanced research and technology togive them a distinct advantage in today’s rapidly changing
environment.
National Retail Federation
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retailtrade association, representing discount and department
stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street
merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants andinternet retailers from more than 45 countries.
IBM Institute for Business Value
Growth markets

The IBM Institute for Business Value, part of IBM Global
Business Services, develops fact-based strategic

Genderinsights for senior business executives around critical
public and private sector issues.

Mature markets

Male 50%

Female 49%

Prefer not to say 1%

Age group
13-15 31%

16-18 34%

19-21 35%

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About the authors
Jane Cheung is the Global Leader for Consumer Products for the IBM Institute for Business
Value. She has over 20 years of working experience across retail and consumer productindustries. Jane has worked at Macy’s, Disney, Nike and Hallmark Cards and as a trusted
advisor for clients in a consulting capacity at IBM and Accenture. Jane has a MBA from
California State University, Long Beach. She can be reached at jane.cheung@us.ibm.com.
Simon Glass is the Global Retail Leader for the IBM Institute for Business Value. He is
responsible for the development of thought-leadership content and strategic businessinsights for the IBM retail industry practice. Simon has over 25 years of experience and has
worked with major retail clients around the world in the areas of business strategy, omnichannel, transformational change and business model innovation. He can be reached at
glasss@uk.ibm.com.
David McCarty is the North America lead for the IBM Consumer Products Industry
Solution Sales Team. He has over 25 years of experience in developing, deploying andselling technology solutions to consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers, wholesale
distributors and retailers. He has had the pleasure of working with leading CPG companies
around the globe in the areas of advanced analytics, digital transformation and operational
excellence. He can be reached at davidmccarty@us.ibm.com.
Christopher K. Wong is the Vice President of Strategy and Ecosystem for the IBM Global
Consumer Industry. He is responsible for setting the direction for IBM clients in the retail andconsumer packaged goods industries. Chris has more than 20 years of experience in areas
ranging from sales and product management to corporate transformation. He led the IBMinternal deployment of marketing technology, including the world’s largest B2B deployment of
campaign automation and data systems. Christopher can be reached at cwong@us.ibm.com.

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Uniquely Generation Z

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Bigornia, Anthony, Jane Cheung, Trevor Davis andSandipan Sarkar. “Inspiring deeper brand enthusiasm:
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Trevor Davis, Global SME Consumer Products, Distinguished Engineer and Member of IBM
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Services

Davis, Gary, Keith Mercier, Anthony Marshall andJoni McDonald, Content Strategist and Writer, Digital Services Group

Sandipan Sarkar. “Thinking like a customer: Your
cognitive future in the retail industry.” IBM Institute for
Business Value. January 2016. http://www.ibm.com/
services/us/gbs/thoughtleadership/cognitiveretail/Glass, Simon, Sashank Rao Yaragudipati and MarkYourek. “Ready to engage with tomorrow’s shopper?
How retailers can distinguish themselves.” IBM Institutefor Business Value. September 2016. http://www.ibm.
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7“Deep Focus' Cassandra Report: Gen Z Uncovers Massive Attitude Shifts Toward Money, Work andCommunication Preferences.” Deep Focus press release. March 30, 2015. http://www.marketwired.com/
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com/fashion/2015/may/20/rising-star-meet-oslos-15-year-old-answer-to-tavi-gevinson© Copyright IBM Corporation 2017
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