We may receive commissions for affiliate links included in this article. This is a sponsored post. Future Sharks makes no warranties about the statements, facts and/or claims made on this article. These are the opinions of the author. Read our advertising and contributor disclosure here.
“All these Millennial teens are the worst”- Everyone over the age of 50
There is one problem with that statement- and its that very statement. See teenagers these days are not Millennial’s – they are part of Gen. Z. What is Gen Z you ask? I’m really glad you asked, because if you did not, I wouldn’t have a story to write in my bedroom in a small town in PA at 12 AM. Anyway, Gen Z is the generation after Millennial’s. This includes anyone born from 1997 to 2015. And who am I? I am Charles Hughes (@charlespeterhughes), an author and entrepreneur born in ‘05, making me part of Gen Z. Yes i’m young, but isn’t that the whole point of this article? Glad we are on the same page. (no pun intended)
Anyhow, here are the 4 differences between Gen Z and Millennial’s
Attention Span
Have you ever said to a kid they have the attention span of a fly? Well stop saying that. It’s quite an insult, to the fly. Millennial’s have a 12 second attention span. Super low, but Gen Zers have a 6 second attention span. That’s 50% lower. Yikes! Marketers – take note of this one. DO NOT make even a 30 second ad on youtube or instagram. Make it 6 seconds or less, and make sure the first 0.6 seconds really pops out. Or else my friend, you are doomed.
They expect high quality service. SUPER high quality service.
Now , we look at the sneaker community. The kids that will wait for hours just to get 1 pair of shoes. Only to flip it an hour later for $500 to the kid who missed out. I understand this community pretty well since I was the kid paying the 500 dollars. Also because ⅓ of my 14,000 instagram followers are members of this this community. A majority of this community are 12-14 year old kids, and it gives us a real look as to what it will be like to do business with Gen Z in the future. First of all, they do no do business as usual. They talk to each other more like they are at a party than in a business setting. Second of all, if you inquire about a deal but do not buy from them, they will call you out. Again, not business as usual. However, one positive is they understand that attention is currency. The backbone of their “business” is shoutouts and follow backs. Without people, Without Profit.
A new way of validation
It used to be you were “cool” if you played on the football team. Times have changed. Teens have always looked for attention and acceptance from their peers. It’s a fact. However HOW they seek validation and acceptance has changed completely. Its how many followers you have, not how many points or touchdowns you had last week. It’s what you are wearing, are your shoes 500 dollars or 50?
Let’s remember who you actually have to sell too
Yes, you have to sell to Gen Z first. Think of them as the first barrier. They are the first obstacle to get over. But it’s an obstacle COURSE. You really have to sell to the parent. Think about who has the money. BUT remember, you can not get to the second obstacle without beating the first.
For more business content, visit me on instagram @charlespeterhughes
➡ Looking to get featured on Future Sharks?
