5 Tips to Attract the Restless Digital Natives
Posted by Julia Morrissey on Mar 24, 2022
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In the parlance of today’s world, people can be divided into two categories: “digital natives” who were born or came of age as our interactions with technology became a daily occurrence and “digital immigrants” who arrived before the widespread use of digital technology and are now managing with it as best they can.
Digital natives, born starting in the late 1980s, have a unique relationship to our digital world. From a very young age they’ve been comfortable using tech like home computers, gaming consoles, mobile devices, and social media. How comfortable? Well, when it comes to Gen Zers, a not-surprising 74% say they prefer to spend their free time online. This makes marketing to this group inherently different from marketing to older generations.
It also means using an authentic voice and recognizing that this customer segment is far less loyal to brands. Their experience with your brand is important, and if you fail them early, it will take a lot to get them to shop with you again.
Before you jumpstart your next campaign with these restless natives, read our 5 tips to make sure you’re in sync with what this segment expects.
One trait that’s common among digital natives is their natural ability to swiftly move from device to device, app to app. This segment is very comfortable with apps, spending 10% more time using non-gaming apps than older generations. Branded shopping apps are increasingly becoming part of the customer experience (CX), and the amount of time they’re used increased 49% in 2021.
The growth of shopping apps, and their popularity among younger consumers, isn’t surprising given that customers want a seamless omnichannel experience. A mobile shopping app connects the brick-and-mortar and online experience, giving consumers a much higher-quality experience then they would get by using the brand’s mobile website.
With features such as easy online order pickups, real-time views of store inventory, direct in-app communication with store associates, and loyalty levels, shopping apps are essential to capturing this market.
About 66% of digital natives appreciate personalization when interacting with a brand. This isn’t much of a surprise considering their social media use. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and the like have mastered the use of data and algorithms to create a unique, personalized experience for users. Natives want the brands they shop to do the same.
It’s critical for personalization to be both authentic and relevant. The customer who bought a puffy winter jacket likely doesn’t want recommendations for other winter jackets, but they may be interested in hats and gloves.
Creating touch points between your brand and your customers that transcends whatever channel they choose to interact with you on is vital. For example, when customers use a NewStore Shopping App, store associates have a 360-degree view of that person’s shopping history. They can chat with customers through the app and add products or payment links directly through the chat.
Making the experience more personalized for customers will lead to better engagement and more loyalty.
Influencers are making a living posting about their lives and purchases on social media. And while most digital natives may not think of themselves as “influencers,” the truth is they have an impact.
About 70% of parents say their children influence their clothing and food purchases, which is another reason it’s critical to what younger consumers want and how they shop. Engaging teens who influence their parents is important. Speaking to micro influencers, individuals that have relatively small followings on social media but also a high degree of engagement with their audience and who specialize in a particular interest area, is also crucial.
The influencer world is run on social media and if your brand is lacking in this arena, its success with influencers will be minimal. Make sure you’re working the fundamentals of social media marketing. Post regularly and encourage conversations with followers, especially influencers. Make sure posts include relevant hashtags, high-quality images, and descriptive captions telling your story. You never know who might see or share your post.
Younger consumers want good deals and are just as price conscious as everyone else. However, by an overwhelming 83% they also want to patronize brands that reflect their values. By contrast just 21% of baby boomers (who fall into the digital immigrants category) prefer buying products that reflect their cultural and political beliefs. In addition, they appreciate authenticity and are turned off by exaggerated claims.
How can you take advantage of this? Is there a socially conscious or sustainability angle to your products or operation that could use more exposure?
More than 58% of digital natives depend on product reviews when making a purchasing decision. Just 47% of their elders in the Gen X and boomer demographics put the same credence in reviews. Among consumers as a whole, 80% are likely to walk away from a sale if a product doesn’t have reviews, and 75% say good reviews make them feel positive about a business.
The number of reviews a product has isn’t as important to shoppers as their recency. Reviews posted within a few months are given greater credence than those a few years old. Retailers can boost conversions by heavily encouraging feedback. Services are available that make this easy. Such as those that allow you to reach out to consumers who’ve just completed a purchase by SMS and/or email asking them to rate their experience.
Overall, it’s important for brands to know how to speak to digital natives in order to earn their trust and their business. Meeting their expectations now will help establish your brand in their sights, increasing your ability to hold on to them as a core group of customers.
A NewStore Shopping App can help you attract and delight digital natives. It fully integrates into the NewStore platform and unifies online shopping and in-store service into a single experience. Learn more about NewStore Shopping Apps today.
