But smart marketers have their sights set on converting them now. To date, Generation Z is the single most influential generation of kids in history to wield sway over Mom’s and Dad’s wallets. And their financial superpowers are only going to get stronger.

Who Is Generation Z?

Generation Z is the age group born between approximately 1996 and 2012, though there continues to be some debate around the exact birth years that make up Generation Z. In general, the consensus says that the members of the cohort that follows Millennials were born starting in the mid-1990s up through the early 2010s.

Gen Z commands a remarkable $360 billion in buying power according to Bloomberg, compared to $143 billion in buying power just 4 years ago. For the next 20 years, as this generation continues to enter the workforce and maximize their earning potential, their spending power will continue to increase.

Which is why we’re even talking, right?

Today, while some of them still have to be in the house before the streetlights come on (jk – kids today have no idea about the street-light curfew their parents grew up with), Gen Zers play a huge role in how the adults around them spend money.

Ninety-three percent of parents say their Gen Z children influence their household spending. Another 70 percent of parents ask their Gen Z kids for advice before making purchase decisions. That’s A LOT of influence.

The obvious next question you probably have is how can you influence them to buy your product or service?! Let’s find out what makes post-millennials buy.

While the oldest members of Generation Z have already entered the workforce and are starting families, its youngest members are still in middle school.

8 Gen Z Spending Habits to Inform Your Marketing Strategy

#1 Gen Z Consumers Value Their Boundaries and Their Privacy

Generation Z consumers don’t play about their privacy. They take extra measures to safeguard their personal information. As this article’s being updated, Snapchat users – 58 percent of whom are between the ages of 13 and 24 years old (or about 364 million people) are flooding social conversations with negative reviews of Snapchat’s new AI feature, using words like “invasive” and “creepy” to describe the AI’s ability to always know (and share) where users happen to be. And it’s a new feature they cannot opt out of without subscribing to Snapchat’s premium monthly subscription.

So the headlines are all like…

Boundaries matter to Gen Z! and Snapchat seems to have wandered into a privacy landmine that’s ticking off large portions of its users. Take a look at the following stats from SheerID:

• 87 percent of Gen Zers say privacy is more important than getting “likes” on social media.

• 75 percent of them will only use location features on apps when it’s required to function (which is why Snapchat users are going ham).
• 58 percent turn location sharing on and off based on how and when they wish to use it.
• 33 percent of Gen Zers worry about the security measures of brands.
• 38 percent worry that brands are sharing their personal info without consent.

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It’s also worth noting that fewer than 1 in 3 teens are cool with the idea of sharing their personal details beyond just contact info and purchase history.

Now, don’t go crazy. I’m not saying you can’t try collecting their emails to market to them. Two in three Gen Zers are okay sharing their personal information with brands they trust.

So, build some trust!

Create useful content that’s targeted. Personalization is big with these guys. The key is to prove your value then assure them you’re taking the proper measures to protect their data.

Value + security. That’s your way in.

#2 Gen Z is Willingly Loyal to Brands (assuming your brand offers the best overall deals)

Loyal to brands? In 2023? Yah. With post-millennials, you have a pretty good chance of snagging loyal customers — but only if you can align with their expectations (and slim personal budgets).

Gen Zers are looking at your brand’s mission, product quality, and service before committing. So, you’re going to need to fine-tune these areas if you want their ongoing business.

• 60 percent of Gen Z consumers are happy to be associated with their brand of choice.
• 2 in 3 say they’ll stick with the brands they like and buy from them for years.
• 65 percent admit that rewards programs influence which brands they choose.

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For Gen Zers, if you can demonstrate your loyalty to them and align with their values and needs, then they’ll return the favor by becoming a long-term customer. Which brings us to the next point – personalization.

#3 Personalization Is Super Valuable for Building Trust

Young consumers are looking for personalized experiences from brands. They want to know you’re listening and that you see them. Things like rewards programs matter and they have a HUGE impact on whether younger buyers patronize your brand. Plain and simple.

Rewards programs

We talked about rewards programs a bit in the post on millennial dads, and like millennial dads, Gen Zers aren’t super-thrilled about having to track down promo codes. So, you’ll probably find that a rewards program that sends or notifies them of specific rewards works best.

So, we’re not really talking about creating a bunch of digital coupons that Gen Zers will have to go on a treasure hunt to find. That won’t really work. Restaurants like Wendy’s, Chick-Fil-A and Chili’s send emails and/or SMS notifications to their customers of deals and FREEBIES (like free desserts, sandwiches, and BOGO deals) straight to their phones. Super smart, since Gen Zers tend to over index on eating out and being more adventurous when it comes to food as compared to other generations, according to Morning Consult.

Other apps have geo-fencing capabilities that remind users of existing deals whenever they are within close proximity of the store.

So, whether you want to offer free chicken sandwiches or a birthday discount if you don’t have a rewards program yet, it’s time to create one. And keep in mind that price is critical to these savvy shoppers — 60 percent of Gen Z base their brand choice on price. Yeah, they influence a significant amount of household spending, for most of them, Mom and Dad are still supplying them with spending money in the form of an allowance.

Targeting with gated content

Also, consider developing a plan to attract them with gated content. Capitalize on this by creating exclusive promotions for different groups based on their ages, affiliations, or occupations.

For example, you can have separate promotions for college students, recent grads, and adults in the workforce. Aligning your content and your offer to their individual needs will show you understand them and are committed to helping them.

Not sure if it’ll work? Maybe this will make you feel better:

• 41 percent of Gen Zers say gated content makes them feel rewarded
• 41 percent say they feel special
• 54 percent feel excited

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Identity marketing

A fancy term that just means you’re personalizing your marketing for different groups based on their life stages, affiliations, occupations, passions, etc. This is a great solve for the zero-party-data world we’re living in, folks. And it works with younger consumers because this form of personalization provides an opportunity for Gen Z consumers AND their peers to take advantage of your promos, rewards, discounts, and special access opps.

Think of how important a student discount may be to a college student in the current environment. According to a webinar I attended just today sponsored by SheerID, 89 percent of students would buy more if extended a student discount. And the retailers who offer these types of discounts typically see a 20 percent increase in average order value.

Add to that this stat (from the same webinar) that 72 percent of high school and college students polled said they would be more loyal to brands that gave them exclusive offers.

Short-term discount for long-term loyalty.

#4 Gen Zers Are Working Earlier and More Than Millennials Did At the Same Age

For Generation Z, money is a HUGE motivator. When it comes to things that matter to Gen Z, 62 percent of those polled say that success matters to them. More than any other generation, they would say that challenging themselves, upskilling and making progress are high on their list of important values.

Twenty-something Gen Zers are shopping for homes already. And let me tell you — they’re not doing the tiny house thing. They want 2,000+ sq ft and are willing to buy a fixer-upper at a lower price to get it.

Gen Z members are also working while in school, which was one of the things millennials didn’t really do as much as previous generations.

Whereas millennials wanted to focus solely on their education and then enter the workforce after college, Gen Zers are already working. About 10 percent of them are working full time, earning $229B in FT employment wages, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. They’re not trying to follow in the footsteps of the 13 percent of millennials who didn’t even have jobs until after they were in their twenties.

Here’s another interesting tidbit: Nearly half of Gen Zers (46 percent) have already joined the gig economy to maximize their earning potential and get the things they want.

For Gen Z consumers, your hustle matters.

What are they buying? Well, they’re buying what young people buy. Clothing is at the top of their shopping list, no doubt driven by the desire to sport different looks in the photos they publish to Instagram and other platforms. But it’s worth noting that they’re willing to pay for a monthly membership to access lightly used clothes (and even clothing repair services).

Makes sense, right? Gen Z did grow up during a recession.

So what does all of this mean for marketers?

I mean… Gen Z is a budget-conscious group that likes to earn and spend money. That’s all teens and young people, isn’t it?

Yeah, but we’re talking about recession kids. This group has a different mindset. They can save enough cash for a down payment on a home within five years. A home.

If you can offer something they really want, they’ll find a way to make the money to buy it. The thing is, you have to know how to make your thing attractive to this generation. If you do that, even if your price is steep, they’ll find a way to increase income so they can buy it.

A quick tip: If you can come up with payment plans and other methods to maken buying your thing more affordable without sacrificing quality, you’ll significantly boost your chances of winning them over.

#5 Gen Z Cares About What Your Brand Cares About

It’s not enough to develop a product or service that’s within their budget. And it’s not enough to have the best-quality offer to meet their needs.

If they learn that your brand is all about making money or, worse, participating in egregious acts (like hiring kids in a sweatshop), then you can forget about earning their trust and loyalty.

In fact, you may even get your brand name slandered all across social media. So it’s time to straighten up and find a cause if you haven’t already.

Social responsibility matters to younger buyers. So, let me ask you: what do you stand for? And how does your brand reflect that you’re concerned about what matters to them? The time has come to look deep and ask yourself what cause you can back passionately and effectively, because when Gen Zers are looking at your products, you better believe they’ll be looking for your answer.

If you need some guidance around social issues that really move this generation, take a look at what they care about most. You can compare them to millennials below.

#6 For Generation Z, Connection Comes From Authenticity

Geez… who isn’t on the hunt for authenticity these days? Between your typical brand hyperbole, social media filters, AI, and magic-working makeup, it’s hard to find “real” anywhere.

For the 12 to 27 crowd, there are a handful of things that are really critical when it comes to engaging with brands. Because young people talk. They are quick to share their experiences – positive or negative – with their communities. And these communities rely on recommendations from others within the community.

According to SmartBrief, “Some 27 percent of Gen Z consumers always share recommendations or reviews following purchases, while 37 percent do so most of the time.”

Almost 69 percent ‘very often’ search for reviews and recommendations of items they’re considering buying, per an infographic from Social Media Link.

More than 85 percent of Gen Z consumers trust recommendations from friends and family the most, followed by online reviews at just over 76 percent and social followers at 62 percent.

What to do when the authenticity you need to demonstrate is off-brand

You want to reach younger consumers, but your brand team is giving you the side eye about your campaign ideas. Well, this mini-article is going to provide tips for some workarounds for brand guidelines that make it difficult to seem relevant.

If you want to reach younger buyers, the fastest path to their attention is to integrate technology and creative storytelling into your marketing strategy. And visual marketing works really well for this.

GRAPHICS AND IMAGES

If your brand is using photoshopped images and staged props, you’re less likely to convert a Gen Z scroller into a clicker. Something like 79 percent of post-millennials say they’ll trust a brand more if it doesn’t use photo editing.

If you’re getting resistance from higher-ups on your loosening the restrictions around your branding and marketing assets, say so. Tell your audience the story of how you can’t take shortcuts and then document your process and release that content as behind-the-scenes footage. Heck, you could even create a meme.

Twenty-nine percent of Gen Zers who answered a Meta poll said BTS content makes them feel a closer connection to brands. Boom! Just what you needed to see, right? Here’s another one: 57 percent like it when brands participate in memes, according to the 2022 YouTube Trends Report.

Focus on your internal process and the humans behind the beautiful photoshoots and product layouts. This way you boost awareness around your product AND connect with the audience. It’s a smart workaround to stay on your CMO’s good side and still win authenticity points with younger buyers.

MESSAGING

This is another sticky area where brands – especially legacy brands – have a hard time jumping into the fray to appeal to younger buyers. If your messaging is typically more formal or high-brow, it’s going to be tough to suddenly switch things up and start using slang and making dance-trend videos. Without seeming like the Pierce of the group (“Community” reference).

The fix? Influencers, dude. This is the situation in which influencers are worth their weight in GOLD! Creators have a knack for creatively delivering brand messaging in language that resonates with THEIR audiences (not yours).

If your team has done a great job with influencer selection, the audience of your influencer partner WILL ALSO BE a segment of your target audience.

