Generation Z: Is retail communicating
with them in the right way?
Communicate badly and they’re lost; communicate well
and you will have committed advocates
Generation Z is the next batch of bright
young things; still young at 18 to 20 but soon
to be the new influencers. It’s a small window
so how can retailers align their thinking to
stay on track with Gen Z in the here and
now and also keep their loyalty over the
longer term? It’s a difficult question but one
that needs tackling: Communicate badly and
they’re lost; communicate well and you will
have committed advocates. Read on and I’ll
share my insights and some practical advice
that will make all the difference to how you
view and approach this key market.
If we cut through the noise, as a creative
agency we’re here to help our clients sell
things. However, this hard-nosed approach
must be tempered by communications that
are salient to the audience making sure
that the brand is culturally relevant to the
individual whilst remaining true to itself.
24 JEWELLERY FOCUS
Not an easy task. Get it wrong and Gen Z
won’t just ignore you they’ll actively hate
you. And all their friends will hate you too.
In 2018 Ipsos Mori published its research
findings into what makes Gen Z tick.
Putting aside the usual caveats that come
with any research, it’s a great starting point
to help define an approach - even if that
thinking continues to evolve just as Gen Z
does. I’ve pulled out a few themes from the
research which you can focus on.
Fluid
Gen Z are fluid and don’t conform to
stereotypes so how your brand communicates
messages around age, sex, gender and what
is ‘normal’ will have to change and reflect
that approach. As Ipsos said: “Things are
more open, less set, because people do have
more ways to connect, see and experience
more things.” What that means is that your
communications will have to change and be
more fluid to remain relevant.
Trust
Gen Z is more trusting than you think.
Ipsos’ research concluded: “New analysis
shows no real differences in levels of trust
among the young with regards to all sorts of
traditional institutions. It’s true, Millennials
did mark a low point in trust in others -
but now they are ageing, the differences are
decreasing and Gen Z start adult life with
much higher levels of trust.” From that
insight you can take that Gen Z is more
trusting but maybe less forgiving. This is
because there’s now so much choice that if
you do mess things up there are countless
alternatives that will take your place with
very little effort on the part of Gen Z.
March 2019 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk