We still don’t know where the millennial and Gen Z divide starts and ends, but one thing is for sure— most Gen Zers are still in their teenage or early twenties. While the media has been focusing a lot on millennials, Gen Z individuals are rising to the forefront with each passing year. If you are a business owner, it will do you well to focus on Chinese Gen Z and other crucial Gen Z populations if you want your company to survive.
They are the future. There are more Gen Z individuals than there are people in the millennial generation. About one-third of all people living in the world (or about 2.5 billion) are Gen Z’ers. It would be foolish to underestimate their size. Even with the coming Alpha gen, who are said to outnumber even the Gen Zers, focusing your energy and attention on them still bears much importance.
If you are a savvy business owner, focus your energy on catering to this potentially large market. Let’s learn more about generation Z and what drives them.
What is Gen Z?
Gen Z is short for Generation Z. People who fall under this category are also called zoomers for short. They are the demographic falling neatly in between the preceding Millennial generation and the succeeding Generation Alpha. Researchers usually pick the mid to late 90s as starting years of this generation to the early 2010s as the ending years of this generation. People falling under this category are usually kids of Generation X.
Gen Z consumers usually have lifestyles that mirror late Millennials, but they differ in key ways. Some of these key ways can make for interesting buying and spending habits. As a business owner, your target market may include Gen Z individuals. Find a way to fill these wants and needs so your consumers’ curiosity is piqued.
Because Gen Z is so internet savvy, it is hard to capture their attention. It can take just a few seconds for someone to click out of advertisements or disregard a billboard sign. It is much harder to capture someone’s attention long enough for them to be interested in your products.
That is why you need to study your consumers so that you will be able to appeal to their senses. Once you know the generational differences between the preceding generation with millennials, you will be able to identify lifestyle trends and gain consumers by developing a plan that caters to them. Here are a few differences between millennials and Gen Z.
1) Gen Z is a lot more competitive
Millennials tend to be a lot more easygoing and tend to value teamwork in a project. In a professional setup, valuing teamwork means millennials prize collaborative projects where everyone tends to have an input. They want to work in an environment that values team play and participation. On the other hand, Gen Z tends to prefer or engage in more competitive environments, where their own raw skill is realised instead of teamwork. This may be the reason why they shun team projects and focus more on skills development, which may benefit them in the long run.
2) Gen Z values diversity
It may seem contradictory that Gen Z does not value teamwork but values diversity, but it is not. Because Gen Z is more individualistic, they also tend to value every individual. Generation Z consistently advocates for progressive stances from companies and wants to work with diverse groups of varying skills and talents. They want to bring people with different points of view so that more people feel included in crucial discussions. In a content creator platform, you can see this firsthand. Many creators are encouraged to be inclusive in the way they view and interact with their audience.
3) Gen Z loves to express themselves in various ways
If you look more closely, Generation Z usually promotes brands that emphasise individuality and self-expression. They like personalisation and customisation, and Gen Z is more likely to buy products that express this. Contrasting older generations, Gen Z likes to buck the trend of ‘sameness’ and buy items that are a means of expressing individual identity. What they buy are not products, they want to see something that echoes themselves, and this is what companies should note.
4) Gen Z wants their independence
A need for independence usually ties into competitiveness— in a competitive environment, there is less room for collaboration and team play. Because of this, a Gen Z individual may want to be alone or may value their independence. In the workplace, they would rather have a quiet room they can call their own rather than a collaborative work area they have to share with others. Other Gen Z individuals might prefer their own projects and deadlines for more flexibility and independence. They may want a private space to concentrate on the job and let their talents shine.
5) Gen Z is more ‘online’ than ever before
If you think that Millennials spend too much time online, wait until most of Gen Z hit the workforce. By the time most of them are grown up, Gen Z consumers would have had free rein over the internet and mastered all corners that the digital world has to provide. It’s not a scary thought to think about considering most of our waking lives are spent in the digital environment. From shopping to social media to business communications, Gen Z has done it all. Having Gen Z in your workplace may mean a keener understanding of how the internet plays into your business.
The relationship between Chinese consumers and how different generations respond to consumerism is tangible. Explore all these things and more when you check out various social media and content creation websites.
