Young consumers put a spotlight on three brand values one of which the NOW Customer values most: speed, trust, and authenticity.
Statistics show that Gen Z’s make up 26% of the global population, and 40% of the total consumers are Gen Z’s.
Brands have spent years decoding the millennial generation whose purchase experiences are heavily influenced by social media and technology. This generation almost is unaware of any previous forms of marketing and sales strategies. What they believe is efficient delivery of unique, personalized solutions to their ever-growing needs.
While marketers continue to look for answers on how to satisfy the growing demands of this generation, the debate on how to win Gen Z’s loyalty still is a secret.
Forbes in a study shared that 97% of this generation learns about new products on social media. To capitalize on the multiple opportunities that are there, brands have now taken up a core strategy to address the needs of Gen Z.
Although brands are now more proactive in restructuring their various products and services to make them more appealing to the millennials, from brand image to packaging details, the constant struggle to “keep up with trend” requires a lot of effort.
Given that digitalization is the main focus of Gen Z and that the generation is extremely technologically savvy, resorting to quick communication to address their discomfort, here are some tips to ensure you deliver top-notch customer experience to these consumers who can make or break your brand.
Use technology to have a 360-degree view of your customers
Earlier, addressing the grievances expressed by your customers directly would help in garnering their trust and loyalty. However, this generation expects to be observed and understood. Using Artificial Intelligence, we can now assess their buying patterns, the choice of products that they are interested in, etc. All this information can then be used to make innovative and strategic developments to your existing products to make them more appealing to the generation.
Be quick in capturing Gen Z’s attention
Studies show that the attention span shortens from generation to generation and therefore the average attention span of a Gen Z customer is 10 seconds.
A very common example to justify the statement would be abandoned “carts” on websites. Studies show that 98% of customers now tend to abandon the items added to their cart if the payment procedure is time-consuming or when they do not have their preferred mode of delivery.
Keeping themselves aware of such facts that could disrupt a customer’s experience, brands have now studied their consumer’s behaviour and understood that using their preferred channel of communication- Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram, is the ideal way to befriend Gen Z. 88% of Gen-Z prefer multi-channel communication with their favourite brands. Mobile apps, in-store shopping, phone orders with live agents, video chats with customer care staff, hosting informational webinars – you cannot overdo it here.
Personalization is the Key
58% of Gen-Z are willing to spend more money on products if the brand caters to their uniqueness.
For Gen Z, personalize the consumer experience to increase the likelihood that they will be drawn to your business. You don’t necessarily need a complex marketing plan to master personalization. Start with these basic techniques:
Use surveys across platforms: Have you noticed how YouTube and LinkedIn often seeks your views through poll questions about your thoughts on a certain product or a service? There is no better method to personalize than by genuinely seeking out the desires of your Gen Z clients.
Make your content more demographical: Create content based on demographics to add a personal touch. A great example would be Zomato. The brand creates excitement amongst Gen Z by designing marketing content specific to the factors such as the mood of the customer, location of the customer, etc.
All of this can be analysed using an effective customer experience management tool which with its text and sentiment analysis can give you a correct view of the customer’s needs and preferences and help you take strategic decisions.
Interact with Gen Z on Social Media
The generation spends most of their time on social media platforms. Their purchase decisions are highly influenced by social media. From placing an order through to expressing their feedback, social media platforms reflect the complete picture and are an effective listening channel. Customer Experience management tools are thus investing in integrations with such Social Media platforms.
Brands now invest in hiring manpower who solely focus on responding to various customers on social media. Unique interactive campaigns such as taking a picture with a certain product and posting online with a hashtag is a common way to spread awareness and positive word of mouth.
Gen Z’s love seeing themselves in promotional content. The entire concept of social media influencers is built on this belief. With effective customer experience management, brands, therefore, understand the strategy to apply to win the Gen Z customers and eventually turn them into brand champions.
Give utmost importance to your customer’s opinions
The generation is highly influenced by ratings and reviews on social media. It is the new definition of word of mouth. Brands now keep a close tab on their ratings and reviews on social media and quickly act on any negative review before it reaches the mass and impacts their brand image.
Similar quick actions based on a review instill a sense of comfort and trust amongst the generation who then look forward to such positive experiences from the brand.
Swiggy, when delivers an order that has failed to meet its customers’ expectations, immediately offers a refund or repeats the order for free, even before the customer can take to social media to express his unfavourable experience. The impact of such a gesture has shown the same customer cheering for Swiggy for the gesture and thereby winning more hearts!
To conclude, Gen Z has buying habits that are in line with the digital world they grew up in. Customers want to encounter products and services that are innovative, convenient, high-quality, and cost-effective.
You would think it’s difficult for your brand to master all of these facets, and you wouldn’t be mistaken. Take baby steps but take it on the right path and immediately.
Always remind yourself to be sincere while implementing any strategies into your customer experience strategy for Gen Z. This generation respect brands’ honesty, openness, and sincere efforts.
