To sell to any audience, you first need to know it.
Discovering how they think, act, relate to each other and shop… is essential for success.
Every generation has left its mark on history. The people who fought in the Spanish Civil War have nothing in common with today’s tech-savvy population. Understanding each generation can help not only companies trying to connect with consumers but also governments seeking to understand their population.
Who are the Millennials?
The generation born between the 1980s and 1990s. In the United States alone there are 79 million Millennials, 25% of the population.
This generation has lived through a major economic recession, the 2009 crisis. Experiencing a crisis of this magnitude firsthand has shaped its behavior, directly affecting its financial awareness and job insecurity.
Although it is the most academically qualified generation in history, it is also the one that has struggled most to find work, even with a university background and language skills.
Millennials are the generation of recycling, tolerance and respect, social acceptance and awareness of climate change and renewable energy. They see women as an important part of society, not only as mothers or wives… but also as professionals.
But not everything said about this group is positive: some call them the “NEET” generation (not in education, employment or training), label them lazy for living with their parents as adults and criticize their ideals.
Either way, this generation exists, and if you want to capture its attention, you first need to know what it wants and how.
How do Millennials behave?
Brands, business owners and sociologists are desperate to understand how to sell to, hire, motivate and retain this generation.
The first thing to bear in mind is that this is a digital generation. It has lived through the revolution of computers, internet access, mobile phones and cable TV, and cannot imagine a world without the Internet or social media.
Each generation shares common traits, a lifestyle, values and similar behavior that influence how it browses the web.
According to studies by BuzzStream and Fractl, today’s population can be divided into 3 major age groups:
Millennials (born between 1977 and 1995)
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1976)
Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)
Baby Boomers tend to be online from 5 am to noon. By contrast, Generation X and Millennials prefer to be online from 8 pm to midnight.
As for the type of device they use to go online, the results were as follows:
The clear difference in devices used across generations is the growth of mobile connections. This is worth noting when our target falls within this age range. The website must be optimized for mobile devices.
Millennials are also “unfaithful” when it comes to the device they use. On average they can switch devices 27 times in just one hour.
This points to the need for an omnichannel presence: whatever device they’re on, they should find what they’re looking for.
A responsive website is the solution.
What does this group want?
This is the social media generation: they value social listening and being heard. They prefer visual content over dense text. They need and want brands that know their tastes, habits and concerns and respond immediately.
They don’t go looking for brands; they find them while browsing, whether through ads or on social media.
Millennials are redefining shopping habits, changing the rules of brand marketing and revolutionizing the shopping experience.
Shopping habits
A generation that lives and buys in the moment, without paying much attention to the future consequences of a purchase. According to a survey, 52% of Millennials make more impulse purchases than any other generation. This means they buy with their eyes: if they like something, they buy it, often without considering whether they need it.
They are also more environmentally minded, choosing organic products or those labeled as eco-friendly.
They tend to buy products from small retailers that differ from those of big chains, valuing small business owners and supporting their businesses.
Brand marketing
Millennials are forcing brands to adopt marketing strategies that allow more communication between seller and consumer. For them, being able to interact with brands through digital channels is essential.
They lead “word-of-mouth” recommendations and will talk about what they like just as much as what they don’t.
They research and compare before buying, whether online or in-store, so having a presence on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter…) is important for this group to find you.
Shopping experience
To win the loyalty of a shopper from this generation, it is essential to make them feel part of something innovative and current that their circle also belongs to.
eCommerce has revolutionized shopping: you can buy a product from any device in minutes without going to a store during set hours, since online stores are open 24 hours. The product arrives within days or even hours and, in most cases, shipping is free.
The more online stores there are, the more options users have, making them more selective. For your business to reach them, you need to offer products and advice on social media, shareable content and a social shopping experience.
The future belongs to Millennials
This video sums up the differences between generations, showing how things have evolved over the decades and how Millennials are changing the way we think, work, have fun… and live.
They say youth is the future, but they, we, the Millennials, are the present.
Image credits: millennialsolution.com, americanpressinstitute.org
