Gen-Z consumers — a group typically comprising the ages of 14 to 24 — tend to prefer physical stores over online shopping, reveals a new survey by A.T. Kearney.
No fewer than 81 percent of Gen-Z respondents to the survey said they would rather do their shopping in stores, according to the survey, titled How Gen Z’s Concern with Emotional Health Fuels Retail Growth and Failure. Store operators may find it equally interesting that these respondents report having a love-hate relationship with social media — nearly 30 percent say they “very much” want to spend less time on social media and that they use shopping as a way to “disconnect” from the digital world.
This research aligns with a recent ICSC study titled Gen-Z Shopping Behaviors Support Retail Real Estate, which found an overwhelming preference for physical retail on the part of teens.
Teens see shopping as an opportunity to disconnect from social media and the digital world
But none of this is to be taken to mean that retailers should abandon social media. “While it is true that Gen-Z respondents have a love-hate relationship with social media, when designing marketing messages and selecting channels to target Gen Z, anyone selling to them needs to remember how critical social media is to their lives,” the report asserts.
“It is a generation whose importance for retailers and consumer-goods companies will only continue to grow over the next 50 years. For retailers, Gen Z won’t just define the future, it is the future”
Asked what they like to see in a store, nearly three-quarters (74 percent) said they like a well-curated store experience focused on a limited number of products. Eighty-six percent said they are looking for exclusive deals, promotions, giveaways and contests, and 83 percent like support tools such as maps and kiosks.
A good number of Gen-Z shoppers (44 percent) agreed with the statement: “Shopping helps me feel more confident and secure about myself.” And therein lies a caveat for the retailer: These kids are sensitive to any kind of negative experience in a store, and they will turn around without buying anything if they encounter one.
“However much Gen Z may change as it matures," reads the report, "one undeniable fact will remain constant: It is a generation whose importance for retailers and consumer-goods companies will only continue to grow over the next 50 years. For retailers, Gen Z won’t just define the future, it is the future.”
By Edmund Mander
Director, Editor-In-Chief/SCT
