How Each Generation Shops in 2024 [New Data from Our State of Consumer Trends Report]

Understanding your viewers is a tough job, however decoding the Gen Z, Gen X, Boomers, and Millennial buying habits is the place the true problem lies. All generations store otherwise, so you have to do some deep analysis to learn how issues perform of their “worlds.”

That will help you decide the place to satisfy audiences the place they’re, we surveyed 1000’s of U.S. shoppers of all generations to find out about their buying habits, media consumption, and the newest traits they’re following.

For these in a rush, we have put a fast generation-by-generation overview beneath with hyperlinks to the deep dive of every age group. To see a broader side-by-side comparability of how all generations deal with every stage of product discovery and purchases otherwise, leap to our comparison section.

Millennial Procuring Habits

Gen Z Procuring Habits (ages 18-24)

• Social media, looking on the web, and word-of-mouth are the highest methods Gen Z uncover new merchandise.
• Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are the highest social media apps amongst Gen Z.
• Of Gen Z, 37% have purchased a product based mostly on an influencer’s suggestion previously three months, and 43% have purchased by way of an in-app store.
• One in two Gen Zers need corporations to take a stance on social points, particularly racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, and local weather change. When corporations advocate for these points, it has a powerful affect on Gen Z buy choices.
• Advertisements on streaming providers beat cable TV for reaching Gen Z. Retail discovery continues to be related however much less frequent than digital channels.

Jump to our Gen Z deep dive >>

Millennial Procuring Habits (ages 25-35)

• Social media, web search, and YouTube advertisements are additionally the highest methods Millennials uncover new merchandise.
• Fb, YouTube, and TikTok are the highest social media apps amongst Millennials.
• Of Millennials, 43% have purchased a product by way of an in-app store previously three months, and 36% have purchased based mostly on an influencer’s suggestion.
• Of Millennials, 47% need corporations to take a stance on social points, particularly racial justice, earnings inequality, local weather change, reasonably priced healthcare, and LGBTQ+ rights. When corporations advocate for these points, it has a powerful affect on Millennial buy choices.
• Advertisements on cable TV beat streaming providers for reaching Millennials by a small margin. Retail discovery continues to be related however much less frequent than digital channels.

Jump to our Millennial deep dive >>

Gen X Procuring Habits (ages 35-54)

• Gen X prefers to find new merchandise by way of search, social media, and in retail shops.
• Gen X discovers new merchandise on social media extra incessantly than another channel, despite the fact that it isn’t most popular.
• Of Gen X, 90% use social media — Fb, YouTube, and Instagram are their favourite apps.
• Of Gen X, 19% have purchased a product by way of an in-app store previously three months. The identical quantity purchased based mostly on an influencer’s suggestion in that interval.
• Of Gen Xers, 40% say corporations ought to take a stance on social points, particularly local weather change, reasonably priced healthcare, racial justice, and earnings inequality. Additional, 40% say corporations shouldn’t interact with social points, and 20% aren’t positive.

Jump to our Gen X deep dive >>

Boomer Procuring Habits (ages 55+)

• TV advertisements, web search, and retail shops are the highest methods Boomers uncover new merchandise.
• Social media falls flat for boomers — simply 20% have found a product on it previously three months, and solely 11% have bought a product on a social app in that point.
• About half of boomers say corporations mustn’t take a stance on social points. On the subject of influencing their buy choices, social points merely don’t have any affect on a majority of Boomers.

Jump to our Baby Boomer deep dive >>

A Generational Comparability of As we speak’s Procuring Developments [Side-by-Side Data]

The place do shoppers uncover merchandise?

Social media, web search, and YouTube advertisements are key for reaching Gen Z and Millennials, whereas TV, search, and retail are favored by Gen X and Boomers.

So far as social media, Boomers and Gen X use Fb greater than another app.

In the meantime, Gen Z is all about YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Not solely is Gen Z speaking with mates and being entertained, however they’re additionally discovering (and shopping for) merchandise on social media greater than another technology.

What drives shoppers to purchase merchandise?

On the subject of making buy choices, all generations are extremely influenced by worth, high quality, and product critiques. Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X additionally worth manufacturers which have lively communities round them and a social media presence.

Moreover, whether or not a share of the proceeds from their buy shall be donated to charity is extremely vital to Gen Z.

The place do shoppers like to purchase merchandise?

All generations favor shopping for merchandise in particular person at a retailer over another channel, however this choice decreases considerably with age. Shopping for by way of on-line retailers like Amazon and immediately from an organization’s web site can also be in style.

Gen Z and Millennials are most thinking about shopping for by way of social media and from an organization’s cell app.

Prepared for extra of the insights you have to attain your target market?

Let’s take a deep dive into the buying habits of right now’s shoppers, in addition to how every technology compares, based mostly on knowledge from our 2024 Consumer Trends Survey of over 700 shoppers within the U.S.

