Gen Z refers to anyone who was born between 1997 and 2012. The oldest of this generation are now young adults in their early 20s, who are coming of age and entering the business world.
They are the first generation of true Digital Natives. They’ve never known a time when ordering takeout online, sending WhatsApp messages to a friend or FaceTiming their family wasn’t possible. They are the first generation that is active and available for almost 24 hours a day.
Gen Z and Social Commerce
Gen Z’s use of devices continues to increase. Recent data revealed that 98% of them own a smartphone and that in the third quarter of last year, they averaged more than 4 hours a day on apps — and that figure doesn’t include gaming time.
Their platform usage habits have, however, shifted slightly. Gen Z has moved beyond the e-commerce favored by millennials and has become at home with social commerce — the practice of purchasing wholly within a social media platform. And for good reason: the algorithm can learn their preferences to suggest relevant recommendations, provide a personalized shopping experience (which also reduces the risk of abandoned carts), reduce the friction between purchase desire and checkout, and is more engaging with the use of in-app filters, augmented reality features and live streams.