Influencers are perfect for this sort of thing because they can demonstrate the value of your product contextually, in a way that matters to your audience. I LOVE this example from skateboarding TikToker GmCasto for CeraVe (the way he keeps saying “might as well” tho.)

@gmcasto CeraVe lotion is so good for my skin that I had to try it out for skating @CeraVe #ceravepartner #cerave ♬ original sound – Garrett Casto

Look at the comments! This piece of #sponcon art right here is why working with non-celeb influencers works so well. And if you can create an edgy campaign, then even better.

Gen Z doesn’t love traditional marketing… and they’re really good at not noticing it.

VIDEO

Teens watch twice as many videos on mobile than any other group. As a brand, YouTube has more influence over this generation than big names like Oreo, Mcdonald’s, and even Lego.

Eight-five percent of teens watch YouTube, and 70 percent of them watch two hours of YouTube daily, usually in one of three categories:

• Humor – They love videos that make them laugh
• Short and snappy content to compete with their busy lives and busy minds
• Unboxing and product reviews to keep on top of trends

Now that I think of it, I can grab a screenshot of something from an internal insights hub our team built on Notion for Generation Z. It’s not the most beautiful thing we’ve ever published, but it’ll give you an idea of the preferred content formats for Gen Z. And let’s give it up for Notion templates!!

#7 For Gen Zs, Being Distracted Doesn’t Mean DisConnected

Sure, millennials grew up with the internet and desktop computers. But Gen Z grew up with mobile devices and social media, and it shows in their daily habits.

Sixty-six percent of Gen Zers are ultra-distracted because they’re using more than one device at a time. As you’d imagine, they are watching entire seasons of shows On Demand while doing stuff on their and grabbing their smartphones when they ping. And they’re engaging with each device throughout the day (or even by the hour).

Because of all these inter-connected distractions, it’s tough to get, and even tougher to keep, the attention of your average Gen Zer. If you thought millennials’ 12-second attention spans were bad, then you’ll find Generation Z’s 8-second attention span horrifying.

Or is it? As it turns out, Gen Zs may have stumbled across an evolutionary moment for humans that previous generations can’t really grok. According to a Kantar study commissioned by Snapchat, Gen Zers display higher advertiser recall than older social media users even when they’ve spent less time actually watching an ad.

Less than two seconds. That’s what the average Gen Z consumer needs to see and remember an ad AND the advertiser. For foggy minds like mine whose system for remembering things includes paper and digital planners and existing in a perpetual state of having 33 tabs open on my laptop AND my desktop (because I am legit working on both right now)… this is unfathomable.

I literally can’t with this.

Gen Alpha has yet to show up on the scene and really move the evolutionary needle for humanity, but Gen Z has mastered the concept of distracted but not disconnected:

• 94% own laptop computers
• 80% receive most information from social media
• 75% say smartphones are their top choice
• 75% spend their free time online
• 73% follow at least 1 brand on a social
• 25% spend five hours A DAY on their phones

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It seems as though they spend the majority of their lives on a device. As a brand, you can capitalize on this by ensuring your campaigns are responsive.

50% of Gen Z consumers are more likely to buy from brands that demonstrate they really understand their wants and needs.

And 41 percent say they would buy from a brand that delivers timely, responsive customer service over a competitor, according to SproutSocial.

Being mobile-friendly isn’t enough. Your ads, blog posts, videos, and other marketing materials need to be accessible and easy to engage with on any platform.

To that point, make sure your content is interesting, visually-appealing, and engaging. Eighty-five percent of Gen Zers say easy mobile experiences are a top priority for making a purchase. In other words, if it won’t work on mobile, then you’ve lost a potential customer.

#8 Gen Z’s Shopping Journey Begins & Ends In the Store

Here’s an interesting catch though, and it’s a BIG one:

Despite the virtual tendencies of this digital-native generation, guess where they are going for reprieve? Good ol’ brick and mortar stores. If your response was “what the what” that’s okay.

We’ve got intel. As of September 2019:

81 percent of Gen Zers prefer shopping in-store.

73 percent like to discover new products in store.

While this generation is immersed in all things digital, they are seeking refuge in the physical. So, thought needs to go into aligning your in-store experiences with your digital campaigns, too.

Gen Z discovering brands and products through social search

Generation Z isn’t using Google to search around for products to buy. Instead, they’re exposed to products on Instagram and they search for everything from local restaurants to local events on TikTok. Weren’t you shocked last summer when the stat that 40 percent of Gen Zers use TikTok and IG for search starting floating around?

That stat’s a little misleading, as I discovered when I walked that info back a bit. The original story published by TechCrunch was around Gen Z bypassing Google for TikTok, not TikTok bypassing Google as a search engine.

Still, it was startling… but kinda believable, right?

Young shoppers are finding and being shown new products in their social feeds. So, what happens once they discover a product? The next step is to head on over to YouTube to see it up close and personal, while also getting an honest review from a YouTuber they trust. They’ll likely look at multiple videos to get a holistic view of a product or service before making a decision.

So quite literally, their experiences with your product in the physical world will often be seeded from a digital or virtual experience. Best advice, short and sweet: Build a social media marketing strategy that includes working with non-celebrity influencers that threads opportunities to reach them with personalized content on their phones through SMS, gated communities, or paid social.

Wrapping Things Up

In the beginning, marketers thought Gen Z would be an extension of millennials. They grew up in a similar technologically advanced world, so it only made sense that they would follow suit.

But as we look closer, we can see the lines drawn between millennials and Generation Z, especially in the way they shop. Post-millennials are more inclined to purchase in stores, care more about cool products than cool experiences, and are prominent in speaking and acting on important matters.

Brands that stand for something, offer seamless online/offline experiences, and are obligated to providing quality products at competitive prices are going to come out on top. Because remember, Gen Z will make up nearly half of the consumer market in less than a year.

So if you haven’t already future-proofed your campaigns, it’s time to start!

The post What Makes Them Buy: The Gen Z Spending Habits To Know in 2023 appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

In this post, we look specifically at how a few important characteristics of Millennial Parents and how they use social media to make purchasing decisions.

Millennial Moms

Who Are Millennial Moms?

Estimated to be born between 1980 and 1995ish (we actually adjusted this date since we first explored this demographic in 2018), Millennial women are now between the ages of 28 and 43 years old. They are the kids of Baby Boomers and Gen X parents.

More and More Millennials Are Becoming Moms

More than 80 percent of new moms are Millennials, according to BabyCenter. Approximately a quarter of America’s mothers are Millennials, and about half of Millennial women are now moms to school-age kids. I want to say the number falls somewhere around 10 to 12 million moms, but I can’t say for sure. What I can say is the percentage of mothers who are Millennials will increase over the next decade and a half. Why so long? Well… in part, because women are starting their families later and giving birth to kids well into their 40s. And the youngest Millennial women are still in their late 20s.

Millennial Moms Really Are Different From Previous Generations

Culturally… Sixty-seven percent of Millennial Moms are multicultural, according to research from Carat. In fact, Millennial Moms and their children are part of the two most ethnically diverse generations currently living in the US.

When it comes to the work-life thing… Like Gen X and Boomer Moms, most Millennial Moms work, often out of necessity. And it’s a heavy load to carry for the one in three moms who feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities, according to data released by MDLIVE. Thirty percent of Millennial Moms work full time, and 35 percent call themselves homemakers.

In 2018, one-third of Millennial Moms were the primary breadwinners in their households, and a third of THEM were either unmarried, or not cohabitating with a partner. In 2022, for moms as a whole, nearly half (47 percent) are the primary breadwinners for their households.

But as the children of Millennial Moms get older, balancing their own mental health with that of their kids’ mental health is proving to be tough.

When it comes to a sense of self… According to Think with Google, 67 percent of millennial moms say they have continued to pursue their personal passions since having children, which is significantly higher than Gen X moms.

When it comes to money… Unlike mothers of generations before them, Millennial Moms are, by and large, more confident with (and more savvy about) finances and products that protect their family’s financial well-being.

Millennial Moms and Their Identities As Mothers

Motherhood is crucial to the identities of Millennial Moms. In fact, with so many “social” eyes watching, being a perfect mom is a goal to which many Millennial Moms aspire. In a world where Millennial Moms must work, 17 percent of Millennial Dads are now stay-at-home dads.

Work-Life balance is an ideal to which many Millennial Moms aspire. One in four Millennial Moms is willing to pay at least $50 a month to have someone step in and help them keep their home lives organized. About 20 percent of Millennial Moms are willing to pay up to $150 a month for that kind of help. It’s probably a good move considering one in five family meals are now being eaten in a car.

Get this: 9 in 10 Millennial Moms would clone themselves if the option were ever on the table. Interestingly enough, about a quarter of the women polled would send then their clones to medical school just so they’d be able to step in as doctors or nurses as needed. Me? I’d have the cloned me in charge of laundry. And proofreading. And Instagram engagement. Laundry, proofreading, and Instagram engagement.

And maybe those third and fourth performances of The Nutcracker at my daughter’s ballet school.

WHAT JOBS WOULD MOMS WANT THEIR CLONES TO DO?

1. Housekeeper – 56%
2. Laundry service – 51%
3. Chef – 41%
4. Nanny/babysitter – 38%
5. Personal assistant – 36%
6. Personal shopper – 34%
7. Tutor/homework helper – 31%
8. Handywoman – 30%
9. Chauffeur – 28%
10. Doctor/nurse – 26%

Source: SWNS Digital

How Millennial Moms Use Social Media

Millennial Moms are social creatures indeed, significantly more social than Gen X Moms. While Millennial Moms favor Instagram and Facebook (average MM has 500 Facebook friends), the typical Millennial Mom have 3.4 social media accounts, compared to 2.6 accounts for moms, according to Weber Shandwick’s Digital Women Influencers: Millennial Moms report.

For Entertainment

Millennial Moms prefer smartphones to laptops. More than half of the Millennial Moms surveyed said they spend most or all of their time online using their phones. They also spend more than 17 hours on social networks every week. That’s 30 percent more time than the average mom spends on social sites. Millennial Moms spend two hours more per week on social than they do watching TV.

For Community

Where Millennial Moms are concerned, “community” is the magic word. Millennial moms have more close friends than the average mom (24 vs 22 for other moms). Yes, they spend more time on social, but they’re not vegging out on Instagram. They engage with one another. The average Millennial Mama gets asked for a product recommendation 9.6 times per month.

She also offers her own unsolicited product recommendations online 10.4 times a month.

Millennial Moms rely on the online communities they’ve built to make buying decisions and are totally okay with offering their opinions online about products – any products at all. They talk openly about clothes, brands, retailers, experience-based services, and even financial products.

In addition to giving advice, 46 percent of Millennial Moms look to the recommendations of their own networks when it comes time to make buying decisions.

How They Shop

Moms control 85 percent of household purchases, with spending power that tops $2 trillion. Women also outpace men when it comes to using mobile for shopping, especially in-store shopping.

Millennial Moms Look for Deals

Millennial Moms shop for deals. Here are a few interesting stats from Tribe and Retail TouchPoints:

• 83 percent of Millennial Moms shop online to hunt for the best price
• 79 percent of Millennial Moms use e-commerce to get a better selection of products
• 62 percent of Millennial Moms shop online because of the good shipping options
• 57 percent of Millennial Moms shop big sales like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday
• 49 percent of Millennial Moms shop at big box retailers and clubs for discounts and bulk buying opportunities.

I, and 41 percent of my female contemporaries, look up email promotions while actually in the store.

How does that play out? While my better half is loading the conveyor belt with products from our cart, I am punching in the names of products as they move down the belt to find discounts. Between the time we get in line and the time hubby hands over the cash, I can usually cut our bill by up to 25 percent with coupons I can click to download to my phone in a few seconds. I count it a victory, a dazzling display of teamwork.

That’s women shoppers for you.

What about brand names? Well, Millennials, as a whole, tend to be less brand-focused than Gen Xers, Flipside: Millennial parents can be swayed. More than half of Millennial parents say they are “very loyal” to a brand once they find one they think is the perfect marriage of quality + price.

And Millennial Moms heavily favor speed and convenience to streamline as much of their day-to-day work+life tasks as they possibly can. One in four Millennial Moms has a smart home assistant like Google Home or Amazon Echo. And of those who have such devices in the house, 31 percent of Millennial Moms use them to add items to their shopping lists.

Millennial Moms are far more likely to have necessities like diapers and beauty products delivered to their homes than to spend time combing the aisles for them in-store. Forty percent of Millennial parents currently use a subscription service.

Millennial Dads

Who Are Millennial Dads?

If you think there’s a bit of a gap between how Millennial Moms do things compared to previous generations of moms, I gotta say: Dadhood has changed quite a bit as well. While the youngest Millennial men are still finding their footing in the workforce, older Millennial Men have officially reached middle age (gasp!). No less cool… just older.

Millennials are parenting about half the world’s kids. No small feat, considering we just posted about how there are 50 million kids heading back to America’s public schools for the 2022-23 school year.

Without a doubt, Millennial Dads are responsible for some of the biggest shifts in fatherhood… maybe ever. They are more likely to think of fatherhood as important to their identities; when polled, 9 in 10 Millennial Dads even went so far as to say it’s important for them to be the “perfect dad”.

Crushing It As Dad

Millennial Dads spend five more hours per week with their children than dads did in 1995, and 3x the number of hours dads from 1965 spent with their kids.

Prince Harry’s request for a two-week paternity leave just ahead of the birth of his baby boy made headlines. Granted, I’m not exactly sure what he does as his 9 to 5 (other than be the most awesome Royal), but his request isn’t an unusual request for today’s new parents. Paternity leave is a priority for Millennial parents; 80 percent of Millennial Dads would be reluctant to leave a job that offered paternity leave.

Millennial Dads prioritize family time, and many of them are sharing in the day-to-day responsibilities of raising children and maintaining a family. Half of the two-parent households say they split the household chores equally between the parents.

How Millennial Dads Use Social Media

For Millennial men, fatherhood seems to turn on that social media gene. About 70 percent of Millennial men use social media, according to Nielson Newswire. They use blogs, online news websites, and social networking sites to make purchase decisions.

By the same token, 70 percent of Millennial Dads seek out parenting information online, according to Think With Google. And most of the time, that searching is done using the device closest to them – usually their smartphones. When are those moments showing up? Daily. Half of the dads are heading to social media daily for parenting advice.

As well, 45 percent of Millennial Dads use search to get answers to questions on everything from the best baby products to the best cities for families. This they do in lieu of getting advice from their own dads, by the way.

Dad Time

Far more than Boomer fathers, Millennial Dads are kicking in on one-on-one time with the kids, the shopping decisions, and the housework. As most Millennial families are two-income households, the changing role of fathers in the home is just too big for marketers to ignore.

Millennial Dads dedicate 28 percent of their time online to dad-related content and 60 percent of Millennial fathers say they’re better dads because of the resources they’re able to find online. One such resource is YouTube. Moreso than millennial Moms, Millennial Dads rely on YouTube for parenting guidance and as a way to connect with their kids.

How Millennial Dads Make Buying Decisions

When we ran down the stats for our recent back-to-school post, one of the things that stood out was the fact that, on average, dads outspend moms on back-to-school stuff by more than 100 bucks.

It’s not really a question of whether or not Dad goes shopping. It’s more a question of how Millennial Dads are shopping. Eighty percent of Millennial Dads handle (or chime in on) the household shopping, and we’re not talking about getting a list from Mom and running an errand she doesn’t have time to run. I’m talking about Dad doing a little research then going to the store to buy what his family needs. And Millennial Dads shop a little differently than Millennial Moms.

Couponing

Millennial Dad probably isn’t going to the store in a fanny pack stocked with coupons as Millennial Mom. He isn’t even super-duper concerned about loading up his grocery store app with digital coupons. One, it takes too long, and most dads are all about getting the task done fast and done well. And two, handing a fistful of paper coupons to a pretty cashier is not on any dude’s list of ways to crush it. It’s just not.

So, if you’re a brand that’s targeting men, discounts are great and they absolutely WILL make it more likely that Dad will buy your brand… but add the discount to his rewards account automatically as points or email it to him. Don’t expect him to spend time in the evenings searching your app for a $3 off coupon.

Quality Counts for Something

Millennial Dads shop for quality more than Millennial Moms, AND they are more concerned about quality than Millennial men without kids. According to MediaPost, 66 percent of Millennial Dads say that high quality is extremely important. By comparison, 50 percent of Millennial men without children, 45 percent of Millennial Moms, and 51 percent of the general population focus on quality.

A Brand’s Value and Values Matter to Millennial Parents

A brand’s corporate values matter as much as the quality and value its products deliver. About half of Millennial Parents always will a brand’s views on topics that matter to them personally, according to an article published by the National Retail Federation. An article went on to say that 45 percent of Millennial Parents will only shop for brands that reflect their own social and political values.

In-Store Mobile

Both Millennial Moms and Millennial Dads will use their phones in-store to enhance their shopping experiences. The difference is usually a matter of what they’re looking for.

Moms are more likely to be looking for deals. Dads? Product reviews. Dads also use their phones to find nearby locations, look up store hours, and create shopping lists while shopping.

Courtesy of: The Shelf Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing

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Conclusion

Millennials are the most educated generation on the planet, and the most socially connected in decades, but they face trials American parents haven’t had to face in recent history.

Economic instability, the recent pandemic, job uncertainty (Millennials change careers more than Gen Xers, Boomers, or the Silent Generation ever had to), climate change, and shifts in the global political landscape can have a catastrophic impact on the future of the entire world.

This is the environment in which Millennials are rearing children. Yet, they spend twice as much time with their kids as previous generations. Millennial Dads are home more to shoulder some of the responsibility of helping around the house. Millennial Moms are somehow present with the kids AND working full-time.

Millennial parents value parenting as perhaps the most important part of adulthood, out-ranking even professional aspirations and financial success. So, it seems Millennial parents are crushing parenthood… or at the very least, raising the bar.

For brands and marketers: use social media marketing, video marketing, and of course, influencer marketing to help parents streamline and even marry the research+ purchase process so that Millennial parents can achieve what they want most – to optimize everything around them in an effort to preserve and prioritize family.

About the Author

Sorilbran Stone | Content Strategist

I serve as the resident content strategist and the official Head of Content Marketing at The Shelf. Marketing is my happy place. I’m as happy looking at analytics as I am actually creating a thing. I focus a lot on dreaming up and implementing the best ways to create, publish, and distribute content that will build your brand and get your audience to do a thing.

The post What Makes Them Buy: Millennial Parents in 2023 appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

These trends point to an important insight — this generation does things differently than the Boomers and Gen Xers before them. So if you want to know how to effectively market to Millennials and to Millennial Men, you pretty much need to understand what makes them tick.

Despite what you’ve heard, Millennials are not destroying every industry they touch. Instead, they’re just changing them (for the better). Consumerism has changed dramatically in recent years, and we can tie many of those changes directly to the arrival and impact of millennial consumers. And while some may see this as a negative thing, it’s created new opportunities for brands to reach and understand their target audiences more intimately.

What is a Millennial?

First, things first! If you want to know how to appeal to Millennials and the men among them, you need to know who they are. Pew Research Center defines them as anyone born between 1981 and 1996. Gen X precedes them, and Gen Z comes after them. So, marketing to Millennials in 2023 means focusing on the segment of the population in their late twenties to early forties.

It’s worth noting that millennials are the largest living generation on earth. Millennials were the largest generation group in the U.S. in 2021, with an estimated population of 72.19 million. Globally, their numbers are about 1.8 billion.

Now, even at the higher end of the age group, millennials’ behavior is unlike any other generation at their age. But they aren’t aliens from Rigel VII. They’re just people who grew up in a different time, with different experiences, and who are approaching things from a unique perspective. (They’re also people with some expendable income and the power to make decisions for their households-the perfect recipe for a target audience).

In this post, we’re going to go over a few key traits to understand how to excel in marketing to Millennials in 2023 and beyond. These will help you to craft a UGC-based influencer marketing strategy that allows you to connect with this powerful generation in a way that resonates.

Yeah, They’re Different, But…

It’s true that targeting Millennial men is different from targeting Gen X and Boomers (at least until Millennial men start having kids). But that’s not really because Millennial men are weird. It actually has more to do with their levels of exposure.

In this post, I want to identify a handful of really important traits of Millennial men that you can leverage this holiday season during your campaigns. And when the shopping frenzy comes to an end, you can lean on these same traits to refine your marketing strategies during the Super Bowl and on into March Madness.

Saddle up.

Trait #1: Millennial Men Have Access to Tons of Information

Perhaps the single most important thing to understand when you’re marketing to Millennials is that they have access to an enormous amount of information. And they know how to to turn info into insights, especially when it comes to choosing which businesses to patronize.

These are people who lived through the Internet’s long march through our lives. By 2001, half of US households were surfing the net — and that’s when the oldest millennial men were 20 and the youngest were kindergarteners.

Today, these digital natives rule the internet, and they use it for everything. They aren’t waiting for ads to come to them and tell them what to buy. They are looking for products that will add value to their lives, and they are looking for information to help them make the best decisions.

The Information Age changed the brand-consumer dynamic

In the past, brands could depend on consumers remaining in the dark about their options and knowing only what they saw on TV. With a big enough budget, brands could use Superbowl ad to tell young Boomers and Gen Xers in America that their brand was the best thing since sliced Wonder bread. And many of them would believe it.

But that’s not the world we live in anymore. Millennials have more information at their fingertips than any generation before them, and they know how to use it.

Tech-savvy millennials can fact-check your message on the spot. And most of them will call brands out if they even think a brand is lying- and that’s if they take the time to pay attention to it at all.

This constant access to information has made Millennials more skeptical than any generation before them. And that’s not a bad thing! But it means marketing to Millennials requires a different approach.

Millennial men prefer authenticity over splashy ads

Authenticity is a buzzword, but it’s also often the only way into the budgets of Millennial men needs to be authentic. That’s what attracts Millennials to brands today. Simply hiring an influencer to endorse your brand won’t do anything for these independent thinkers. Traditional sponcon isn’t enough.

Millennials are incredibly skeptical. They can smell a sales pitch from a mile away, and they’ll quickly tune out anything that feels like it’s trying too hard to sell them something. Do you want the attention of the millennial man? The best way to get it is to focus on providing useful, relevant, and interesting information that will add value to his life.

Data-driven, well-targeted campaigns will grant you access to this powerful group of consumers.

Trait #2: Millennial Men Are the Most Educated Generation of Men in History

If that sounds like a killer stat, that’s because it is. 

According to “15 Facts About Millennials,” a report released by the US Council of Economic Advisers (you can view and download that report here), Millennials are the most educated generation in US history.

In 2013, 47 percent of 25 to 34 year-olds had a post-secondary degree (Associates, Bachelor’s, or Graduate degree). Another 18 percent had attended college without earning a degree.

Only one percent of Millennials say they are moved by ads from brands. Instead, they make their buying decisions based on independent research, online reviews, and user-generated content.

Like Millennial women, Millennial men favor authenticity over ads and social proof over self-proclamations. Brand awareness aside, Millennial men are far more likely to trust the recommendation of a friend (even an online friend) over a multi-million-dollar Super Bowl spot.

That said, a Millennial man will likely respond to the same types of content his grandpa did – ads that are funny and clever, and ads that turn regular guys into heroes by putting them in extreme circumstances. I’m sure this explains how Captain America has made his way down through the generations over the last 82 years.

Point is… the way to a Millennial man’s heart (and wallet) isn’t through gimmicks and celebrity endorsements. They’re too smart for that, and we have seen too much as a society to believe the words of a celebrity whose only connection with a brand is the contract he signed to promote that brand.

Trait #3: Millennial Men Make Less Money Than Boomers

Okay… this isn’t a dig. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that Americans in their 30s to early 40s are less likely to outearn their parents than previous generations. That’s thanks in large part to stagnating wage growth. How stagnant is stagnant? In terms of the 2018 value of the US dollar, the average hourly wage has only risen the equivalent of$2.38 in 54 years. So, very, very stagnant. That’s despite the fact that Millennial men are the best-educated generation of men this country has ever seen.

You might wonder how to market to Millennials if they are all impoverished, unable to scrape together enough dollars for a Starbucks drink every morning. Nah. Who am I kidding? You know better than that!

Millennials’ spending power is $2.5 trillion. Yes, trillion. With a T. But the oldest American millennials have survived five recessions, not including the current “inflationary environment” or “recessive market” situation in which we currently find ourselves.

• The average college-educated Millennial has more debt in the form of student loans than did their parents at the same age. Plus:
• Millennials are less likely to have jobs while attending college
• Millennials have experienced slower wage growth than Gen Xers and Boomers.
• Millennials aren’t buying homes at the rates their parents did. They are renting longer and living in multigenerational homes.
• Nearly 1 in 3 Millennials under the age of 35 live in multigenerational households, more than any other generation. Men between the ages of 25 and 34 are more likely than women the same age to live in multigenerational homes.

Percentage-wise, there are as many Americans living in multigenerational homes now (20 percent) as there were in the years following the Great Depression (21 percent). In stark contrast, in 1980, when Boomers were in their 20s and 30s, only 12 percent of them lived in multigenerational homes.

This affects their perception of economic insecurity, they are much more strict about how they use their money.

More Millennials in North America have a professional financial advisor than any other generation – 72 percent of Millennials have them, compared to 66 percent of Generation Xers, and 70 percent of Baby Boomers.

Older generations sometimes associate so-called Generation Y with being lazy and uninterested in long-term planning, but lo. and behold! They’re wrong again! Millennials save more for retirement than any other generation – socking away nearly $1 for every $5 earned.

This generation’s relationship with money may not be considered the norm, but they show a generational mindset best summarized by the immortal words of Snoop Dogg: “I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind.”

But don’t cry for Millennials just yet. While Millennials are earning less than their parents did at their age, a recent survey found that Millennials are also more likely to plan their spending than Gen Xers and Boomers.

In fact, older Millennials and younger Gen Xers were the primary participants in the life design movement that Tim Ferriss kicked off with his New York Times best-selling book, The 4-Hour Workweek a decade ago, a lifestyle centered around the idea of living richly by spending money and time on the things that matter most to you.

CEO and author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Ramit Sethi starts off his Personal Finance class at CreativeLive.com this way: “I don’t know… Is anyone else tired of 65 year-old guys telling us we can’t spend money on lattes?”

Life design is about investing in the things you want and restricting the resources you put into the things you don’t want. For some Millennials that could mean downsizing your living situation after getting a much-deserved raise and spending more on international travel.

It could mean renting a house instead of buying a home, or using rideshare services instead of buying a car and using the money you save to explore other passions or fulfill other indulgences, like eating out, or subscription meal services.

According to Charles Schwab, 34 percent of Millennials have a written financial plan compared to 21 percent of Gen Xers and 18 percent of Boomers.

That said, you need to play the long game. Millennials are planners and researchers with more than enough information at their fingertips to learn what they want to know about new products and services.

Trait #4. Millennial Men Value Experiences Over Shiny New Things

Millennial men are known to prefer experiences to things. That’s not to say they don’t enjoy the occasional material purchase, but they would rather spend their money on an amazing vacation than a new car. About 77 percent of Millennial men prefer an experience-rich existence, with fewer possessions.

This focus on experiences over things has led Millennials to be a driving force behind the growth of the sharing economy over the past decade. They have access to apps that allow them to temporarily rent anything they’d ever need. This causes ownership to look more like an expensive hassle than a life goal.

Nearly 8 in 10 consumers (78 percent) believe the sharing economy reduces waste and clutter. And millennial men are certainly doing their part to make that happen. Millennials pride themselves on being acutely aware of the environmental issues facing the world today; they also expect the brands they support to be socially responsible.

You may be wondering how to convert product offerings into valuable experiences. The answer is fairly simple. Create beautiful experiences by being authentic, community-minded, and focused on helping your customers connect with who and what they value.

Nike is a mensa-level genius at practicing this model. It doesn’t just sell shoes and workout clothes. It also offers a comprehensive app that allows users to shop, save their preferences, and join a run club, a fitness club, or SNKRS, a space for sneaker enthusiasts where they can unlock rare sneakers. Users can also track their fitness goal progress, share their successes with friends, compete in challenges, and register for virtual or live events.

It’s this focus on community and connection that has helped Nike+ become one of the most popular fitness apps with Millennials.

Trait #5: Millennial Men Do Shop… More Than Their Dads and Grandpas Ever Did

Make no mistake about it – Millennial men spend on things.

So, Millennial men have money, and they spend it. Millennial men are willing to shell out more money for a product if it will last longer than a similar product of lesser quality. This is especially true of Millennial dads, who tend not to be coupon-clippers, even during the early years of building a family.

 By and large, 66 percent of Millennial dads prefer quality products that they think are the best for their families, as opposed to what’s most convenient or the least expensive. 

Millennial men buy clothes more often than did men one generation ago, picking up new apparel items at least twice a month. They also tend to be early adopters of new technologies and products.

Millennial men spend an average of $2,200 a year in retail, directing their spending toward home improvement, apparel, digital, electronics, and mass merchandisers, and they tend to shop alone.

Trait #6: Millennial Men Defer to Social Media for Purchasing Decisions

About 70 percent of Millennial men use social media, according to Nielson Newswire. They use blogs, online news websites, and social networking sites to make purchase decisions. 

As well, 45 percent Millennial dads typically use search to get answers to questions on everything from the best baby products to the best cities for families. This they do in lieu of getting advice from their own dads. 

Far more than Boomer dads, Millennial dads are kicking in on one-on-one time with the kids, shopping decisions and housework. As most Millennial families are two-income households (sort of goes back to what I talked about in Trait #3), the changing role of fathers in the home is just too big for marketers to ignore. 

Millennial dads dedicate 28 percent of their time online to dad-dedicated content and 60 percent of Millennial fathers say they’re better dads because of the resources they’re able to find online. 

There’s an opportunity here, of course. Most brands target moms with respect to things like grocery shopping, household items, and child-rearing. Many Millennial dads are feeling like there’s not enough brand-owned content online that’s specifically for fathers. Remember how I said men like seeing themselves as the hero in ads? Well, dads do, too. And typically, dads are positioned in TV ads and other content as add-ons, like a cool Texan uncle who smells like leather and tells great stories (sorry, I was in Dallas over the weekend).

Millennial dads are looking for brands that produce quality products and that are listening and responsive. If you can accomplish that, you’ll get Millennial dads on your team. 

There’s one important thing I’m not mentioning here, though. Ad blockers. Which brings us to our next important trait.

Trait #7: Millennial Men Are Among the Biggest Users of Ad Blockers.

Insider Intelligence reports that nearly 40 percent of internet users are using ad blockers, with adult men under the age of 35 being the most likely to use an ad blocker on at least one of their devices. And for men in their 20s, the percentage of users is upwards of 61 percent.

Just a quick tip: More men follow influencers than women. So, influencer marketing serves as a great hedge against ad blockers for this demographic.

Trait #8: Millennial Men Expect More Out of Brands

Millennials hold brands to a higher social standard than previous generations. They expect the retailers and service providers to be helpful at every stage of the sales process, and responsive after a sale is complete. They also expect brands to take on the responsibility to do good out in the community. When they find brands who are crushing it in business and in the community, Millennials tend to stick with them. 

The Elite Daily study I mentioned earlier confirms that 62 percent of Millennials demonstrated more loyalty to brands that engaged with their customers on social networks. In fact, half of the Millennials surveyed consider themselves brand-loyal. Millennials, as a whole, are more loyal to brands than Gen Xers and Boomers, in part because of the level of social proof and transparency social media offers.

Final Thoughts For Marketing to Millennials 2023

Knowing how to market to Millennials, male or otherwise, really comes down to understanding the world they live in. They are bombarded with information 24 hours a day from every conceivable angle. To reach them, brands need to be authentic, community-minded, and focused on helping Millennials connect with the people and things they care about.

Millennials are now and the future. And, with a little bit of understanding, your brand can be too. Here’s a quick recap of what you need to know about marketing to millennials.

Millennials are the most connected, educated, and tech-savvy generation ever. They grew up with the Internet, social media, and smartphones. And they’re using all of these things to their advantage.

Millennials are also known as digital natives or netizens. And there are a lot of them. Millennials make up the largest generation in history, with over 72 million people in the United States, and 1.8 billion worldwide.

Millennials have completely changed the way we think about marketing. They’re not interested in traditional advertising, and they’re not easily influenced by it either. Millennials are much more likely to trust peer recommendations over ads. Millennials say user-generated content (UGC) from reviews and social media posts is a major factor in their purchasing decisions.

A Social Media Today survey revealed that the vast majority of those polled said that user-generated content (UGC) is the most authentic, with almost 80 percent admitting that UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions. This makes it 8.7x more impactful than influencer content and 6.6x more influential than branded content in consumers’ eyes​.

The best way to reach Millennials is by using influencer marketing. We’ll pair you with a vetted, trusted, influencer in your industry that will create organic posts featuring your brand. It’s an effective way to reach Millennials because it’s more authentic and personal than traditional advertising.

You’re ready to take your marketing to the next level. We’re ready to help you get there. Book an obligation-free strategy call with one of our Influencer Marketing Jedis today Let us blow your mind, then launch the campaign of your dreams, then blow your mind again. In that order.

The post What Makes Them Buy: Millennial Men appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Who Are Baby Boomers?

Baby Boomers are the demographic born between 1946 and 1964, and they account for a whopping 70.23 million people in the United States alone. Boomers are part of the cohort of people born during the post-World War II baby boom that started in the mid-1940s and continued through the early 1960s.

The post-war baby boom was largely attributed to increased economic prosperity. Many families chose to wait until the end of the depression to try for their kids. Couple this with millions of soldiers coming home from fighting WWII with a G.I Bill which allowed them to purchase homes, obtain formal education, and ultimately provide for a family. Almost exactly 9-months later, a baby boom started.

Many Marketers Have Outdated Notions of What a Boomer Looks Like

Brought up to appreciate hard work, value education, and fight for what’s right, Boomers have been present to witness virtually every major cultural event in the past 75 years. They’re tech-savvy, healthy, active, and independent.

Did you see Angela Bassett’s arms as Queen of Wakanda? Or Keanu Reeves as John Wick? Tom Cruise is still out here doing his own stunts for the seventh AND eighth installations of Mission Impossible films. The clip below, we grabbed from the YouTube channel of Paramount Pictures. This footage was released in December 2022.

7 Characteristics About Boomers You Need to Know, and How to Address Them In Your Marketing

Chances are when you think of Boomers, you’re getting the wrong idea. For some unfortunate, bottom-line-diminishing reason, brands tend to miss the mark when crafting traditional or influencer marketing strategies and analyzing the spending habits of Baby Boomers. But these mature consumers are willing to spend money with your brand IF you market to them properly.