Procuring Developments by Era (A Detailed, Knowledge-Pushed Breakdown)

Gen Z Procuring Habits in 2024 (ages 18-24)

So, the place is Gen Z discovering new merchandise? Let’s begin with the digital elephant within the room: social media.

Social media drives Gen Z product discovery.

Our most up-to-date survey exhibits that 40% of Gen Z has found new merchandise on social media previously three months, and 41% of them say it’s the place they uncover merchandise most frequently.

Social media can also be the primary approach Gen Z prefers to find new merchandise, in line with 40% of these aged 18-24.

All of this actually isn’t shocking contemplating 93% of Gen Z use social media, for a mean of 4 hours and 20 minutes per day.

You might also be questioning which platforms they’re utilizing, so let’s take a look:

YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have reigned as the highest three platforms by utilization previously six months. Over half of Gen Z have used Snapchat and Fb previously three months, and 38% have used X.

On the subject of the social media apps Gen Z makes use of most, TikTok, IG, and YouTube come out on prime once more, however in a distinct order.

TikTok is used most, possible attributable to its concentrate on short-form movies and highly effective algorithms, making it exhausting to place down.

However TikTok and Instagram are solely essentially the most used social media apps amongst Gen Z ladies, whereas males spend far more time on YouTube.

Lastly, we requested Gen Z which social media app is their favourite. TikTok is used most, and it’s additionally a favourite social media app amongst Gen Z.

However there are such a lot of methods to work together with Gen Z on social media that it’s extra vital than ever to make use of a format that captures their consideration and makes your model stand out.

We requested how Gen Z shoppers desire to find new merchandise, and right here’s what we discovered:

Our analysis from earlier this yr exhibits that short-form video and social media marketplaces are the highest advertising traits of 2024, so the truth that Gen Z is absolutely embracing these channels to find merchandise isn’t shocking.

Of Gen Z, 48% say they like to find new merchandise on social media by way of short-form movies, and 1 in 4 desire to seek out out about merchandise from influencers.

On prime of that, 27% of Gen Z have made a purchase order based mostly on an influencer’s suggestion previously three months, the very best of any age group.

The indicators to spend money on these channels couldn’t be clearer. Did I point out that in addition they have the very best ROI of any advertising pattern? One other highly effective pattern we recognized in our Social Media Developments 2024 research is promoting immediately on social media.

Contemplating 43% of Gen Z has purchased a product on social media immediately on the app previously three months, and 29% desire to find new merchandise by way of social media retailers, there’s by no means been a greater time to get began.

Our latest Instagram Advertising Report explains why the app presents such an unbelievable alternative for social promoting, and we even printed a data-backed guide on the highest instruments and methods for promoting on Instagram.

YouTube Advertisements trump social media for reaching Gen Z males.

Of Gen Z, 21% have discovered new merchandise by way of YouTube Advertisements previously three months, and 19% say it’s the place they uncover merchandise most frequently.

General, YouTube Advertisements are a great way to achieve Gen Z, however they nonetheless cannot dethrone social media.

Gen Z ladies desire to find new merchandise on social media, whereas discovering merchandise by way of YouTube Advertisements is strongly most popular by younger males.

web optimization nonetheless issues for Gen Z.

Of Gen Z, 28% have discovered new merchandise by looking the online previously few months.

Sixteen p.c of Gen Z say looking the web is their most popular approach of discovering new merchandise, however how precisely is Gen Z looking on-line? A whopping 74% of Gen Z use their cell phones most frequently when buying on-line, whereas simply 16% use a pc.

Moreover, 67% of Gen Z use their telephones most frequently when wanting up a query on a search engine.

This implies you need to be optimizing your web site to be mobile-first to supply the most effective expertise to your customers. To be taught extra concerning the prime web optimization methods, try our Web Traffic & Analytics Report.

Retail discovery is much less frequent, however nonetheless related for Gen Z.

Whereas 21% of Gen Z has found new merchandise in retail shops previously three months, once we requested the place they uncover new merchandise most frequently, it got here in at #4.

So Gen Z continues to be visiting retail shops, however they’re discovering merchandise by way of on-line sources far more typically.

Does that imply hope is misplaced for retail? Not fairly. Of Gen Z, 14% nonetheless say it’s their most popular option to uncover new merchandise, behind social media, YouTube advertisements, and looking the online.

Advertisements on streaming providers beat cable TV for Gen Z.

Of Gen Z, 36% have found new merchandise on movie/TV present streaming providers previously three months. Past that, 22% of Gen Z have additionally found new merchandise on music streaming providers like Spotify, with 12% of them saying that music streaming is the place they like to find new merchandise most frequently.

Does that imply cable TV advertisements are misplaced on Gen Z? Contemplating lower than one in 5 have found a brand new product by way of their tv previously three months, it isn’t the most effective channel to achieve these ages 18-24 (although nonetheless very related for older age teams).

