How Generation Z Shops, Buys, and Interacts on Social Media

Gen Z discusses what they buy or plan to buy more than any other group. This is key to know if you’re a brand or agency looking to understand how the largest generation talks about purchases they make or intend to make in the future.

Many members of Generation Z view the world with a healthy dose of skepticism. Our social data validates this, showing Gen Z expresses less trust than any other generation. With the trust metric correlating to purchase intent, brands need to break through this wall.

Consumer trust is a strong indicator of purchase intent. We found these social listening metrics are significantly correlated. As consumers express trust in a topic, they also express an intent to purchase.

Gen Z may be turned off by partnered posts with influencers and brands. Our social insights show that this generation connects more with authenticity and is soured by luxury brands promoted by influencers.

The best way to measure how well your influencer message is resonating with the right audience is to analyze the comments. You can use social listening to dive deep into the comments -  and the people who write to them - to find out sentiment, emotions and themes of the conversations. This analysis will help you accurately measure the effectiveness of the campaign and learn more about audiences.

While up-cycling brands and other innovators are growing, apparel mainstays remain relevant.  Among a selection of top retailers popular with Gen Z, American Eagle scores highest overall, winning metrics like Favorability, Intent to Purchase and Fit. Old Navy also fares well, leading on metrics like Love and Favorability.