#1: Boomers Are Influential. So, Let Them Influence.

Marketing campaigns shouldn’t only target Millennial Moms and Gen Zers; marketing to Baby Boomers is essential for success. Not only do Boomers have control of their own $7 billion of annual online spending, but they are also critical influencers in the lives of their adult children, young adult grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren.

These adults have a lifetime of experience building relationships that span beyond marketing products to creating personal bonds with people in their lives. As Boomers age and life expectancy increases, they are increasingly investing in younger generations — whether it’s college tuition or buying the latest tech gadgets for their grandkids.

Boomers are now more likely than ever to be a member of a multi-generational household.

In marketing to Baby Boomers, you can reach multiple generations with a single marketing campaign: the Gen Xers, Millennials, Gen Zs, and Alphas who are influenced by their parents’ and grandparents’ spending habits, as well as the Boomers themselves.

#2: Boomers Love To Shop Online

For years marketers have overlooked opportunities to market to Boomers online. This may be because Boomers are known for their in-person shopping preferences. Any marketer worth his or her salt knows that the decision phase is only one part of the buyer’s journey. It’s 2023 for crying out loud! Consumers (of all ages) are using the internet to discover, research, review and compare products before ever stepping foot inside a store.

Boomers are no exception to this trend. They are the fastest-growing e-commerce demographic. Consider this: 86 percent of Boomers in the US did their holiday shopping on Amazon.com in 2022.

It doesn’t stop there! Forty-five percent of Boomers have discovered new products on the internet in the last 3 months. An overwhelming majority (59 percent) of those polled say online search is the primary channel for uncovering hidden gems. 

This means marketing to the over-60 crowd requires creating content marketing strategies, thoughtful influencer marketing campaigns, and digital marketing targeting.

#3: Baby Boomers Also Love Loyalty

Baby boomers are the most loyal generation of consumers. They’re reluctant to try new brands and products, but when they like something, they generally stick with it. This is great news for your brand for obvious reasons.

Loyalty to brands is especially strong among older generations, who value the affordability of their products. In a study conducted by Oracle, participants identified three primary reasons for brand loyalty: Fair pricing, product selection, and quality. Both Baby Boomers and Silent Generation consumers prioritized fair pricing as the most important factor when choosing their favorite brands.

Good service from decent people. While price is the most important, What makes Baby Boomers buy again and again is providing a high level of attention and service. Coming from a traditional background, they were brought up believing that the customer was always right and quality service was more important than any product.

My aunt is a Baby Boomer. She loves to go to breakfast at a particular diner in Oak Park, Michigan. She’s been going there for years and has formed relationships with the staff. When she visits, they always greet her with a warm welcome and give her great service that keeps bringing her back.

Each time I go with her, I can’t help but think, “This has got to be because of the service”. The carpet is old, the chairs are pink and outdated (I’m positive that those chairs are older than me), and the place never really looks clean. I will never understand her love for that place!

Values. Another way to the Boomer’s heart is to stand for something they believe in. Baby Boomers are more likely to be loyal to a company that shares their core values and makes them feel as though they are being heard.

Ben & Jerry’s does a phenomenal job at this. For decades it used marketing campaigns for social justice causes. This resonates with the Baby Boomer generation as many were involved in civil rights movements in their life.

Although Millennials and Gen Zs like to consider themselves woke, and socially conscious, and they have been praised for their progressivism and social consciousness, older generations are more likely to take into consideration a brand’s values and community contributions when making buying decisions.

Baby Boomers are marketing gold when you consider their loyalty, desire to build relationships, and expected level of customer service. With marketing strategies tailored toward Baby Boomers, your products and services have a much better chance of being seen

.

#4: Baby Boomers Are Active On the Socials

If you’ve spent any amount of time on TikTok, you’ve no doubt seen the video of the senior discovering a “Snapping Turla” on her property. At the time of writing this, the original video has 1.2 million views, and the sound has been used 5.6 million times.

Not only do Boomers like to use social. Everyone else loves when they do too! The fact that the Baby Boomer generation is now actively engaging with social media marketing should be good news for marketers hoping to tap into this segment of consumers.

While only two percent of Boomers polled (Statista) reported using TikTok, 78 percent of U.S. Boomer and Senior respondents stated they use Facebook, compared to 71 percent of the general online population. Next is YouTube (67 percent), then Pinterest (40 percent).

With the help of Facebook, Boomers stay connected with their loved ones and informed about current happenings in their area. Furthermore, this platform has even started to sway how they decide what products to buy! It’s a win-win!

Not only does social media marketing allow companies to reach a wide audience, but it also allows them to target marketing strategies for baby boomers more precisely. Companies can use data collected from social media marketing to understand what products baby boomers buy and what activities they enjoy spending their money on.

Facebook, for example, allows companies to target ads based on a person’s age, interests, and topics discussed in posts. This marketing strategy can be used to create marketing campaigns tailored specifically for the Boomer generation that resonate with them and are more likely to convert.

#5: Boomers Ain’t Going Nowhere…Have You Seen Them?

During my lifetime, my dad has celebrated “his 26th” birthday 40 times. Literally 40. While he can no longer pass for 26, He certainly doesn’t look 66 years old. Baby Boomers are not the seniors of generations past. I think I know more millennials that like rocking chairs and knitting than Boomers.

They have a lot of living left to do and they are actively doing it! With more free time on their hands, Boomers are traveling the world, participating in philanthropic activities, and living their best lives.

They’re not getting any younger, but due to technological advances and medical innovations, the average life expectancy is increasing each year. In a historic milestone, the US Census Bureau estimates that by 2034, for the first time in history, older adults will outnumber children under 18 years of age.

#6: Boomers? They Got Money!

The U.S. Census Bureau According to a survey conducted by USCB, Baby Boomers hold almost nine times more wealth than Millennials. This mind-blowing research revealed that Baby Boomers boast the highest median wealth of all generations, excluding home equity – with a hefty $90,060!

The Silent Generation (those born between 1928 and 1945) come in second at $72,280. Gen X trails closely behind them with their median wealth amounting to $48,070 while Millennials tot up to an impressive sum of $13,110, and Generation Z clocked in at two-thousand dollars ($2,000).

The financial success of Baby Boomers is a result of their commitment to accumulating wealth and investments over time. Furthermore, Baby Boomers are increasingly active in the stock market.

Astonishingly, Vanguard Group reported that nearly one-fifth of their retail clients in the age range 65 to 74 have up to 98 percent of their portfolios allocated into stocks. A report from the group reveals that 40 percent of investors aged 60-69 who are associated with Fidelity 401(k) hold 67 percent or more of their portfolios in stocks.

Boomers have so much money that by the year 2030, millennials are poised to inherit a net worth five times greater than what they currently have. It’s projected that this generation will inherit over $68 trillion from their boomers during The Great Transfer of Wealth.

#7: They’ll Open Your Emails!

If you’re looking for marketing strategies for baby boomers, you don’t want to miss this one! Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach baby boomers. Research has shown that they are more likely than any other generation to open emails and respond–so if you want to make sure your marketing efforts hit their mark, this is a great place to start.

With email being the preferred medium for communication by an overwhelming 74 percent of Baby Boomers, it indicates that this generation considers it to best channel to receive communications from brands. This isn’t an invitation to spam their inboxes though. 68 percent of Baby Boomers said it was acceptable for brands to contact them digitally regarding a purchase, while over half (53 percent) expressed that being contacted with offers or deals on digital platforms was alright.

Conclusion

Baby Boomers are indispensable and valuable to every brand. It may take more than a trendy meme or a pretty post to get them on the hook, but tapping into this marketing group’s needs and wants can bring great rewards to your brand.

To curate your marketing for Baby Boomers, you should take the time to invest in communicating the value of your product. Be socially responsible and tailor your efforts to their values, interests, and needs. As long as you offer marketing content that resonates with them, Baby Boomers will be happy to invest their time and money in your product. Your brand will thank you for generations to come!

Baby Boomers and Influencer Marketing go hand-in-hand. Trust us! With decades of marketing experience, our marketing experts are uniquely equipped to help you reach this valuable demographic.

We understand how Baby Boomers think and what products they buy. From the research and marketing techniques to get their attention, The Shelf can help you stand out from the competition every step of the way and design marketing strategies for baby boomers. Book A Strategy Session today to learn more!

About This Author

Lira Stone | Effective, Magnetic Strategist

For over a decade, my focus has been ensuring that professionals stay ahead of the curve in the most time-efficient, task-prioritized, and stress-free manner possible. My extensive experience has equipped me with the knowledge to design a concise, company-culture-relevant, methodical approach to internet sales and marketing.

The post Marketing to Baby Boomers: What Makes Them Buy in 2023? appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Born between 1965 and 1980, Gen Xers grew up during an era of sweeping social and economic change. Marketing dollars and ad spend are commonly focused on Millennials, the much-maligned generation that follow Generation X, but there’s a lot to be said about the unique and powerful consumer group known as Gen X.

By the end of this post, you’ll understand how to hold Generation X’s attention, what makes them tick, and how they choose to spend their hard-earned money. You’ll have the elements of an ultra-dope marketing strategy that won’t allow this slept-on generation to look away.

In comparison to other generations, Gen X is relatively small. With only 65 Million people (compared to 70 million Boomers, and 72 million Millenials). They are the first digital natives, and as such, have a deep understanding of how technology can be used to solve problems and make life easier. 

They’re also fiercely independent, a quality that has become synonymous with Generation X. But what many brands and marketers miss is that households headed by Gen Xers have an average of $102,512 in disposable income, according to Statista.

So, let’s Get Into the good, the bad, and the ugly of Generation X’s buyer behaviors. 

6 Reasons Why Gen Xers Are Both A Marketer’s Wildest Dream, and Worst Nightmare

No. 1: They’re Back-In-The-Dayers

Gen Xers dig nostalgic experiences and are willing to pay a premium for them. That’s why you see so many 90s trends making a comeback in recent years. High-waisted jeans, chokers, and even fanny packs have all made their way back into the fashion consciousness (yes, even fanny packs).

When marketing to Gen X, try to tap into their sense of nostalgia. Use images and language that harken back to their childhoods or teenage years. You can also partner with other brands that have a similar target market. For example, Urban Outfitters has had great success partnering with iconic 90s brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

It’s not only fashion that’s making a comeback thanks to Gen Xers. The entire concept of “retro” is being revived by this powerful consumer group. Brands like Big Chill Appliances (@bigchillappliances) are capitalizing on this trend by selling retro-styled refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers. What’s old is new again, and Gen Xers are leading the charge.

This method of marketing works because it’s a callback to a simpler time. In a world that’s constantly changing and evolving, it can be comforting to hold onto something familiar. That’s why Gen Xers are willing to spend money on experiences and products that remind them of the good old days.

According to scientific research, nostalgia is mostly experienced as a positive emotion. It has the effect of making someone feel good and also increasing their sense of purpose in life. Additionally, it raises self-confidence and hope for the future.

Since nostalgia is essentially a form of escapism, it makes perfect sense that a generation that came of age during some of the most tumultuous years in recent memory would want to escape into simpler times. If done well, nostalgia is a win-win for everyone.

McDonald’s recently released a Happy Meal for Adults in partnership with Cactus Plant Flea Market. The meals, which could be purchased as either Big Mac Meals or 10-piece McNugget meals, came packed in the traditional Happy Meal box (redesigned by the Cactus Plant team) and came with fries, a drink and a throwback McDonald’s mascot toy.

As you’d probably expect, these adult Happy Meals sold out in days in many locations.

