متن انگلیسی: Decoding Gen Z – Digital Natives

ریشه ناآرامی‌های اخیر، نسل پرشور و خروش دهه هشتاد هستند. آن‌ها ویژگی‌ها و زبان خودشان را دارند که اگر آن را درک نکنیم احتمال قوی برای تعامل با آن‌ها به مشکل برمی‌خوریم. من بین همکارانم، دوستان، فامیل، و زبان‌آموزان با دهه هشتادی‌ها تماس دارم. با دهه شصتی‌ها اساسا متفاوت‌ند.

ما مطیع و پیرو بودیم. در آن زمان جنگ تازه تمام شده بود، شیر کوپنی و صف نان و نفت هنوز خاطرم هست. خبری از موبایل نبود و صدا سیما سرجمع ۳ شبکه داشت. عمده وقت ما در خیابان گذشت. نسل Z یا دهه هشتادی‌ها از جنینی با موبایلند. عمیقا به شبکه‌های اجتماعی وصلند و گاهی ارتباط‌شان با سلبریریتی خارجی خیلی مهم‌تر از فک فامیل‌شان هست. دهه ۸۰ ها، ساکنان بومی دنیای دیجیتال هستند.

این مقاله حاضر را در مجله برند ویتنام دیدم. قشنگ است. بیائید سری به دنیای تازه‌واردها بزنیم.

Made: Source from Brands Vietnam | Photo: The Face Team | 2020-07-14

The influence of Gen Z, the first generation of digital natives, is expanding. Many young people played the role of "influencer" long before the term appeared. And now, a new generation of influencers has emerged.

Gen Z, people born between 1995 and 2010, are truly "digital natives" . Because from an early age, they have been exposed to the internet, social networks and mobile phones. This has created a hyper-cognitive generation, comfortable with collecting and referencing multiple sources of information simultaneously, integrating both virtual and real experiences.

As the development of connections on a global scale explodes, generational transfer plays a more important role in shaping behavior than socioeconomic differences. The younger generation has become a strong influence on many others of all ages, with all income levels, as well as consumption patterns and brand-related factors.

In Brazil, Gen Z currently makes up 20% of the population. In 2018, McKinsey partnered with Box1824, a consumer trends research agency, to conduct a survey on Gen Z behavior and its influence on consumer behavior in Brazil. The team used quantitative research data with respondents from different generations and social classes in three major Brazilian cities. The objective of the study was to understand how Gen Z affects other generations in general consumption.

The study examines four core Gen Z behaviors, and they all have one thing in common: this generation's search for truth. Those four behaviors are:

این نسل به دنبال حقیقت هستند.

Gen Z values self-expression and steers clear of "stickers" .
They motivate themselves in many different ways.
This generation strongly believes in the effectiveness of dialogue in conflict resolution.
Ultimately, they make decisions and stay with the organization through highly pragmatic analysis.

۱. بیان خود ارزش حساب می‌شود.
۲. از چند جنبه متفاوت انگیزه می‌گیرند. تنوع و تکثر برایشان مهم است.
گفتگو وسیله مهمی برای رسیدن به توافق در درگیری‌هاست.
به سازمان و اهداف عملگرایانه پای‌بند می‌مانند.

That's why, Gen Z is really " True Gen" , in contrast to the previous generation - Millennials , sometimes called " me generation" . This generation grew up in an era of economic hegemony and a focus on individualism. They follow their ideals, prefer confrontation and are less open-minded, accepting many different points of view.

These behaviors affect Gen Z's view of consumption and their relationship with brands. Businesses should be familiar with this generation's characteristics: (1) consumption is a means, not a means of possession, (2) products are used to express personal identity, and (3) consumption is tied to associated with ethical considerations.

Along with the advantage of technology, the transfer of this generation is changing the entire consumer landscape. For businesses, there are more opportunities for development but also many challenges. Businesses need to rethink how to deliver value to consumers, rebalance the scale between mass production and personalized production – and – more than ever – take this generation into account when they point to problems in marketing and ethics.

True Gen (True Gen)

Generations are shaped by social context. Baby boomers, the generation born between 1940 and 1959, grew up in the post-World War II context and saw consumption as an expression of ideology. Generation X (1960-1979) consumes on demand, while Millennials (1980-1994) consume based on experience.

دهه ۵۰ و قبل نگاه ایدئولوژیکی به مصرف داشتند.
دهه ۶۰ براساس نیاز مصرف می‌کرد. راست می‌گه .. ما براساس نیاز یه چیزی را می‌ساختیم و هزینه می‌کردیم. امکانات کمی داشتیم.
دهه ۷۰‌ها براساس تجربه.

For Gen Z, the driving force behind consumption is the discovery of truth, both individually and as a community. This generation is comfortable with the assumption that there is more than one way to express themselves. The motivation to validate everything mentioned above makes them promote freedom of speech and be more open to getting to know different types of people.