Half of Gen Zers say corporations ought to take a stance on social points.

Gen Z is understood to be vocal concerning the causes they consider in, however does that tenacity for the surroundings and social justice translate to their buy choices? Let’s have a look.

We requested whether or not corporations ought to take a stance on social points, and 40% of Gen Z say they need to.

We then requested those that need corporations to take a stance on social points which points are most vital to them. Racial justice was by far the highest problem for Gen Z (36%) in addition to local weather change (36%), adopted by gender inequality (33%), and LGBTQ+ rights (17%).

The burning query is whether or not these sentiments translate to buy choices, and we discovered that they’ve a big affect on Gen Z, dwindling slowly with every technology.

• Of Gen Z, 16% have chosen a product based mostly on it being owned by a small enterprise previously three months
• Solely 2% of Gen Z desire to decide on a product based mostly on the model’s dedication to variety/inclusion.
• Of Gen Z, 49% have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by an individual of coloration previously three months.
• We discovered that 43% of Gen Z have chosen a product based mostly on the model being woman-owned previously three months.
• Of Gen Z, 30% have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by a member of the LGBTQ group previously three months.

Not solely that, however manufacturers taking a stance on these points additionally make a good portion of Gen Zs extra prone to buy. Beneath are just some of the components that affect Gen Z buy choices, other than the product itself.

• Company Belief: 84% of Gen Z say they‘re extra possible to purchase from an organization that treats its staff nicely, whereas 83% say they’re extra possible to purchase from an organization that they’ll belief with their knowledge
• Financial and/or Environmental Affect: 60% of Gen Z say they’re extra possible to purchase from a model actively making an attempt to cut back its environmental affect, whereas 46% usually tend to buy merchandise from small companies.
• Excessive DI&B Requirements: 53% of Gen Z say they‘re extra prone to buy based mostly on a model’s dedication to variety/inclusion, whereas 51% say a model advocating for racial justice makes them extra prone to develop into a buyer. Moreover, 39% of Gen Z say they’re extra possible to purchase merchandise from manufacturers owned by an individual of coloration.
• Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 42% of Gen Z say manufacturers that advocate for gender equality usually tend to get their purchases, whereas 37% of Gen Z usually tend to purchase from manufacturers that advocate for LGTBTQ+ rights.

Whereas Gen Z is strongly influenced by Environmental, Social, and Governance (or ESG) initiatives, there are different components of their buy choices which might be much more vital – let’s have a look.

What drives Gen Z’s buy choices?

The highest components in Gen Z’s buy choices are unsurprising, with worth, high quality, and look/really feel taking the lead.

However, once we ask Gen Z to decide on the three most vital components of their buy determination, we discover some attention-grabbing insights. Check out the highest eight most vital components when Gen Z is pressured to decide on simply three of these they think about:

Whereas worth and high quality nonetheless lead, we see that donations to charity, an lively group, suggestions from influencers, and the way manufacturers deal with their staff rise to the highest.

Granted, these are nowhere close to the highest components on this group’s buy choices, however for many who think about them, they’re crucial.

One different factor to notice is that suggestions from influencers drive Gen Z buy choices much more than suggestions from their family and friends (55% vs. 24%, respectively) – yet one more reason to leverage influencer advertising.

How does Gen Z desire to buy merchandise?

On the subject of making purchases, 55% of Gen Zers nonetheless desire to purchase issues in-store (the bottom of any technology), however on-line channels are shut behind.

One in two Gen Zers prefers to make purchases by way of on-line retailers like Amazon, whereas 37% wish to go on to an organization’s web site.

Of Gen Z, 23% desire to purchase by way of social media apps, whereas 22% favor going by way of an organization’s cell app.

How does Gen Z wish to pay?

Of Gen Z, 47% have bought a subscription for a bodily product previously three months, the very best of any technology. However once we requested which fee mannequin they like, Gen Z nonetheless largely favors shopping for a product for full worth as wanted.

And that wraps it up for Gen Z! Now we will speak about their barely older, but noticeably completely different counterparts, Millennials.

Millennial Procuring Habits in 2024 (ages 25-34)

Social media drives Millennial product discovery.

Of Millennials, 43% have found new merchandise on social media previously three months, and 34% of them say it’s the place they uncover new merchandise most frequently. Social media can also be the first approach Millennials desire to find new merchandise, in line with 34% of these 25-34.

Just like Gen Z, 90% of Millennials use social media for a mean of 4 hours per day, barely decrease than that of Gen Z.

So far as the platforms they use, Fb, YouTube, and Instagram are the highest platforms by utilization previously three months. Over half of Millennials have used TikTok previously three months, and 37% have used Snapchat.

On the subject of the social media apps Millennials use most, Fb, YouTube, and Instagram cleared the path.

However similar to with Gen Z, the app used most differs sharply by gender. Millennial ladies use Fb essentially the most, adopted by Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. In the meantime, Millennial males use YouTube essentially the most, adopted by Fb, Instagram, and TikTok fourth.