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A drawback to this tendency is that Gen Xers can be resistant to change. If a brand has been around for decades and has built up a strong reputation, they’re likely to have a loyal Gen X following. These consumers are also more likely to stick with products and services that they know and trust, even if there’s a newer, shinier option on the market.

No. 2: Unbreakable Brand Loyalty

This brings us to point number 2. Gen Xers are ridiculously loyal to their preferred brands. My sister is a Gen Xer, and she holds fast to the belief that JIF is the best brand of peanut butter. That is clearly brand loyalty-based malarky. We all know there are tastier options out there. I said what I said!

She isn’t the only one that holds their favorite brands close to their heart. Gen Xers are more likely than any other generation to be brand-loyal customers. They’re also the most likely to say they would pay more for a product from a brand they trust whether it was endorsed by an influencer or not.

Gen Xers frequently join loyalty reward programs to save money and for a bespoke brand experience, though they often leave programs when it takes too long to rack up points. Except Chick-fil-A. People are just going there for the sauce.

Loyalty programs are a great way to show your appreciation for the Gen X consumer. Many brands offer loyalty cards or apps that give customers points for every purchase they make. These points can then be redeemed for discounts, freebies, or exclusive experiences. 

Starbucks recently revamped its loyalty program. After hinting Web3 plans to its investors, the coffee giant announced the offering of limited-edition NFTs for purchase in Starbucks’ Odyssey web app.

The loyalty of Gen X could be a byproduct of their formative years. This is the first generation to come of age with consumerism as we know it. They were raised on advertising and are extremely brand-conscious. For many of them, the brands they grew up with are a big part of their identity.

This intertwining is the reason why it can be difficult to get them to switch, or even acknowledge a brand other than the one they prefer. This can be challenging for marketers present new products to this audience.

Check out our deep dive on What Makes Millennial Parents Buy >>>>

No. 3: Gen X’s Side-Eye Game Is Too Strong

If there’s one thing that characterizes Generation X, it’s skepticism. This is a group that came of age during the Watergate scandal, the Iran-Contra Affair, and the Savings & Loan Crisis. This suspicion often manifests as a healthy skepticism of advertising.

They’ve seen it all, and they’re not going to be taken for a ride, or simply take your word for it. Gen Xers are turned off by pushy sales tactics and marketing that’s too in-your-face. Instead, they respond better to subtlety and humor. They also appreciate authenticity and transparency from the brands they shop.

They’re not going to believe your marketing claims without some solid proof. This is a very research-oriented consumer group. They’re going to read reviews, compare prices, and look for the best deals before they make a purchase; and again, once they’ve decided on a product or service, they’re extremely unlikely to switch to something else. 

This means that if you’re trying to sell to them, you need to have your ducks in a row. Make sure your product is top-notch, your prices are competitive, and your customer service is responsive.

Brands need to be able to back up their marketing claims with proof, or they’ll lose Gen Xers’ trust. 

If you can appeal to their need for convenience, their love of family, and their sense of responsibility, you’ll be able to tap into their unbreakable loyalty and experience substantial ROI.

Related Post

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No. 4: They’re Do-Gooders

Generation X is known for demanding social responsibility from the brands they buy from. They want to know that the companies they’re supporting are doing their part to make the world a better place. This means that cause marketing is a great way to appeal to them.

Gen X was the first latchkey generation; they were often left home alone after school while their parents worked. The rise in divorce rates during their childhood meant that many of them were raised by a single parent, and they’re known as the latchkey generation because of it. This can lead to a sense of independence, but also feelings of insecurity and anxiety.

It’s also worth noting that this consumer group also came of age during the AIDS crisis, which instilled a sense of social responsibility in many of them. They’re more likely than any other generation to donate time to charitable causes.

Most Gen Xers didn’t have the typical all-fun and games childhood. They grew up a little faster than Boomers did which gave them a certain independence and self-reliance that’s unique to their generation. This also points to the fourth item on our awesome list.

Related Post

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No. 5: Gen Xers Often Head Multi-Generational Households

Gen Xers are extremely family oriented. This is evident in the fact that they’re more likely than any other generation to head a multi-generational household. 28% of Gen Xers are currently doing so. Family is so important that they’re usually the driving force behind the merging of households within their families. Their inherent sense of responsibility often extends to their role as caregivers. This is a consumer group that’s more likely than any other to be caring for both young children and aging parents at the same time.

They’re also more likely to be providing financial support to extended family members. Studies show that members of multi-generational households are less likely to experience poverty. This means that they have a lot of buying power and that their purchasing decisions are often made with the whole family in mind.

Studies show that while millennials used the pandemic years to spend more on experience, and boomers took part in the great resignation, gen Xers kept a level head, held on to their jobs, and spent their money in ways that would improve the lives of their families.

Since they’re often the ones doing the household planning for their families, they’re very attuned to dependable brands that offer products and services that make their lives easier.

Making their life easier is very important to Gen Xers. It’s one of the defining characteristics of the generation. They value convenience and efficiency. Brands like HelloFresh and Blue Apron, which deliver fresh, pre-measured food ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes to your door, are a perfect example of this.

No. 6: The Tech Split

One of the biggest challenges marketers face when trying to target Gen X is the demographics within the demographics. Let me explain. This generation spans between the birth years of 1965 and 1980. This means some of them are old enough to remember life before the internet, while others can’t imagine a world without it.

This difference in tech usage has led to a split in the generation, with those on the younger end being dubbed as being consumed with social media and tech, and those on the older end being disinterested or not as engaged with digital platforms.

This tech usage split has led to two very different groups within Generation X: digital natives and digital immigrants.

Digital Natives are those who grew up with technology. They can’t remember a time when there weren’t computers in every home and cell phones in every pocket. They’re the ones who are always on social media, and they’re very comfortable sharing their personal information online.

Digital Immigrants, on the other hand, are those who didn’t grow up with technology. They remember a time when you had to wait for the dial-up internet to connect, and they’re not as comfortable sharing their personal information online.

This is one of the reasons why some marketers don’t consider Gen X worth the investment. They think that because the generation is split, they won’t be able to reach them all with a single message.

But this isn’t necessarily true. While it’s true that you might have to tailor your message to appeal to either digital natives or digital immigrants, the fact is that both groups are part of Generation X, and they control almost 30% of the United State’s total wealth. This is a stark contrast compared to millennials- who only own 5% of the nation’s wealth.

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Marketers often gripe about how difficult it is to target Gen Xers because of this fluid duality. The truth is, though, that being able to reach them across multiple platforms isn’t a bad thing.

Cross-channel living is a way of life for Generation Xers. They will Research the best product and price online to find what they want before heading into the store. Although they communicate much of the day through social media, they acknowledge that some things are better expressed with an old-fashioned handwritten letter.

They logged onto The Sims, Candy Crush, and 2048, but they look fondly on the days of playing Monopoly, Sorry, and Oregon Trail (and occasionally dying of dysentery).

Best Practices: Remember the imminent pivot of the internet from social media websites to AR and VR. They bear witness to the fact that change and more importantly adaptability are the order of the day for marketers targeting this powerful generation.

Before I Go…

During their teen years, they were uninterested in what “the man” was doing to our nation, using the birth of rap, skateboards, grunge, and bags of teen anguish as a means of rebellion. They didn’t need no education. They didn’t need no thought control. These rebel girls and rude boys leaned into their misfit tendencies and redefined teendom.

Their parents may have been a little more hands-off and they’d like to think they turned out just fine. As they’ve aged, they’ve mellowed a bit. They’re doing their best to balance the scales by being ultra-involved in the lives of their kids- even if that means being the embarrassing parent at their kid’s soccer games. They’re also careful to be great children to their elderly parents, taking care of them in their retirement years.

They still don’t need no education, but most of them have found their place in the world. They’re comfortable in their skin and they know what they like. They’re also unapologetic about it. So marketers beware- if you’re going to target this powerful generation, you better know what you’re talking about. Otherwise, they’ll see right through your BS.

You made it through the post! Surprise! Here’s A Bonus-Just For You.

Bonus Insight:  Xers Will Become Boomers

Well, not exactly. But they’re aging. This means that their needs are rapidly changing, and marketers need to change with them.

When Gen X became young adults, their focus shifted from being “free and rebellious” to being responsible. They wanted to have it all- successful careers, happy families, and great social lives. And they were willing to work hard to get it.

Now that they’re approaching retirement age, their focus is shifting again. As they age, their priorities shift from raising a family to empty nesting. Health and retirement planning will begin to take precedence over everything else. And as they move into retirement, their spending habits will change once again. Today’s boomers are concerned with making their money last, and they’re much more conservative with their spending. That’s where Gen X is headed. What does this mean for marketers?

This means that marketers need to start thinking about how to appeal to this generation in a way that acknowledges their changing needs, and the changing buying habits of Gen X. They can no longer be marketed to in the same way as younger consumers. Their priorities have shifted, and so must your marketing strategy.

This is a generation that has dealt with a lot of change and they’re still standing. They’re a powerful force to be reckoned with, and marketers would be wise to keep them in mind when targeting consumers. When it comes to marketing to this enigmatic generation- understanding their background is key to success. Keep an eye on the trends, and adjust your marketing accordingly.

Remember households headed by this generation have over a hundred grand in disposable income. This is an astonishingly profitable consumer group that is often overlooked. But, if the mathematically inclined marketer knows what makes them tick, that information places them head and shoulders above the competition.

If you’re not sure how to target Gen X, no worries. We know exactly how to reach them. Just book a strategy call with our marketing team and we’ll get you on the right track. Book a strategy call today. We’ll help you develop a marketing plan that targets Gen X and helps you achieve your business goals.

The post What Makes Them Buy: Generation X appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

By far, the most coveted demographic for those selling consumer goods has to be Millennial women. This magical segment of the global population has been responsible for sweeping changes in how we tell stories, how we use family photos, how we use digital, what a founder looks like and even how we think of motherhood. Magical is the right word, right?

They are primed to be the most financially independent generation of women in history. They are the most educated cohort of women in history. They are the most ethnically diverse generation in American history (67 percent of Millennial Moms are multi-cultural, according to research from Carat; they and their children are part of the two most ethnically diverse generations currently living in the US). And they are a vocal bunch.

On the heels on Gen X women, many of whom rebelled against societal norms, Millennial women are using the shattered pieces left by the generation that brought us Grunge and Gangsta Rap to build a modern woman who is progressive, active and powerful… whether she thinks she has it all or not.

Full disclosure: I just watched gangsta rap pioneer Ice Cube in Fist Fight (#teacherfight) last night, so the concept of Gangsta Rap doing the middle age thing is like, “Whaaaa…?”

As part of our What Makes Them Buy series, we looked at Millennial Men and Baby Boomers already. In this post, we’re going to look at two more distinct segments of the Millennial population – Millennial Women and Millennial Moms – and talk about the traits brands need to know about them to roll out targeted, authentic, effective influencer campaigns.

Trait #1: Millennial Women Are Hustlers

We’re going to go ahead and give Gary Vaynerchuk his due propers for making a hard-core value like work ethic trendy again by calling it hustling. The hustle culture is nothing new. A few years ago, hustling was used almost exclusively to refer to urban dwellers who created multiple streams of income for themselves by finding opportunities and capitalizing on them.

Of course now, conversations around hustle culture are social media fodder. And Millennial women are hustlers.

• Millennial women are driving the $20 billion resale apparel market that’s making sites like Poshmark and ThredUP a household name.
• Millennial women and minorities are launching new businesses at a faster rate than any other segment of the population.
• According to Worldbank.org, young women in the Middle East and some North African countries are outpacing men with regard to launching and heading up organizations. Young women are 60 percent more likely than men to dream up innovative solutions, and it’s 30 percent more likely for their innovations will have international reach compared to men.
• Young women also lead the charge for social change, venturing into social entrepreneurship and even rolling out programs in conflict-affected areas… fearlessly.
• And outside of business, 48 percent of Millennial women surveyed by Bustle say they volunteer, while 63 percent say they plan to volunteer in the future.

