Generation Z is the group of consumers born in the late 1990s and early 2000s that are always connected and well informed. They are sensitive to environmental, ethical, and social issues, and they spend most of their time on their social media platforms, like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Plus, they are always a step ahead of new trends. It’s a generation that craves the most the marriage of online and in-store shopping, known as the hybrid shopping experience. Brands should focus on their demanding needs to engage with future shoppers and turn them into loyal customers of today. If brands succeed in that significant step of reaching the anticipations of Gen Zers, they would be closer than ever to satisfying the shoppers on the whole, and their endeavors for customer loyalty would be much easier.
But how can brands create and maintain Gen Zers loyalty amid non-stop transformations and unpredictable market forces throughout 2022 and so on? Here are some essential tips for building the allegiance of Generation Z.
Personalization and transparency
Make it personal: this should be your everyday mantra. It is vital to make a substantial impact with a solid customer experience through personalized content and messages. Brands need to deliver more than discounts, rewards, and coupons and get to know their customers that need to feel special, especially Gen Z! Through marketing campaigns based on qualitative customer insights, more personalized offers, unique experiential rewards (such as exclusive or early access to events or products) are key drivers for building deeper relationships with Gen Zers.
A good customer experience goes beyond sales and triggered marketing messages. Consumers overall desire the tangible value – the product they crave, the moment they need it, through the device they prefer, accompanied with offers and rewards relevant to them. Thus, it’s crucial to predict customer needs and delight them with the information they didn’t already know and with exclusive prices.
Creative video content
The journey doesn’t end when Gen Z purchases in-store or clicks “buy now”. Incentivising Gen Z to keep coming back and creating bespoke campaigns and appealing content increases repeat purchases. Gen Zers prefer visual content instead of messaging to read, such as videos, images, infographics, quizzes, surveys, interactive tools, games, visually appealing quotes. Examples that drag the attention are National Geographic, Spotify, Mercedes-Benz, and Netflix, which use vertical videos to attract next generations’ attention and the TikTok platform gained virality rapidly.
In any case, brands should keep their video content authentic, organic, and up to date, letting the images speak for themselves.
Value-driven approach & authenticity
Nowadays, new generations, especially Gen Z, are interested in social issues, such as higher education, economic security, physical and mental health, race and gender equity, climate change etc. and will not hold back their opinions and values. Instead, brands that contribute to the environment and society will be advantageous, deserving customer credits and engagement. For instance, companies that support sustainability or take a stand on a social issue, through their digital presence or their store assistants, have more chances to appeal to Gen Z consumers and build stronger relationships with them, according to Prosper Insights & Analytics survey.
For sure, brands should make Gen Z feel understood and embrace their values to gain their trust. Adapting a business model aligned with the same values and beliefs of Gen Z consumers will lead to successful brand loyalty, increasing customer acquisition and customer lifetime value.
Last but not least, authenticity and transparency are also key factors. The brands should stay loyal to their values to make the consumers stay loyal to them. Furthermore, highlighting a dedication to privacy is essential. 88% of Gen Zers say that protecting privacy matters to them, and they are looking for authenticity to feel safe. Marketers should be compliant with their values and GDPR policies when it comes to customer data. And customer data are needed to make good use of them adequately and succeed in all the tips above.
Businesses are expected to meet customers’ needs and exceed them. Today’s marketplace is constantly fluctuating, and it’s vital to combine in-store privileges with the digital market and vice versa. To do that fluidly, marketers should use the right technologies.
Eliqua.CX is a Customer Data platform that helps brands collect customer data across all touchpoints, create unified customer profiles with advanced technology, and communicate with the consumer with the right message at the right time and the right channel, bridging the gap between online and the physical store. Promoting any offer in a 360-communication environment via SMS, email, Viber, in-store video, and sound messages is also part of Eliqua.CX capabilities.
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