We additionally requested Millennials which social media platform is their favourite. On the subject of Millennials’ favourite social media app, Fb stays at primary however Instagram pulls forward of YouTube.

Now that you already know which platforms Millennials desire to seek out new merchandise on, listed here are the codecs they wish to see on social media amongst those that use it.

Millennials favor feed posts, advertisements, and social media marketplaces when seeking to uncover new merchandise. In addition they flip to influencers and social media retailers to find and purchase issues.

Since Millennials are likely to favor Fb and Instagram, constructing a presence on these platforms is essential. Organising a web based store on each platforms and leveraging influencer advertising are among the many highest ROI methods you need to use to get your merchandise seen and purchased.

Millennials Uncover Merchandise Via Search Barely Much less Than On Social

Discovering new merchandise by way of looking the web comes fourth on the checklist.

Of Millennials, 32% say they uncover new merchandise most frequently by looking the web, simply 11% behind social media.

Once we requested what Millennials’ most popular channel for locating new merchandise is, 23% mentioned looking the web, lagging behind social media by 11%.

So search is a number one channel for product discovery for Millennials, however how are they looking? Seventy p.c use their cell phones most frequently, in comparison with simply 20% who use a pc, highlighting the significance of optimizing your website to be mobile-first.

On the subject of on-line buying, 73% of Millennials use their telephones most frequently, whereas 16% use a pc.

YouTube Advertisements are the third-best option to attain Millennials, particularly males.

Of Millennials, 41% have discovered new merchandise on YouTube previously three months, and 29% say they uncover new merchandise on YouTube essentially the most.

On prime of that, 29% of Millennials say YouTube is their most popular channel for locating new merchandise.

General, YouTube advertisements are the third greatest option to attain Millennials, however similar to for Gen Z, in terms of focusing on Millennial males, YouTube rises to the highest.

Retail discovery is much less frequent, however nonetheless related for Millennials.

Whereas 43% of Millennials have found new merchandise in retail shops previously three months, once we requested the place they uncover new merchandise most frequently, retail is available in at quantity six.

Like Gen Z, Millennials are nonetheless going to retail shops, however they’re discovering merchandise on-line extra typically. We discovered that 22% of them say they like discovering new merchandise in retail shops, behind social media, looking the web, YouTube Advertisements, and phrase of mouth.

Cable TV is barely higher for reaching millennials than streaming providers.

Of Millennials, 27% have found new merchandise by way of TV/movie streaming providers previously three months, and 17% of them say that’s the place they uncover new merchandise most frequently. Moreover, 9% of Millennials say podcast advertisements are how they like to find new merchandise.

On the subject of cable TV, 29% of millennials have found new merchandise by way of their tv previously three months, and 17% of them say that is the place they uncover new merchandise most frequently, comfortably forward of streaming providers.

Moreover, 18% of Millennials say cable TV is the place they like to find new merchandise, beating video streaming providers.

Promoting on music streaming providers can also be a good way to achieve Millennials — 27% of them have found new merchandise by way of music streaming providers previously three months. Of that group, 8% say that’s the place they uncover new merchandise most frequently.

ESG issues to millennials.

Of Millennials, 47% say corporations ought to take a stance on social points.

We additionally requested Millennials who wish to see corporations participating in advocacy which social points they wish to see corporations have a stance on most.

Amongst Millennials who need corporations to advocate for social points, 44% wish to see manufacturers take a stance on racial justice, adopted by earnings inequality (38%), local weather change (32%), reasonably priced healthcare (39%), and LGBTQ+ rights (24%).

Whereas racial justice is prime of thoughts for each Gen Z and Millennials, Millennials put much less of a precedence on different identity-based points like gender and sexual orientation.

As an alternative, they like to see corporations sort out points like earnings inequality, local weather change, and reasonably priced healthcare.

This is perhaps as a result of Millennials are older and extra prone to be a part of the workforce than Gen Z, making them extra acutely aware of wealth inequality and the price of healthcare.

Whereas a large group of Millennials desires to see corporations taking a stand, do these sentiments truly have an effect on their buy choices? Similar to with Gen Z, the reply is sure.

• Of Millennials, 59% have chosen a product based mostly on it being made by a small enterprise previously three months.
• We discovered that 49% have chosen a product based mostly on the model’s dedication to variety/inclusion previously three months.
• Of Millennial respondents, 47% have chosen a product based mostly on the model being woman-owned previously three months.
• Forty-two p.c of Millennials have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by an individual of coloration previously three months.
• Of Millennials, 27% have chosen a product based mostly on it being owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ group previously three months.