Trait #2: Millennial Women Plan Their Purchases

Millennial women plan their purchases. They will spend more than intended if they find a product that better suits their needs. Still, one characteristic that is consistent throughout their holiday prep is planning.

This is a big one, especially this time of year because you really have to get those influencer strategies rolled out well ahead of when your customer will be buying, if your customer is a Millennial woman.

For all the fabulous living being depicted in Instagram feeds, by and large, Millennial women are a frugal bunch, in large part because of the current economic climate. Consider this:

Generally speaking, Millennials have more debt and less wealth than their parents did at the same age. Millennials are, however, making more money than their parents did at their age. One of the main culprits driving the disparity between the net wealth of Millennials and the net wealth of their parents at the same age is student loan debt. Student debt has taken a heavy financial toll on this generation, causing them to delay wealth-building activities like buying their first home.

These are some of the factors which contribute to the tendency for Millennial women to be more mindful about their spending, saving and financial well-being. It also helps fuel their drive to hustle.

Source: From @21Ninety on Instagram

Here’s another thing about the planning: Millennials prioritize differently than did their parents. Unlike previous generations that had cut-and-dry lists of what grown-ups should buy (house, car, then vacations and luxuries… in that order)… Millennials instead plan their purchases to suit their lifestyles. They cut back drastically on non-essential items (which can INCLUDE an actual house or car) so that they can spend freely on items they believe will have the greatest impact on their emotional well-being and social lives.

Whereas Boomers would place a priority on buying a home, a car and getting their financial houses in order, Millennials are far more likely than previous generations to get their financial houses in order by renting instead of buying and participating in the sharing economy instead of buying (or leasing) a car.

Doing this frees them up to, say spend the money from a recent raise at work taking more trips abroad, or boosting their budget for dining out (or ordering in).

Trait #3: Millennial Moms Rely on Social Media to Inspire Planned Purchases

Millennial women use social media to source ideas for gifts, holiday travel, and entertaining for the holidays. Often, final purchasing decisions are made after months of collecting ideas and bookmarking images spotted on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and even blogs.

According to Popsugar 34 percent of moms between the ages of 18 and 34 get gift inspiration for their kids from lifestyle blogs, and 43 percent of Millennial women go to Pinterest to get food and drink inspiration for holiday entertaining.

What may be of interest to marketers is that Millennial women expect brands to use social as a way to introduce products. Eighty-one percent of Millennial women surveyed by Bustle say social media is the best way to reach them, and 57 percent expect to see sponsored content from brands – that’s an important part of product discovery.

As well, Millennial women have preferences when it comes to the type of sponsored content and advertisements they see. Fifty-seven percent of readers chose humor and social good as their preferred themes for branded content. Thirty-six percent preferred cause-related spots, followed by motivational spots (33 percent) and real-life scenarios (30 percent). We’ll talk more about why these are the top categories of ad content in the next section.

Nevertheless, Millennial women rely on visual content to help them gather information and opinions more efficiently and evaluate purchases. You know the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”? Yeah, well… That’s because it takes 4 minutes to read 1,000 words and it takes less than 100 milliseconds to process an image.

Trait #4: For Millennial Moms, Adulting and Momming Are Part of Their Identities, Not Just Something They Do

More than a million Millennial women become moms each year. In 2016, there were 17.3 million Millennial moms, according to Pew Research. Today, I would estimate that number to be between 19.5 million and 20 million Millennial moms.

With nearly 90 percent of new mothers being Millennials who are members of the world’s first “Always-On Generation”, you can image motherhood is crucial to their identities. In fact, with so many “social” eyes watching, being a perfect mom is a goal to which many Millennial Moms aspire.

Research from BabyCentre’s well-known 2015 State of Modern Motherhood report said 64 percent of Millennial women feel enormous pressure to be the perfect mom.

In the previous section, I talked about the types of sponsored content Millennial women prefer to see. Millennial women favor inspirational or funny ads, content that shows a person (or better a brand) doing good in the world. But Millennial women also want to see ads with regular women doing regular things and having real-life challenges.

Millennial women aren’t looking for perfection, even though some may feel that’s what the world expects of them. Whereas Millennial men respond to ads of regular men doing amazing things, Millennial women are okay with taking a break from amazing just to see someone else finding ways to deal with an over-packed schedule, work pressures, and the perpetual dance to juggle all of life’s social, familial and professional obligations.

Like Gen X and Boomer moms, most Millennial Moms work out of necessity. Only 35 percent of Millennial Moms call themselves homemakers. Interestingly, about the same percentage of Millennial Moms are the primary breadwinners in their households, and a third of those are either unmarried, or not co-habitating with a partner. In a world where two-thirds of Millennial Moms MUST work, 21 percent of Millennial Dads are now stay-at-home dads.

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Trait #5: Millennial Women Are More Confident About Money

Unlike mothers of generations before them, Millennial Moms are, by and large, more confident with and more savvy about finances and products that protect their family’s financial well-being. Forbes recently reported that Millennial women are poised to become some of the most financially independent women in history. Not only that, but Millennial women are also some of THE MOST educated women in history.

Millennial women are more likely than men to have finished at least a bachelor’s degree, and 29 percent of Millennial wives between the ages of 25 and 34 earn more than their husbands.

For many Millennial women, money equates to independence, power, success and happiness. The majority of Millennial women (like, 7 in 10) are going into the workforce and marrying later than did women of previous generations.

Source: Mental Floss

They’re focusing on growing their careers and building financial stability ahead of walking down the aisle. So, by the time they marry, many Millennial women have already successfully managed their own households, budgets, bills, income and even investments.

Granted, Millennial women are thrifty spenders. They heavily research and prepare for purchases well ahead of making them. Not only that, but they are also couponers. Seventy-four percent of these consumers compare prices online and 55 percent download coupons from couponing sites.

Source: PopSugar

Trait #6: Millennial Moms Are Willing to Pay Extra for Convenience

Life is busy. For Millennial moms, the work to balance life as a spouse, partner, parent, professional, influencer and agent for social change comes with a hefty price – time. As a result, Millennial moms – more than any previous generation of moms – are willing to pay a premium for convenience.

We’ve talked about their earning power and their education. We talked about how they’re starting families later than did women of previous generations. We talked about how thrifty and money-conscious Millennial women are. Now, bundle all of those insights together and digest this: Millennial moms will pay extra if you can make their lives a little easier.

According to Trybe:

• 83 percent of Millennial Moms shop online to hunt for the best price, as opposed to going from store to store
• 79 percent of Millennial Moms use e-commerce to get a better selection of products
• 62 percent of Millennial Moms shop online because of the good shipping options

The work-life balance for Millennial Moms is an ongoing struggle. So, it makes sense that 25 percent of Millennial Moms are willing to pay at least $50 a month to have someone step in and help them keep their home lives organized, and to keep their family from partaking in the one in five family meals that are now being eaten in a car.

Millennial Moms are also far more likely to have necessities like diapers and beauty products delivered to their homes rather than spend hours shopping for them in-store.

Trait #7: Millennial Women Are Loyal to Brands Who Are Loyal to Good

Millennial women aren’t brand loyal, not in the traditional sense. I remember my mom buying the same brands with every shopping trip, even down to the type of breakfast cereal she bought. All raisin bran were not created equal. Some, she thought, outranked others based strictly on the manufacturer. My grandma was the same way.

I agree that not all raisin bran are created equal. But I don’t base that idea on the logo at the top of the box, because I know formulas change. I base it on things like the presence of GMOs, sugar content, number of ingredients I mistake for another language, and whether or not a particular mixture of whole grain goodness makes my kids go nuts after they eat it.

Millennial moms are loyal to quality – whether it’s the quality of the product or the quality of the brand itself. By that I mean, Millennials in general are willing to pay a premium for a better quality product. They are also willing to pay a premium to buy from a brand that incorporates social good as one of its core values.

Fifty-one percent of Millennial women expect brands to give back to society, and 34 percent said they would be willing to spend more money on products that are environmentally-friendly. To give you an idea of what kinds of social good matter most to Millennial women, the Women 2020 report (which you can download here) identified six key areas Millennials women think are the primary issues facing women today.

Trait #8: When Millennial Moms Talk (and they do a lot of talking), the World Listens

Millennial Moms are social creatures indeed, significantly more social than Gen X Moms. For them, social media is more than just a place to chat about current events. It’s where Millennial moms show their communities who they are and what they’re about.

Eighty-five percent of Millennial women post pictures of their past experiences to social media and 80 percent post in real time. Seventy-two percent of Millennial women share from other sites to social media. This includes opinions about products.

Millennial Moms are totally okay with offering their opinions online about products – any products at all. They talk openly about clothes, cosmetics, motherhood, brands, retailers, experience-based services, even financial products.

What’s more, in addition to giving advice, 46 percent of Millennial Moms look to the recommendations of their network when it comes time for making decisions on acquiring goods and services, or making purchases.

While Millennial Moms favor Facebook (with an average of 500 Facebook friends) and Instagram, the average Millennial Mom has at least three social media accounts, according to a Weber Shandwick study.

Millennial Moms prefer smartphones to laptops. More than half of the Millennial Moms surveyed said they spend most or all of their time online on their phones, and spend more than 17 hours on social networks every week. That’s 30 percent more time than the average mom spends on social sites.

The Finish Line

Millennial women are an interesting and an influential bunch. More than any other demographic, they are actively spearheading societal and economic changes that impact how brands reach and engage them. This post was the tip of a very large iceberg, but it should definitely provide you with insights that can guide your marketing efforts this holiday season.

Of course, if you’re ready to roll out your influencer marketing campaign, we’re the best in the business. Give us a call to schedule a demo.

The post WHAT MAKES THEM BUY: MILLENNIAL WOMEN & MILLENNIAL MOMS appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Back-to-school marks the unofficial start of the year-end shopping season. There are probably very few people who see the start of classes as some sort of big spending holiday, even the parents doing the spending.

But you buy enough 24-count boxes of crayons for 50 cents, and composition notebooks for a quarter (and the obligatory device upgrade), and you will soon have enough supplies (and devices) to count school shopping among the most expensive events of the year.

A Replay of What Makes Late Summer the Start of the Winter Holiday Season

In our first post, we looked at the numbers that substantiate this idea of back-to-school shopping launching us into the big spending holidays. And we introduced the first two of four avatars doing the spending this holiday season (or influencing those who do). Here’s a quick review:

The average American family will spend more than $500 on school supplies, computers, devices, and school clothes at the start of the school year, and surpass more than $29 billion in back-to-school spending. And that’s just for K-12 families.

For parents who have kids heading back to college, that segment of back-to-school shoppers spends nearly twice as much as the K-12 crowd, shelling out $54.1 billion. That means parents and students spend somewhere around $83 billion just on back-to-school shopping.

Let’s give this a little perspective.

According to the World Bank, $83 billion exceeds the Gross Domestic Products for 130 out of the 195 countries in the world today.

Back-to-school shopping is the second biggest shopping event of the year, bested only by Christmas shopping. But compared to Christmas, the amount of money we spend sending our kids back to school is less than 10 percent of what Americans spend come Christmas time.

Great. People spend money during the holidays. What’s new?

What’s new is that according to Nielsen, 39 percent of heavy social media users (those on social 3+ hours a day) believe social is THE place to go when they want to find out about products and services.

