There are six generations still alive all over the world. Those born between 1925 and 1945 are called the “Silent Generation”. They are the children of an era that went through wars and crises. Those born between 1946 and 1964 are referred to as “Baby Boomers”. These are the people who were born during the great recovery that started right after World War II.
Millennials shaped the cyberspace
Then, in 1965, the “X Generation” began to come to life. Although some call this generation the lost generation, I prefer to call it the “Special Generation” because they studied and became professionals and at the same time they looked after their parents and raised their children despite all the difficulties. This generation knows how to be self-sufficient. After 1980, the “Y Generation” appeared.
Special Generation is also known as “Millennials”. They are a skeptical and questioning generation. They have more digital abilities than X’s. They witnessed the birth of the Internet. Today if the internet is that popular and evolved, it is because the technology enthusiast known as the Y Generation worked harder and shaped cyberspace.
Those born between 1996 and 2010 are called” Generation Z”. This generation should be the most important issue for companies, politicians, and authorities right now to understand and respond to the demands of this generation, which makes up almost one-third of the population. Because very soon they will form the main decision-making and purchasing power.
Generation Z uses digital channels
Generation Z, on the other hand, is the first generation to meet the internet and mobile technology from the moment they were born and to grow up in cyberspace. The biggest feature of the Z generation is their digital perspective. This generation was born and grew up in digitalization and technology. “Digital” is their mother tongue.
Cell phones are like their hands and feet. They did not have to search for knowledge on library shelves or in thick encyclopedias like previous generations. They can access information in seconds with a single click. They don’t waste time on social media, they live there. They use digital channels extensively when making purchasing decisions.
The peculiarity of Generation Z is that they do not only shop with their wallets but also with their conscience. When they build their purchasing power, they will prefer sustainable brands. They will even be willing to pay more for sustainable products. They are sensitive to the environment. They have values and they want the brands they buy and the companies they work for to have similar values. Brand loyalty is not like apples and pears. They can be united quickly, with the help of technology, to protest a brand or a discriminatory practice.
Respect for cultures and diversity
If there is a connotation they don’t like about a brand they have used for years, they can immediately delete it. They are not only concerned and sensitive about the environment and climate, but also passionate. Z’s are tolerant of differences and inclusive. Racial, religious, and sexually based distinctions are more distant to them than to other generations. They respect everything, everybody.
This generation looks at the values of the company they work for, as well as the salaries and benefits provided. Young people measure brands by the environmental and social value they create. They punish those who do not act responsibly by not purchasing, and they do not want to work in companies that ignore environmental and social risks.
They seek purpose behind companies and brands. They can talk about their problems transparently with their managers and express their demands candidly. If they don’t get it right, they can leave right away and move on to another job. Starting a job in an organization where it was in previous generations, working there for years, and even retiring from there are not written in their book. While pursuing a career, they have no bounds, they can pursue a job opportunity on the other side of the world.
Understanding internet usage habits
In short, it takes special effort to sell goods and services to the Z generation and to offer them career opportunities. Conventional standard approaches do not work. Companies should review their goals and values accordingly; they should be redefined.
They have to be quick because there are “Alphas” born after 2010 that need to be understood. It is such a generation that these Alphas are very, very different from the previous ones. Those who do not understand the Z generation will never understand the Alpha generation. Understanding the internet usage habits of young users is very important.
Today most of them connect to the internet just to log in to their social media accounts. Many of those users don’t surf the internet through a web browser, they just use mobile applications. If they want to do online shopping, a user-friendly mobile application is enough. If they want to reach a piece of information, again, they find it through mobile applications. So, internet usage habits are changing and many companies should create new strategies to attract the new generation.