Generation Z: The Mobile-First Generation

Who is Generation Z?

Many people have disagreements about who “Gen. Z” really is. However, the majority believes it is anyone currently ages 12-22. It is important to understand the mobile trends of teenagers and young adults because they are constantly (and I mean constantly) on their mobile devices.

Mobile Statistics

Although Millennials pioneered many technological advances, Generation Z are the ones who learn it and live it from a young age. Today’s teenagers are the first generation to grow up with a ton of technology and mobile devices at their fingertips. They usually receive their first mobile phone at age 12, compared to the older generations who had to wait until age 16, or even age 20. Everything they do is mobile. And their online reputation is extremely important to them, it can even consume their lives. This generation is very dependent on their mobile devices which is why it is important for marketers to learn and understand the trends of their mobile use.

Many marketers do not pay as much attention to this generation because they are young and over 60% of them live with their parents. However, over half of this generation has some kind of savings account and 37% of them have full time jobs. So, they do have spending power, and they do use it.

Below is a chart of online shopping trends from www.thinkwithgoogle.com. It shows that over half of all teenagers mostly make purchases online from their smartphone compared to only 30% of the older half of this generation.

There are so many mobile platforms available to teenagers, and they use them all. In order of popularity they include smartphones, laptop computers, gaming consoles, iPads/ Tablets, desktop computers, MP3 Players, and streaming devices.

How and why to market to Generation Z.

Generation Z is the largest generation globally. Marketers will miss out on the biggest group of people if they do not market to Gen Z’s. Jacqueline Dooley surveyed over 79,000 people ages 16-22 and found that what is most important for online marketers to do is to be original and authentic. The second most important thing is to create a seamless online experience for brands. This generation knows they have all the knowledge they could ever need at their fingertips and because of that, they have high expectations for mobile. They want websites to be easy to navigate and at a very quick speed.

Nathalie Nahai talks about how to create a killer website in “Webs of Influence” all of her tips are important to reach and connect with Generation Z. They truly expect the best of the best. After researching this generation I think the most important website features for this generation include a good user experience, accessibility, and keeping your content updated.

Video

In this video, these teens talk about how they consume content. “Its all about social media. Its all about Netflix, Youtube, and getting you guys on the mobile”. The young girls agree.

Sources

Nahai, Nathalie. Webs of Influence: the Psychology of Online Persuasion. Pearson Education Limited, 2017.

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/interactive-report/gen-z-a-look-inside-its-mobile-first-mindset/

https://www.clickz.com/gen-z-consumers-nearly-100-percent-own-a-smartphone-and-spend-over-4-hours-per-day-online/246757/