واقعا جالبه! نسل جدید برای یافتن حقیقت مصرف می‌کنند! زمان، پول، جسم و فضای اطراف‌شان را برای درک خود و دنیا مصرف می‌کنند.

"Unidentified" : Expressing the ego

"I need freedom; I need to be myself every day. Thanks to the Internet, I feel much more free."

Female respondent, 22 years old, lives in São Paulo.

"I love genderless products! It makes no sense for fashion brands to categorize everything. Because fabrics have no gender at all."

Female respondent, 22 years old, living in Goiani

Gen Z will not define themselves according to a single mold, but rather experience in different ways to gradually shape their personal imprint over time.

76% of Gen Z people surveyed said they were very religious. But at the same time, they are also the generation that is most open to opinions and topics that are different from their religious beliefs. For example, 20% of Gen Z don't consider themselves heterosexual, as opposed to 10% of other generations. 60% of Gen Z think same-sex couples can adopt, compared with 10% of other generations.

Gender flexibility may be the most reflective of “non-identification”, but this is not the only remarkable thing. Gen Z is always connected. They are constantly evaluating a large amount of different information. For them, each person needs experimentation and change. Seven out of ten Gen Zs say it's important to protect identity-related information, so they care more about human rights than previous generations; and other issues such as race and ethnicity ; lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender and finally feminist .

همیشه وصلند. همیشه حجم زیادی از اطلاعات را ارزیابی می‌کنند. برای اطلاعات مربوط به هویت‌شان ارزش قائلند.

"Connection Addiction" : Connecting Different Truths

"We have our own personalities and expressions, but what binds us is to accept and understand everyone's style."

Male respondent, 16 years old, lives in Recife.

Gen Z is an open generation. They do not make a clear distinction between online friends or outside friends.

دوستان اجتماعی آنلاین و محیطی سهم مشابه دارند. حتی فضای آنلاین معتبرتر هم باشد چون تنوع دیدگاه‌ها بیشتر است.

Gen Z values online communities because people from different economic backgrounds freely connect and discuss according to their interests. (66% of Gen Z in the survey believe that communities are formed by interests, not economic factors or education, much higher than the corresponding proportion of the generation. Millennials, Generation X and Baby boomers). 52% of Gen Z think it's normal for an individual to belong to multiple groups (compared to 45% of people in other generations), and Gen Z has no barrier to frequently switching between those groups .

"Dialogue" : Understanding different truths

Gen Z believes in the importance of dialogue and acceptance of different points of view within the organization and within their own family. They can interact with organizations that run counter to their personal values and still not give up on those values. Specifically, here are traditional religious establishments. Instead of outright rejecting an organization, Gen Z tends to take an interactive approach to finding and adopting whatever works for them.

نسبت به نسل‌های قبلی، تمایل کمتری به تغییر دارند. بیشتر متوجه تعامل، گفتگو و تحلیل هستند.

So Gen Z tends to believe that dialogue will bring about change. 57% of Millennials, Generation X, and Baby boomers think they need to break the system to change the world, but only 49% of Gen Z agree.

Gen Z is also willing to adapt to the company's downside. For example, 39% of this generation expect the company to respond to customer complaints within the same day; and with the previous 3 generations, this number is much higher: 52%.

Gen Z believes dialogue can connect identity, reject stereotypes, and be remarkably pragmatic. This brings us to Gen Z's 4th core behavior.

از کلیشه‌ها خوششان نمی‌آید. خاص بودن، با هویت بودن جذابیت دارد.

"Reality" : Revealing the truth behind everything

"I don't believe in this dreamy investment talk. Work is work."

Female respondent, 22 years old, living in Salvador.

Gen Z believes dialogue can connect identity, reject stereotypes, and be remarkably pragmatic. This brings us to Gen Z's 4th core behavior.

With so much information accessible to everyone, Gen Z is more practical and analytical before making decisions than previous generations. 65% of Gen Zs in the survey said they value knowing what's going on and that it's under control. This self-taught generation is also more comfortable with online learning than traditional learning.

Gen Z grew up in a time of global economic pressure. This makes them less idealistic than Millennials. Many Gen Zers are acutely aware that saving for the future and job stability is more important than a high salary. They prioritize full-time work over freelance or part-time work, which may come as a surprise to Millennials. According to the survey, 42% of Gen Z between the ages of 17 and 23 are employed, either full-time, part-time or freelance.

Gen Z in consumption and suggestions for businesses

Gen Z consumption behaviors and attitudes are affecting every generation. Three points to note are:

1. Redefining the concept of consumption

Products become services, services connect consumers.

This generation of actual consumers access and evaluate information before deciding to buy. Gen Z not only analyzes what they buy but also consumption activity.