On a 5-point scale from a lot much less prone to more likely, we requested all Millennials in our survey how the next attributes affect their buy choices, if in any respect. Right here’s what we discovered:

• Company Belief: 82% of Millennials usually tend to purchase from an organization that treats its staff nicely, and the identical quantity usually tend to purchase from an organization that they’ll belief with their knowledge.
• Financial and/or Environmental Affect: 51% of Millennials usually tend to purchase a product made by a small enterprise, whereas 48% usually tend to purchase from an organization that actively tries to cut back its environmental affect
• Excessive DI&B Requirements: 47% of Millennials usually tend to buy from a model dedicated to variety/inclusion, whereas 43% say a model advocating for racial justice makes them extra prone to develop into a buyer. Moreover, 42% of Millennials say they’re extra possible to purchase merchandise from manufacturers owned by an individual of coloration.
• Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 46% of Millennials say manufacturers that advocate for gender equality usually tend to get their purchases, whereas 36% of Millennials usually tend to purchase from manufacturers that advocate for LGTBTQ+ rights.

Whereas ESG strongly issues to Millennials, let’s see how these points stack up in opposition to different components of their buy choices.

What drives Millennial buy choices?

Simply as they do for all generations, worth and high quality are the highest components in terms of Millennial buy choices.

Now let’s see which of those are most vital to Millennials by forcing them to decide on simply three of the components they think about.

Unsurprisingly, worth, high quality, critiques, and options stay within the lead. However a model’s social media presence, whether or not a model has an lively group round it, whether or not the model donates to charity, and proposals from influencers rise.

Whereas these aren’t even within the prime eight components in Millennials’ buy choices, amongst those that think about them, they’re extremely vital.

How do Millennials desire to buy merchandise?

Of Millennials, 52% desire to purchase merchandise in-store, whereas 46% favor going by way of on-line retailers like Amazon. About one in three wish to buy immediately from an organization’s web site.

On the subject of cell apps, 39% of Millennials desire buying by way of social media, and one in 5 wish to undergo an organization’s cell app.

How do Millennials wish to pay?

On the subject of the fee mannequin they like, 41% of Millennials say they favor shopping for merchandise at full worth after they want them.

However, Millennials desire buying a product in fee installments (26%) and on a subscription foundation (34%).

Now that we’ve coated Millennial buy habits, let’s check out how Gen X likes to buy, which differs considerably from what we’ve seen so removed from the youthful age teams.

Gen X Procuring Habits in 2024 (ages 35-54)

Gen X prefers to find merchandise by way of social media, with different channels shut behind.

One in three Gen X’s say they like to find new merchandise by way of social media and 28% say that social media is how they uncover new merchandise most frequently — tying with web search because the channel they uncover new merchandise on most incessantly.

Moreover, 35% of Gen X have found new merchandise by way of on-line search previously three months, inserting it among the many prime discovery channels.

So, we all know Gen X is all about looking on-line, however which units are they utilizing most when buying on the internet?

Two-thirds of Gen Xers say they use their cell phones most for on-line buying, whereas 16% are on a pc and 11% use a pill most incessantly. That is just like what we noticed with Gen Z and Millennials.

However in contrast to these youthful age teams, the place social media is the clear favourite channel for product discovery, Gen X likes to seek out gadgets by way of a a lot wider vary of channels, so let’s check out the others which have a significant affect on these ages 35-54.

Tv advertisements are related for Gen X.

Of Gen X, 33% have found new merchandise by way of TV advertisements previously three months, and 55% of them say that TV advertisements are the place they uncover merchandise most frequently, barely behind social media and looking the online.

Moreover, 16% of Gen X say they like to find new merchandise by way of TV advertisements.

Retail has the widest attain for Gen X, however digital channels are seen far more incessantly.

Retail is the highest channel Gen X has found new merchandise previously three months. However whereas 35% of Gen X discovered a brand new product in a brick and mortar retailer in that interval, in terms of the channels Gen X discovers new merchandise on most frequently, retail is behind social media.

Does that imply that retail is being forgotten by Gen X? Not precisely, as a result of 27% of Gen X nonetheless desire to find new merchandise in retail shops, tied in second with social media.

But it surely does sign that Gen X is buying on-line extra typically than they go to retail shops, even when they like the latter. Whereas this may very well be about comfort, a symptom of the pandemic, or a mirrored image of our more and more digital world, you will need to attain Gen X just about whereas preserving in thoughts their affinity for a real-life buying expertise.

Gen X Discovers Merchandise On Social Most Typically & It’s Most Most popular

Social media is the primary channel Gen X discovers new merchandise on, in line with 40% of these 35-54. And, on the similar time, 28% of Gen Xers say they like to find new merchandise on social media, coming in at primary on the checklist of their favored channels.

This may be defined by the truth that 92% of Gen X use social media. Whereas 14% spend underneath an hour on it on daily basis, the remaining common 3 hours and 25 minutes of each day use. So, Gen X is utilizing loads of social media and seeing advertisements on it greater than anyplace else.