That’s why your influencer marketing campaign needs to start today. In addition to giving you the lay of the land with today’s post, we’ll show you:

1. How to identify influencers
2. How you can propose partnerships
3. How to choose the right success metrics for your campaign, and
4. How to launch your influencer marketing campaign

In my last post, I ran the profiles of Millennial Moms and their beloved Gen Alpha children.  This week, the big spenders we’re targeting are Gen X Moms and Gen Z teens and preteens.

Gen X Moms

WHO THEY ARE

Born between 1965 and 1980 Gen X Moms are a little hard to peg for most marketers. Having been virtually defined by Boomers as “slackers” in their youth for graduating college just as jobs were flying overseas, and formulating the collective consciousness that made Nirvana’s Never Mind the soundtrack of a generation, people… and marketers… still think of Gen Xers as deliberately disconnected.

There’s a good reason for that.

While Boomers were defined by events like the Civil Rights Movement, Flower Power, and the birth of Women’s Liberation, Gen Xers grew up during the War on Drugs, the Gulf War, and the birth of the AIDS crisis.

Gen Xers are the nation’s first latch-key kids. Arriving home from school alone to make dinner and take care of younger siblings, Gen Xers played the role of parent daily in the hours before their actual parents made it home from work. They came of age during a time when divorce rates peaked (around 1980) and kids had to choose a side.

They experienced the misfortune of trying to build lifelong careers like their Boomer parents at a time when globalization and outsourcing made it possible for workers halfway around the globe to take their jobs.

Job security disappeared, and pensions became a relic of the good old days.

Understandably, Gen Xers earned a reputation for being fiercely independent, resourceful, rebellious, and a little disconnected from the ideals that defined their community-minded Baby Boomer parents. As well, they sort of shun the ideals that are defining their tech-driven, global-community-minded Millennial offspring.

That said, let’s take a leering look at Gen X Moms.  The 65 million Americans who make up Generation X include a brigade of moms who laid the foundation for how and if their kids would engage with the Internet. These women are the overworked, well-paid bridge that connects their aging Boomer parents and their maturing (fingers crossed) Millennial and Gen Z children.

Marketers largely overlook them because they have a hard time figuring out how and where to market to women who have become accustomed to going it alone.

And while Boomer Moms and Millennial Moms may sing Kumbaya louder than Gen X Moms (let’s face it, Gen X Moms probably aren’t interested in holding hands and singing with you anyway), Gen X Moms are shaping the workplace, politics, and society almost completely undetected.

HOW THEY USE SOCIAL

According to a post in Adweek, Gen X Moms are just as likely to listen to the radio (48 percent) and read a newspaper (62 percent) as they are to stream music and read a newsfeed.

Part of what makes it such a challenge for marketers to reach Gen X Moms is that Gen Xers have their feet planted firmly on the line that separates old school from new school, and are fluent in both.

Source: Pew Research

Yes, 85 percent of Gen Xers have a favorite TV show, but Gen X Moms are also heavy social media users. In fact, adults 35 to 49 year of age spent an average of 6 hours and 58 minutes a week on social networks, compared to Millennials, who spent 6 hours 19 minutes a week on social.   

As for those television programs, the drama of TV ends up being fodder for social media posts. Of those surveyed, 42 percent of the folks using Facebook on a second screen while watching television were Gen Xers, ages 35 to 49.  

In fact, 84 percent of Gen Xers surveyed said they use multiple devices (TV, smartphones, and laptops) during the prime time hours of 7PM to 11PM.

Gen X Moms also use social to follow the brands they like, though they are not necessarily in the habit of positioning themselves as social influencers like Millennial Moms.  

Gen X Moms use social media as a way to “stay in the loop” with their favorite brands and keep up with contests and deals. Gen Xers also use social as a way to engage with the brands they follow (goodbye 1-800 numbers and “support@” email addresses).

Gen Xers tend to be more loyal to their favorite brands than either Boomers or Millennials are to their preferred brands. They are almost twice as likely to follow a brand on social media than Boomers, but they’re quick to unfollow if a company gets spammy, offensive or just annoying in general.

HOW THEY SHOP

Like Millennials, most Gen X moms work outside the home.  Seventy-five percent of Gen Xers earn more than Boomers did at their age. The catch is they have more debt, so their net worth is less than that of their parents.

Nevertheless, when it comes to spending, Gen Xers are the heavyweights. They make up a quarter of the population, and account for 31 percent of consumer spending, even with 29 percent of Gen X women being the primary breadwinners in their households.

Gen Xers make it a point to follow a brand’s social media activity before buying from them more than half the time. In the end, nearly 7 in 10 Gen Xers who do follow a brand on a social network will buy from that brand, according to “The Social Generations: Millennials Ask, Gen X Buys, & Baby Boomers Observe” post published by Sprout Social.

Gen Z

WHO THEY ARE

Born between approximately 1997 and 2010 (some estimates extend that period to 2016), Generation Z kids are the offspring of Gen Xers, Millennials, and yes, Mick Jagger.  The oldest Generation Z kids are in college and preparing to enter the workforce while younger members of Generation Z are still in elementary school.

The members of Generation Z make up a quarter of the US population, and in just two more years, they could account for up to 40 percent of all consumers, according to Fast Company. Most of them are still young enough to get an allowance, the sum total of which comes to about $44 billion a year. Nothing to sneeze at. And like their Gen Alpha younger siblings, they have a say in how their Millennial and Gen X parents spend the $600 billion they control, chiming in on everything from breakfast foods to which family homes to buy.

Nearly half of all Gen Zers (48 percent) are non-white, which is why we counted them in the last post as the most diverse generation in America, and definitely the first to be a majority non-white. Some reports include Gen Alpha as a subset of Generation Z. For the purposes of this series, we’ve separated the generation into three distinct groups:

1. Generation Alpha ages 7 and younger
2. Generation Z Preteens, ages 8 to 12
3. Generation Z Teenagers, ages 13 to 20

HOW GEN Z PRETEENS USE SOCIAL

Kids have gone digital. Traditionally, marketers set aside billions of dollars in ad spend to reach kids via broadcast and cable television. But the days of after-school shows and Saturday morning cartoons are long gone.

Today, preteens are more interested in consuming their multimedia content in bite-sized chunks, and doing it on demand. So, it makes sense that the preferred social network for kids under the age of 13 is YouTube.

Not only is YouTube a popular social channel, but YouTube earned the distinction of being voted the Most Love Brand in Smarty Pants LLC’s “Brand Love” study for the second year in a row. The study, which polled more than 8,000 kids ages 6 to 12, discovered YouTube’s influence over kids is surprisingly stronger than several heavyweights, including Oreo cookies, Lego, McDonalds, Hershey’s, M&M’s, fidget spinners, and Toys R Us (RIP).

That means on-demand videos beat out toys and candy for best thing ever with Gen Z Preteens. This trend toward having access to tons of multimedia content even amongst kids is why Cisco VNI  predicted 80 percent of the web’s traffic will be video by 2019, according to Marketing Dive.

Nielsen reports TV viewership is down 50 percent for kids between the ages of 2 years and 11 years old, but it’s unclear whether that’s because kids are watching TV only half as much, or if it’s because only half the kids are watching TV at all.

In response to this shift away from traditional TV, marketers are expected to spend $1.2 billion on digital advertising directed at Gen Z preteens by 2019 according to PwC. In addition to the original programming for Netflix and YouTube, BBC also plans to invest $44 million in children’s programming between now and 2020.

HOW GEN Z TEENS USE SOCIAL

Gen Z teens are in the unique position of being born into brand strategy as a way of life. They are simultaneously managing their live persona and balancing it against their online persona, while carefully curating content that will positively position them for both college and the job market in the years to come.

Only 49 percent of Gen Zers admit social media is an important part of their lives, but they can’t deny they get a certain amount of validation from the hard work they put into maintaining pristine social media profiles.

The typical Gen Zer who uses social media has already learned how to masterfully present their different social media personas in accordance with the culture of each platform they’re using. And yes, this is the kind of work Gen Xers and Boomers pay SMM agencies to do for them.

Three-quarters of teens ages 13 to 17 identify Instagram and/or Snapchat as their go-to social media platform. While more than 90 percent of teens use the messaging function on their phones to socialize, 40 percent also add messaging apps like Whatsapp to their phones to socialize.

Gen Z teens are commonly referred to as the generation that grew up on smartphones, but don’t forget this generation is also old enough to remember flip phones.

Lots of the older Gen Z teens in high school and college can probably remember when laptops were strictly for Mom and Dad’s work, tablets didn’t exist for them outside of Leap Frogs and Etch-a-Sketches, and the not-so-smart but oh-so-common flip phones were the phone all their friends used.

After all, not many parents were lining up to buy their fifth grader a $600 iPhone when Apple first introduced them to the world.

Today, 89 percent of teens use smartphones, and 80 percent use laptops; 68 percent of teens have access to a tablet versus 54 percent of teens who now have access to a desktop computer.  

HOW TEENS SHOP

Now, before we get into how Gen Z shops when they hit the stores, there are a couple of interesting traits that have emerged in this group that we want to point out.

First, Gen Z members are not brand-loyal like their Gen X parents. In fact, they’ve been referred to as less trusting of brands than any generation before them. They are far less brand-conscious and would rather take the word of their favorite social media influencer over even the most elaborate and polished 60-second spot. They don’t want to know your brand story unless it directly fits in with, and springs from, their existing interests.

They have honed the ability to identify good content vs bad content (or valuable content vs everything else) in just 8 seconds.  As a marketer, you have 8 seconds to make an impression that will result in something other than a screen-swipe or a click-away.

Third, Gen Zers don’t seem to be very patriotic. Terrible news for the Captain America franchise. When asked, 68 percent of Gen Z teenagers said they feel the US is moving in the wrong direction.

Now that those three points are out of the way, we can talk about how teens spend their money.

Food.

The Taking Stock with Teens Spring 2017 study from Piper Jaffray reported 24 percent of Gen Z teenagers spend their money – whether earned or not – on fast food purchases, and their favorite places to spend are Chic-Fil-A and Starbucks.

Their next big purchase is clothes at 19 percent of their total budgets. Boys are more likely to go for brands than girls, who are more interested in finding the right styles irrespective of brand name, according to Mediapost. And like men, teenage boys tend to shop based on a specific need, as opposed to girls who are more impulse-driven and tend to shop based on their budget, not their needs.

Both male and female Gen Z buyers are more likely to buy clothes in-store after browsing online, according to Fashion United. Other popular spending categories for teens include:

• Cars (9 percent)
• Accessories and cosmetics (9 percent)
• Shoes (8 percent)
• Video games (8 percent)
• Electronics (7 percent)

Among the most beloved brands for teens, Amazon leads the pack followed by Nike. Teens seem to show a preference for apparel made by companies like Nike and Under Armour, that specialize in sportswear. In the Piper Jaffray survey, 41 percent of teens named an athletic brand as their favorite clothing brand. Adidas is also showing rapid growth among older Gen Zers. Other popular brands for teens include Converse, H&M, American Eagle, and Forever 21.

Source: Fashion United

As the observant bystanders in households where their Millennial siblings have had to move back in with Mom and Dad after college, Gen Z teens are learning the value of money, stability, and making good financial decisions. They are more financially cautious.

Frugal.

And more likely to save than Millennials were at the same age.

Let’s Build Some Campaigns

In the third and final part of this series, you’re going to get a 9-step summer influencer marketing plan that you can implement now and tweak in the coming months for fall and holiday campaigns. (You’re welcome, by the way). If you missed Part 1 of the 2018 Summer-Fall Marketing Plan,  you can read that one by clicking here. 

Now that you know the major stakeholders in the upcoming holiday shopping season, it’s time to start building some campaigns. In the next post, I’m going to lay out a 9-step influencer marketing plan that you can follow to launch a BOSS influencer marketing campaign.

The post What Makes Them Buy: Gen X Moms + Gen Z Teens appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.