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BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

How companies reach the young and

digital Generation Z

Time and again new age groups keep influencing
the market, be it Generation X, Millennials and
now Generation Z. With those born between 1996
and 2012, a generation comes to the fore that
spends an average of 11 hours a week on cell
phones, according to a report from Criteo.

Make it simple and effective

Oliver Kerner, the founder of OK-Training, explains that
Gen Z poses a special challenge for companies since
the so-called digital natives can hardly imagine a world
without smartphones and the Internet, which is why
salespeople should know where to find them and rely
on a modern sales style. To sell a product or service to and from any location and studies their ratings. Good
Gen Z, entrepreneurs must learn to understand the and detailed feedback from customers creates trust
young target group and find out about their specifics. and has a positive effect on future purchasing deci-
“As a rule, simple persuasion is no longer enough, be- sions. A homepage and company pages in social net-
cause this generation quickly switches off when there is works have therefore increasingly developed into a
an excess of information,” explains the expert. Neither company’s business card and are now the be-all and
the detailed company history nor the entire range of end-all of successful sales.
services play a role for the Gen, since this group is just Be honest and truthful but not too transparent
looking for the best product for their needs as well as
targeted advice—in the shortest possible time. Besides The consumer communications agency DeVries Global
a quick checkout, the process should be above all gives as well some good advice to brands with the re-
easy! In times when digital experts dominate the mar- lease of its latest study: Decoding The Z Mind in a Post
ket, modern companies also rely on innovative shop- -COVID Singapore. For this digitally native generation,
ping experiences, such as using voice assistants or the rampant misinformation and fake news have left them
experience of products thanks to virtual reality. hyper-aware and distrustful of information online. With
a growing appetite for authenticity and honesty, it
Permanent online presence is essential comes with no surprise that a whopping 96% of re-
spondents survey indicated that they are willing to pay
Companies should be aware that in addition to an ex-
pressive homepage or an efficient web shop, a pres- a premium for brands they deem transparent. But here
ence on social media channels is becoming increasing- comes the twist: You can't be too transparent, especial-
ly important; if they are not represented there, they ly if your operations do not live up to your communica-
simply cannot reach the new target group. The plat- tions. This generation is unafraid to speak out and ral-
forms with a visual focus such as YouTube, Instagram, lies for causes they believe in, the study revealed. In
Snapchat and TikTok are currently ahead in the ranking other words, Gen Zs do not hesitate to boycott brands
of the most-used networks. Facebook and Twitter, on over unethical business practices, false advertising and
the other hand, are becoming less and less popular more. So, it is time for brands to do an internal check-in
with the young target group. "The most important fea- for hypocrisy before they speak out on issues or make
ture of a meaningful website is as usual appealing and big claims. Otherwise, they run the risk of getting can-
high-quality content that is convincing within a few celled by the razor-sharp Gen Z.
clicks," emphasizes Oliver Kerner. Generation Z in- Truth and authenticity are key
forms themselves about products online at any time
Reviews from other consumers are much more im-

April 2021: Immersive Technologies in Marketing 13