Regardless, 40% of Gen X have found a product on social media previously three months. On prime of that, 26% of Gen X have purchased a product immediately in a social media app in that very same interval. So let’s check out which social media apps Gen X is utilizing.

So Gen X is unquestionably on Fb and YouTube, whereas slightly over half are on Instagram, and 45% visited TikTok and Twitter previously three months. Now let’s check out which social media platforms Gen X makes use of most:

Fb and YouTube keep within the lead, a pattern that continues once we take a look at Gen X’s favourite social media apps.

Now that we all know which platforms are hottest amongst Gen X, right here’s a take a look at how the age group prefers to find new merchandise on social media amongst those that use it.

Whereas the present pattern for promoting to Gen Z and Millennials is “make content material, not advertisements,” Gen X isn’t bothered by being marketed to extra immediately, preferring to see advertisements on social media.

However for the reason that pattern is to make advertisements as pleasing and un-intrusive as attainable, it’s best to nonetheless attempt to make your Gen X advert campaigns really feel genuine, enjoyable, and relatable, making for a greater expertise no matter technology.

Coming in second, 32% of Gen X additionally favor discovering new merchandise by way of social media marketplaces the place purchases occur outdoors of the app. This reinforces the earlier perception we uncovered about Gen X preferring real-life buying experiences, even when they’re discovering merchandise on social media.

Nonetheless, 30% of Gen X desire to find new merchandise by way of in-app retailers, however bear in mind that is solely amongst shoppers.

Previously three months, 26% of Gen X shoppers have purchased a product immediately on a social media app, and the identical quantity made a purchase order based mostly on an influencer’s suggestion.

The affect of influencers is shocking right here — 29% of Gen X desire discovering new merchandise by way of influencers, which is a better share in comparison with Gen Z, the place solely 22% desire shopping for based mostly on influencers.

One in three Gen Xers say corporations ought to take a stance on social points.

Of these in Gen X, 40% say corporations ought to take a stance on social points, whereas 40% say they shouldn’t, and 20% aren’t positive.

We additionally requested those that wish to see corporations take a stance which social points are most vital for companies to champion. Right here’s what they mentioned.

Amongst components like local weather change, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender, and earnings inequality, reasonably priced healthcare seems to be crucial social problem for Gen X (51%).

Now, let’s check out whether or not these beliefs truly affect Gen X’s buy choices. Amongst all Gen Xers in our survey:

• Of Gen X, 42% have chosen a product based mostly on it being made by a small enterprise previously three months.
• We discovered 36% of Gen X have chosen a product based mostly on the model’s dedication to variety/inclusion previously three months.
• Past that, 28% of Gen X have chosen a product based mostly on the model being woman-owned previously three months.
• Moreover, 28% of Gen X have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by an individual of coloration previously three months.
• Twenty-one p.c of Gen X have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ group previously three months.

Whereas these numbers are decrease than what we’re seeing with Gen Z and Millennials, social components are current components in Gen X’s buy choices. We additionally requested all Gen Xers in our survey how the next attributes affect their buying choices, if in any respect, utilizing a 5-point scale from a lot much less prone to more likely.

• Company Belief: 70% of Gen X usually tend to purchase from an organization that they’ll belief with their knowledge, whereas 74% usually tend to buy from manufacturers that deal with their staff nicely.
• Financial and/or Environmental Affect: 43% of Gen X usually tend to purchase a product made by a small enterprise, and 60% usually tend to purchase from a enterprise that actively tries to cut back its environmental affect
• Reasonable DI&B Requirements: 36% of Gen X usually tend to buy from a model dedicated to variety/inclusion, and 54% say a model advocating for racial justice makes them extra prone to develop into a buyer. Moreover, 32% of Gen X say they’re extra possible to purchase merchandise from manufacturers owned by an individual of coloration.
• Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 57% of Gen X say manufacturers that advocate for gender equality usually tend to get their purchases, whereas 44% of them usually tend to purchase from manufacturers that advocate for LGTBTQ+ rights.

We all know that social points are a part of Gen X’s buy choices, however which different components do they think about, and that are most vital? Let’s have a look.

What drives Gen X’s buy choices?

Unsurprisingly, worth and high quality are the highest components in terms of Gen X buy choices. However let’s check out which components Gen X finds most vital when pressured to decide on simply three of these they think about of their buy choices.

Whether or not a model has an lively group round it, a model’s dedication to variety and inclusion, and whether or not a model donates a portion of its income to charity all rise to the highest. Whereas these are nowhere close to the highest components in Gen X’s buy choices, for many who think about them, they’re extremely vital.

How does Gen X desire to buy merchandise?

Of Gen Xers, 62% desire to buy merchandise in-store. 47% favor on-line retailers like Amazon, whereas about one in 4 wish to go immediately by way of an organization’s web site, and 26% desire to buy merchandise by way of social media apps.

How does Gen X wish to pay?

Of Gen Xers, 60% desire to buy a product for full worth as wanted, whereas 20% favor fee installments, and in addition 20% like to make use of a subscription plan.

