Three ways to make your customer experience Gen Z friendly
In today's post, we're exploring the generation that everyone seems to be talking about and specifically who are they? What do they want? And most importantly, how can you tailor your offerings to capture the attention and loyalty of GenZers?
In recent research we conducted amongst GenZers, they told us they feel they are represented as cliches in advertising and two-thirds feel misunderstood by companies. As a Gen-Z woman put it;
“Companies that make me feel understood are minimalistic, have a ‘to the point’ aesthetic and offer a range of products that are not orientated to gender or age – they are just neutral and do what they say.”
We’re delving into this topic and looking at the three key ways you can make your offer Gen Z friendly and build your pipeline of future customers.
But first … who are Gen Z anyway?
Gen Z – loosely, people born from 1995 to 2010 – are true digital natives: they grew up with access to the internet and portable digital technology.
Zoomers are members of the most racially and ethnically diverse generation so far. They are idealistic – but they have a somewhat downbeat worldview. They value authenticity – but they curate their personal brand. And they’re fiercely individualistic – but care passionately about supportive, inclusive communities.
Gen Z are frequent travellers, making an average of three leisure trips every year. Culinary experiences are important to Gen Z, with 47% saying they have planned an entire trip around visiting a specific restaurant. That combined with Gen Z estimating that they typically spend 40% of their money going to restaurants and on food. It shows how vital it is for hospitality, travel and leisure businesses to build authentic relationships with Gen Z.
Let's explore the three essential strategies to make your business Gen Z-friendly:
1. Personalisation
Gen Z places huge value on individuality and personal expression. The internet’s ability to connect people with niche interests has allowed this generation to connect with like-minded people globally. They are unabashedly ‘themselves’, and they expect to be recognised and treated individually. Appealing to their beliefs and values is so much more important than anything else.
Gen Z wants an experience before the experience. So your digital offering needs to be next level. They’re used to information at their fingertips and expect to be provided with information that is relevant to their needs in any given moment.
For example, if they’re flying at 10pm, they want to know which food outlets will be open at the terminal and what the vegan options are; you won’t meet Gen Z’s expectations if your website only provides links to restaurant chain websites and leaves Zoomers having to waste time searching for the information. This online time wasting is a perfect example of what is perceived to be a poor customer experience and a misunderstanding of basic customer needs.
Personalisation – making your offer resonate with Gen Z’s individual needs – is a must-have for this generation.
2. Make the experience digitally real
Gen Z isn’t experiencing the online world as an addition to their physical surroundings; the two are inseparable. They have never known a world without Google maps, booking online, and live interaction with friends on the other side of the globe.
Using digital to afford a peek into their desired experience is essential. It’s about creating an experience before the experience.
In our work with a major travel operator, we identified a need for an immersive digital experience for potential travellers to see what the ‘on board’ experience is really like. Creating an experience before the experience, proved to be a key driver in converting customers from research mode to booking.
If you are a restaurant brand, think about how you can convey your in-person customer experience online. A pdf menu is difficult to view on mobile; it isn’t going to convey a relaxed, friendly, and easy customer experience and it’s definitely not going to cut it with Gen Z. Your digital experience for customers is as important as the in-person customer experience.
3. Show you care
Gen Z are more politically and socially active than other generations. They want the world to be a better place. But they’re not as idealistic as millennials; they can’t afford to be. Their everyday reality is coloured by a full spectrum of challenges from housing shortages and rising student loans to racial injustice and the climate crisis.
Gen Z needs to know that you care and you’re doing the right thing. For this generation, loyalty is about shared values, and these need to be deep and authentic. For example, don’t just rainbow wash your marketing campaigns and window displays in June as a nod to Pride month. Actually do something that makes a difference. Make ethical supply chain choices, uplift marginalised voices, have recruitment policies that welcome differences, and donate money and time to good causes. At the heart of your business have integrity and make sure everyone in your business knows what that means!
So how do you feel you are measuring up to the high ideals and expectations that Gen Z have?
How can you be sure that you are in alignment with future generations so that you are building a business that is adapting and sustainable?
Here at Avitarix, we’re experts in travel, leisure and tourism, and our mission is to help you discover and ignite the spark between you and your customers so your relationships thrive and sales grow. We can help you keep an eye on your future and identify how you can stay relevant for Gen Z. Get in touch to arrange a free, no obligation chat, to discuss the insight needs of your organisation.