The age of Digital experience for Gen Z!
Understanding the behavior patterns of Gen Z!
This is the second article in #TheAgeOfDigitalExperience series.
As technology continuously makes processes digital, a higher emphasis is placed by them on the effective utilization of these digital platforms.
Organizations also deploy critical resources as they recognize how these digital platforms radically enhance the overall customer experience.
Digital experiences are crafted after analyzing multiple factors viz. The long term digital strategy of the organization, availability of resources, consumption patterns, etc.
An important factor to consider is the target audience or the ‘recipient’ of these digital experiences. As consumption of digital products increases, the most receptive consumption pattern is displayed by the generation after the millennials, loosely, people born between 1995 and 2010. The generation widely recognised by the names “Gen Z” who are the true digital natives.
As of 2019, Gen-Z comprises of 30–35% of the world population, becoming an extremely crucial target segment for prospective digital products. A generation that has been widely exposed to the internet, social systems, and online communications since their youth has developed a deeper association with digital interactions.
Digital expectations continuously soar as it becomes more important to enhance the customer experience of these digital natives. However, before moving on to improving their experiences, it is imperative to understand to decode their behavioural patterns.
DECODING THE GEN-Z
Information consumption patterns
Crafting an experience around Gen Z may have multiple tweaks around the standard process. With their influence consisting of social networks and continuous mobility, their information consumption patterns are also rapid.
As information is available across every digital platform, the digital native looks for a quick turnaround and ease in accessibility for information. If your product aims to enlighten the user through blog posts, news, or research articles the ease in the accessibility of such articles become crucial while catering to Gen Z.
Along with this, research shows that Gen Z follows the 8-second timespan rule while consuming information. Typical masses, when exposed to information, take 13–17 seconds to decide the relevance of the information. With increased exposure to unlimited content on social media, Gen Z is exposed to taking decisions quickly regarding the relevance of any piece of content. Research displays that Gen Z takes 8 seconds to determine if any piece of content (advertisements, news, product features) will prove to be helpful to them. While the dedicated timespan reduces research displays that Gen Z can absorb information 13% faster as compared to their counterparts.
In order to create and expose an improved experience for this set of users, content accuracy and product efficiencies should be focused on. Design experts understand these behaviors and create relevant digital experiences which makes information absorption faster within these 8 seconds which allows these users to hang on a little more to create a hook.
Communication patterns
As every user activity from taking part in social groups, to creating friends or even getting into relationships goes online for this generation, it becomes important for businesses to understand the typical communication patterns to create important communication experiences.
The generation displays a large space for inclusive communications and a higher shareability of resources. They tend to continuously engage across multiple platforms and communities through the wide range of technologies that “kill the distance” and make things more shareable.
“Bite” size texts are preferred over a long chain of words which becomes a subset of their information consumption patterns.
Above all the important aspects of communication, research states that 75% of Gen Z prefer the mode of texting over talking on the phone. However, this is found out to be true in terms of its initial states of knowing a person. When any conversation requires an improved personal touch, Gen Z requires a greater touch of authenticity and personalization through phone calls or physical meetings.
Another important characteristic is the form of visual communication. While products that hook users consistently portray product information, this generation is inspired by relevant imagery. Visual architecture is a creative subject that talks about how the generation connects, adapts, and utilizes products that have an accurate visual hierarchy. The generation which is being continuously penetrated by influencing media is attracted to how every product “looks” which drives engagement rates for potential products and companies.
The pragmatic approach
As a generation that is driven by professionalism and education, Gen Z understands every situation before taking any measure. As an educated cohort, the generation applies efforts and preferences towards products that provide authentic responses.
Research displays how pragmatism plays an important role in triggering decisions and behaviours. Creating an influence for this generation requires organizations to demonstrate a track of growth and performance while supporting a greater cause or an initiative. A range of evaluations is made before completely adapting a product or a service.
For example, Instagram becomes a pragmatic product to adapt as it creates a wide social network, ensures privacy while allowing the users to attain social validation from authentic people (followers). This changes the definition of “owning” a product where merely getting access to certain products to ensure the collaborative consumption of products. Access if the new way of owning, which provides products to be successful and gives a sense of delight and power to this generation. This can be applied to a range of products like video streaming subscriptions, purchases that improve actions the users can take, etc.
The effective method of displaying practicality helps build value for any platform which in turn increases engagements and finally product growth.
As per McKinsey and Company, the generation is inspired and appreciates personalized content and products and experiences. 58% of A-class consumers and 43% of C class consumers are willing to pay a premium for personalized offerings.
However, only 10–15% of the population declares to not have any problems in sharing their personal data across.
The Research numbers
We have dived deep into decoding the behaviour of the authentic digital natives. Here are a few facts that help us understand their behaviour better.
- As per Campaign Monitor, When asked specifically how often Gen Zers like to receive emails from brands, the largest group — 31.8% — says they like to hear from brands a couple of times a week. The next largest group — 27.5% — says they want to hear from brands once a day. Furthermore, 19% say they prefer once a week and 18.4% say once a month.
- As per Inc.com, by 2020 Gen Z is expected to have $44 billion in buying power.
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