Now that you already know all about Gen X buy habits in 2024, let’s finish with a deep dive into the buying habits of Child Boomers.

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Child Boomer Procuring Habits in 2024 (ages 55+)

Cable TV drives boomer product discovery.

Boomers’ buying habits stand out essentially the most of any technology. Whereas Gen X shares some similarities with Gen Z and Millennials when it comes to incessantly buying on social media, Boomers are discovering merchandise in their very own approach — by way of cable TV advertisements.

Over half of Boomers have found new merchandise by way of tv ads previously three months, and 40% of them say their TV set is the place they uncover merchandise most frequently.

Leveraging on-line search is second-best for reaching boomers.

Boomers are higher than youthful generations in terms of looking the web, with 46% of them having found a brand new product by way of on-line search previously three months.

Of those that uncover new merchandise by way of on-line search, 39% say it is the channel they discover issues on most frequently, coming in second after TV advertisements. Additionally it is the second most most popular channel for product discovery amongst Boomers.

So, which units are Boomers utilizing most frequently when buying on-line? In contrast to all different generations, 41% of Boomers use their computer systems most frequently for on-line buying, whereas 46% use their telephones extra incessantly.

Boomers desire retail buying greater than another technology.

Of Boomers, 50% have found new merchandise in retail shops previously three months, and 39% of them say that’s the place they discover new gadgets most frequently. Moreover, 33% of Boomers desire discovering new merchandise in on-line shops over another channel.

Social media falls flat for Boomer product discovery.

Once we ask Boomers about their most popular option to uncover new merchandise, simply 17% say by way of social media, and it ranks behind all of the channels we simply talked about, in addition to phrase of mouth and unsolicited mail (snail mail).

On prime of that, simply 20% of Boomers have found a product on social media previously three months, and solely 8% have bought a product on a social app.

Regardless, two in three Boomers use social media. Whereas a few third of them spend lower than an hour on social media a day, the opposite 65% are spending over an hour on it each day.

However which apps are they utilizing?

70% of Boomers who use social media are on Fb. Over half use YouTube; about one quarter are on Instagram, Pinterest, and X. 59% of Boomers who use Fb additionally say it’s the app they use essentially the most, with YouTube coming in second at 24%.

So you already know the place to seek out Boomers on social media, however what sort of content material do they wish to see when discovering new merchandise?

Just like Gen X, Boomers are completely content material with being marketed to extra immediately, although the present pattern of “making content material, not advertisements,” in style with Gen Z and Millennials, is bound to enhance their expertise.

Boomers additionally favor shopping for by way of social media marketplaces the place purchases occur outdoors of the app, showcasing their choice for real-life buying experiences.

Unsurprisingly, Boomers are the least of any technology in discovering new merchandise by way of in-app retailers or by way of influencers, with 10% saying they like to seek out merchandise this fashion.

Nearly half of Boomers say corporations should not take a stance on social points.

Boomers are sometimes thought of the polar reverse of Gen Z, and within the case of whether or not corporations ought to take a stance on social points, the 2 teams are fully at odds. Whereas one in two Gen Zers assume corporations ought to interact in advocacy, about half of Boomers say they shouldn’t.

Nonetheless, one in 4 Boomers wish to see corporations taking a stance on social points, so let’s check out which of them they wish to see companies converse on essentially the most.

The social points Boomers wish to see corporations advocating for many are local weather change, reasonably priced healthcare, racial justice, and earnings inequality. That is proper according to the problems we noticed have been vital to Gen X, although local weather change is considerably extra vital to Boomers than another technology.

Remember the above is simply amongst Boomers who wish to see corporations take a stance on social points, which is simply 26% of them. For the remaining, social points are both irrelevant or just aren’t one thing they wish to hear about when interacting with manufacturers.

• Of Boomers, 4% have chosen a product based mostly on it being made by a small enterprise previously three months.
• Additional, 3% of Boomers have chosen a product based mostly on the model’s dedication to variety/inclusion previously three months.
• We discovered that 6% of Boomers have chosen a product based mostly on the model being woman-owned previously three months.
• O f Boomers, 5% have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by an individual of coloration previously three months.
• 5 p.c of Boomers have chosen a product based mostly on the model being owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ group previously three months.

Whereas one in 5 Boomers have chosen a product based mostly on the model being a small enterprise previously three months, identity-based points are clearly not resonating with Boomers.

However is that attributable to Boomers being averse to corporations taking a stance on social points, or is it as a result of they merely don’t think about them of their buy choices?

To search out out, we requested all Boomers in our survey how the next attributes affect their buy choices, if in any respect, utilizing a 5-point scale from a lot much less prone to more likely.

When points associated to id, from the center to the proper aspect of the graph above, Boomers are overwhelmingly prone to say they don’t have any affect on their buy determination. A small share of Boomers say they’re extra prone to buy in terms of identity-related points, whereas a good smaller group says they’re much less possible to purchase.

