With current estimates at two billion globally, Gen Z is slated to be the single largest group of consumers worldwide in just a few years. The generation makes its own impact in terms of choosing fashion.
This demographic, born roughly between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, has unique preferences, values, and behaviors that are reshaping the fashion industry. Global fashion and textile brands must need direct supervision into the Gen Z community for a better impact on business and brand marketing. Gen Zers are looking beyond tangible products and actually trying to understand what is it that makes the company tick.
We’re already looking at them as the core influencers today that have a really big impact on both millennials and Gen Xers in terms of what they buy. In size, they will definitely reach scale in the next ten to 15 years, but it’s about their influence today—that’s what’s so important.
Basically, GenZ has Five consumer trends as mentioned graphically below:
‘Uniqueness’ is a key tool for selection of brands
Uniqueness, fluidity, and openness are top priorities for Gen Z in a certain way. They are less concerned with fitting into traditional molds or conforming to societal expectations. For Gen Z, there’s more emphasis during adolescence on creating their own path, whether that means building new educational systems or their own personal brands. Gen Z is more accepting and open-minded when it comes to diverse identities and backgrounds.
Thus Gen Z is moving towards brands that express self-integrity, equality, and uniqueness in their products. Innovative designs with an expression of freedom are necessary for the establishment of the ideology towards this demographic. The diverse group regarding GenZ is divided into interests when we take a deeper dive.
Gen Z also known as…
iGen / Thumbies / iGeneration / Generation Scapegoat / Meme Generation / Delta Generation12 / Memelords / Memennials / Generation Snap / Hopeful Generation / The Cleaner-Uppers / The Last Generation / The Xanax Generation / Post-Millennials / The Mass Shooting Generation / Doomed / Spimes / The Anxious Generation / Sisu Generation
Gen Me and Gen We are a matter of discussion
For the most part, Gen Me is highly documented, easily understood and currently being marketed towards by the majority of brands. “Gen We” refers to Generation Z’s perception as being more collective and inclusive. They tend to emphasize collaboration, shared values, and inclusivity in their approach to various aspects of life.
Gen Me, despite their concern for contemporary teenage issues, opts for retreating from the commotion rather than confronting or expressing their emotions. Gen Me people have a deep concern about making a trend rather than following one. These demographic groups are now influencing a lot of people to follow a certain brand and fashion.
The endless stream and endless feed fuels Gen Me’s endless need for content. They are triggered by the vision and concern about passion for social media influence impacting their brand choice highly. Real life and social media status an impacting duality factors in this demographic segment.
Their industrious nature means that they are self-made, or at least in the process, aggregating the personal brand they want to project into the social sphere. They have certain Instagram or TikTok role models which create a social hemisphere around them which makes them hooked to a certain culture.
In China, where the wanghong (Internet celebrity) economy is booming, over 54% of Gen Zers listed “livestreamer” as their dream profession. Social media influencing and promoting brands create a solid impact on their minds. Brands must create a channel between consumers and video creators or influencers.
When it comes to more traditional forms of education, Gen Me looks for practical, skills-driven curriculums. Companies are creating alternatives to college. They surround themselves with the immersiveness of social media segmentation. In terms of job, they prefer doing a job which suits their personality. It’s not about money for them, it’s about sending a message to the community. The dress choices are made according to this ideology of self-dependency and openness.
Female Gen Zers now spend $368 annually on beauty, with skincare being a leading driver, up 18% year-on-year. The beauty aspect is creating a buzz in them, especially with the prominence of female influencers with a large following. The drive towards brands, fashion, makeup including dress choice is creating a significant impact. Brands with more unique designs and suitable with the cultural stigma can easily create an economic impact globally.
Gen We take an unfiltered and unabashed eye to the political circumstances of their upbringing. Self-expression comes very feeling-focused for Gen We. They are very open about their rights including sexual, political, and human rights. They advocate for their imperfections and vulnerability to the world. They are more aware of global issues and tend to have a broader outlook on politics, culture, and social issues.
Dreaming big is an ambition for GenWe demographic people. Their safety and brand loyalty is notifiable when their right and equality is formed with it. The economical and practical apparel segment is a must-targeted criterion for them. Cultural diversity is a key element for their growth and selection of brand value in fashion.
Black or white whatever the color is, the spark of freedom is their core passion. Compared to Gen Me, who spend most of their time online to feed their self-interests, Gen We are shifting the focus from me to us. They use online platforms to communicate and organize while ensuring their daily activities bring them purpose.
Gen We prefer their acceptance and glance towards mental health issues, sustainability and social engagement, equality, accountability towards society, and rules, rights, and safety. Gen Zers like to research before they shop. They are especially interested in finding deals.
Gen Zers are considerably more likely than millennials or Gen We to say that they always, or almost always, look for discounts. Gen Wers view significantly more video media on platforms such as YouTube or TikTok than other cohorts do.
Hype Culture in Gen Z
Hype culture is a big deal for Generation Z. They love brands like Supreme, Palace, and Bape because these brands create a lot of buzz and excitement around their products. Gen Z not only buys these items but also promotes them. This kind of hype has become a new form of luxury for them. Instead of working part-time jobs, they’re willing to wait in long lines or pay extra online to get these trendy and exclusive items. Some young entrepreneurs, like Boris Kunin, have even started their own reselling businesses. Instagram and other social media platforms have played a big role in this trend, helping resellers reach large audiences and charge higher prices. Hype culture in Gen Z is all about being part of something exciting and exclusive.
Gen Z loves meme, and brands are using it for marketing
Memes and other genres are utilizing creative minds and enabling a personal desire towards such fashion and dresses including some cult classic movies and songs. Brands must be aware of the social trends in TikTok or Instagram for their market capture and growth.
Relevant ways to accelerate loyalty of brands to GenZ
A significant share of Gen Zers surveyed see a major brand as a source of strength; they may associate the brand with quality (for premium shopaholics) or simply see it as an easy choice (for disengaged conformists). The brands must create a loyal and genuine impact through their quality impact rather than concentrating on quantity. Gen Zers want brands to be personalized, be customized, and help them be distinctive.
Generation Z’s high digital literacy and easy access to information enable its members to pick and choose to ensure that they are spending their money on what they really want. In a world in which most consumers research significantly before they buy, being competitive in both quality and price is a prerequisite to winning the allegiance of Gen Zers. Brands need to innovate and create competitive prices to offer so that they can make their brand economically viable.
The role of video platforms must be endorsed by brands. There are a lot of social media influencers who can easily help boost the overall sales of the system. Various platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook etc. must be thought out and implemented within the society. The brand endorsement must bring a positive impact on the social factors for creating a safe, independent culture for high-volume sales. Brands must endorse sustainability taglines to get more customers in general.