Now, the concept of consumption has taken on a new meaning. For Gen Z - and increasingly for the generation before it, "consumption" can mean the ability to access products or services, not necessarily own. This becomes a new form of consumption. Unlimited use of goods and services (such as ride-hailing, video streaming, and subscriptions) all create value. Products become services, and services connect consumers.

As the above consumption trend develops, people are also starting to see this as a way to generate extra income in the " Gig economy ". temporary or temporary; companies tend to hire freelancers and freelancers instead of full-time employees). Another aspect of Gig is that consumers are leveraging relationships with businesses to generate extra income by working with them temporarily. Some companies are embracing this trend.

Car manufacturers are leasing cars directly to users, so instead of selling 1,000 cars, they sell one up to 1,000 times. Like the sports product business, they have also moved to help people become more "standard" athletes by providing access to equipment, technology, mentoring and community. of like-minded consumers.

Similarly, traditional consumer goods companies should consider creating an integrated platform of products, services, and experiences that can connect customers around the brand. Companies that are successful with product sales can rethink their business models, strengthen direct relationships with consumers and new distribution channels.

2. Consumption expresses personal identity

The core trait of Gen Z is the expression of individuality. Thus, consumption becomes a means of self-expression, as opposed to buying or wearing designer clothing just to resemble the masses. Consumers now not only want more personalized products, but are also willing to pay high prices to get products that match their personality. 58% of consumers in class A and 43% in class C share that they are willing to pay more for personal requests. And here's another interesting finding in the survey: 48% of Gen Z people respect brands regardless of men's or women's clothing, while for other generations, this figure is only 38%.

Despite the high expectations of personalization, consumers in general are not completely comfortable about sharing their personal data with businesses. Only 10 to 15% share they don't see any problems related to this. If a business partner had access, the number of consumers willing to share personal information would increase to 35% – but this is still a relatively small number.

When the online and offline worlds are no longer separated, consumers expect to be able to use products and services anytime and anywhere, so marketing and omnichannel sales need to be achieved. a new level. For consumers who are online anytime, anywhere, the line between online and offline does not exist. Meanwhile, we are entering the "segmentation of one" era.(single segment), businesses can use advanced analytics methods to extract insights from consumer data. Consumer information that businesses have long hoarded now has strategic value, and in some cases can create value. Therefore, leading businesses should have a clear data strategy that exploits customer insights while ensuring their data privacy.

For decades, companies in the consumer and retail industries have recognized the benefits of economies of scale. Currently, they may have to accept a two-pronged model: One branch is for mass consumption, the other is custom-made for special consumer groups or loyal customers. Accordingly, not only marketing but also supply chain and production processes will require more flexibility. In business, this scenario raises many questions. For example, how long will gender-specific fashion collections remain attractive? How should businesses market cars and jewelry so as not to be judged as gender biased?...

3. Consumption is associated with ethical views

Consumers increasingly expect brand integrity. The key is that businesses do not need to express political views, but only need to choose specific topics that are meaningful to both brands and consumers, and at the same time express a clear position on those issues.

In today's transparent world, young consumers do not distinguish between the philosophies of a brand, business, network of partners or distributors. Therefore, the decision of the business must align with the brand philosophy, and that must permeate the entire system and stakeholders.

Gen Z consumers are mostly well-educated about brands and the truths behind them. If not, they also know how to find information and form opinions quickly. If a brand advertises diversity values but lacks diversity in the organization or operation, Gen Z will quickly see it. In fact, other generations have the same idea. 70% of respondents said that they prefer to buy products from companies they consider ethical. 80% say they remember at least one scandal or controversy involving a company. About 65% try to find out everything they buy – where it comes from, ingredients and how it is made. About 80% refuse to buy from companies involved in a scandal.

63% of consumers surveyed consider recommendations from friends as a reliable source of information about products and brands. The good news is that Gen Z consumers are more tolerant of brands that correct their mistakes. This process is more challenging for large corporations, as the majority of survey respondents believe that most of these businesses are less ethical than small businesses.

For the consumer, the business and marketing philosophy is the outer layer. As a result, many companies not only clearly define their subject matter, but also ensure that everyone in the value chain is involved. Similarly, businesses should consider choosing an agency to represent brands and products. Also keep in mind that consumers are increasingly understanding that some businesses are sponsoring influencers. Perhaps that's part of the reason consumers today tend to be more interested in lesser-known influencers — an Instagram account with 5,000 to 20,000 followers, for example. Marketing in the digital age is posing greater challenges as channels become more fragmented and constantly changing.

The influence of Gen Z, the first generation of digital natives, is spreading. The "truth-seeking" behavior becomes at the heart of consumer behavior and consumption patterns. Technology has given Gen Z an unprecedented level of connection between them and the rest of the world, which makes the generational transition more important and also accelerates technology-related trends. . For many businesses, this transition will present both challenges and exciting opportunities. And remember: the first step to seizing any opportunity is to be open-minded.