So it’s a lot much less about whether or not they’re for or in opposition to a sure social trigger — these points are merely simply not a part of their buy choices, with a number of exceptions.

It seems Boomers are overwhelmingly extra possible to purchase from corporations they belief with their knowledge and people who deal with their staff nicely.

Boomers are additionally extra possible to purchase from corporations that donate a portion of their income, attempt to scale back their environmental affect, and are small companies, although many additionally say these actions don’t have any affect on their buy choices.

Since Boomers typically aren’t impacted by ESG initiatives, let’s dive into the components they do think about of their buy choices and discover out that are most vital.

What drives Boomers’ buy choices?

Value and high quality are essentially the most thought of components in Boomers’ buy choices, far above another technology.

However that are crucial? Let’s check out what Boomers prioritize when pressured to decide on simply three of the components they think about when making purchases:

Right here, we see an identical image as earlier than, with the addition of the best way a model treats its staff and whether or not a product is a necessity or a luxurious.

Whereas the latter is a part of 21% of Boomers’ buy choices, simply 3% of them take how a model treats its staff into consideration, although it’s extremely vital for many who do.

How do Boomers desire to buy merchandise?

Of Boomers, 78% desire to buy merchandise in-store. Fifty-six p.c favor on-line retailers like Amazon, and one other 33% like to buy immediately from an organization’s web site.

Boomers additionally desire utilizing an organization’s cell app over ordering by telephone or by way of social media.

How do Boomers wish to pay?

Boomers overwhelmingly desire shopping for merchandise at full worth every time they want them, in line with 78% of these over age 55. Eighteen p.c of Boomers desire paying in installments, and simply 4% favor a subscription mannequin.

Nonetheless, 13% of Boomers have bought a subscription plan for a bodily product previously three months:

Shopper Spending by Era

When the economic system takes a success, everybody adjusts their spending. And this is how completely different age teams are dealing with it, based mostly on our January 2024 analysis with 701 U.S. shoppers:

Gen Z balances saving, spending, and having fun with.

Gen Z strikes an excellent stability between saving and spending. Nearly half (43%) are saving extra fastidiously, possibly due to pupil loans or desirous to be financially safe.

On the flip aspect, 17% are spending extra freely. This flexibility is perhaps as a result of they really feel in a position to alter the whole lot simply or as a result of they’re getting extra impartial.

They’re all about discovering offers (43%) and reducing again on non-essential stuff (34%), which is, frankly, shocking for this technology (in a constructive approach). I’d say that Gen Z is spending on what they want for all times however nonetheless leaving some room for enjoyable and pleasure.

Millennials handle cash, love offers, and savor life.

Millennials are mirroring Gen Z’s cautious optimism. They’re exercising monetary duty, with 43% of them tightening budgets but additionally permitting some flexibility — 14% loosening budgets.

This may very well be attributable to components like beginning households or managing mortgages whereas nonetheless desirous to get pleasure from life’s experiences.

Similar to Gen Z, they‘re adept at discovering offers (41%) and being aware of their spending (37%). As a Millennial, I’d say we’re all about balancing our monetary aspirations with residing our greatest lives within the second.

We‘re conscious of our duties however nonetheless wish to spend money on nice experiences as a result of life isn’t nearly surviving; it is about residing.

Gen X prioritizes stability by way of sensible spending.

Gen X appears to be the very conservative technology in terms of spending, which isn’t essentially unhealthy. Really, if all of us performed protected with the cash like Gen X does, we might keep away from overspending.

With a good portion (51%) tightening their budgets, it is attainable that Gen X witnessed financial downturns. That’s why they need monetary stability greater than something.

Their concentrate on looking for offers (45%) and reducing again on non-essentials (47%) exhibits a powerful dedication to sensible monetary practices.

Solely 13% are keen to loosen their budgets, which can point out potential concern and even trauma from debt compensation. They could additionally fear they‘ve reached their peak incomes potential and received’t obtain additional wage will increase.

Child Boomers are taking part in protected.

Child Boomers undoubtedly have essentially the most cautious spending habits of all of the generations.

With 68% tightening their budgets, it‘s fairly clear they’re taking a conservative strategy, probably attributable to components like retirement planning or going by way of an unsure financial local weather.

Their experience at discovering offers (54%) and intensely cautious spending habits (71%) possible come from years of economic duty. With solely 7% spending extra freely, it exhibits how cautious Boomers are with their cash.

Assembly Your Targets The place They Are

Whereas this information has what you have to know proper now, shopper buying habits change quickly — that’s why we’ll be working this similar survey each few months and reporting again on any traits you want to concentrate on.

And, for much more knowledge on the important thing shopper traits that might affect your advertising technique within the subsequent six months, try our State of Shopper Developments Report.

Editor’s be aware: This put up was initially printed in July 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.