Not as Online as You’d Think

Ellen C. Wells

A new study by YouGov has found that younger consumers are not as “forever online” as you’d think—especially when it comes to shopping. YouGov found that Gen Zers prefer a balance of shopping online and in store.

The study’s key takeaways are:

• 50% of Gen Z discover new products through personal recommendations and in-store browsing
• 35% of Gen Z discover products through influencers or bloggers, nearly twice the rate of older adults, and 64% use social media to research products
• 33% of Gen Z use forums to learn about products, compared to 21% of non-Gen Z shoppers
• 31% of Gen Z choose email as their preferred customer service channel, but as the study mentioned, they’re “also more likely than older consumers to use social media, forms or avoid contact altogether”
• 29% of Gen Z discover an item online, but purchase it in-store, while 21% do the reverse

In other words, having your marketing messages in every channel is the optimal way to connect with your younger customers. GP