Growing Mobile Mindset of Generation "Z"

Google, in partnership with Ipsos, recently conducted research geared towards discovering the tastes, behaviors and wants, as well as the future trends, of the up-and-coming “Generation Z” consumer group (those born after 1995).

Screens Most Used

Of those Gen Z teenagers polled, 78% use smartphones, 69% use laptops, 68% spend time watching TV, 62% use gaming consoles and 52% utilize tablets.

Of those between the ages of 18-24 that responded to the same questions, 87% use smartphones, 80% use laptops, 72% spend time watching TV, 56% use gaming consoles and 56% utilize tablets.

Evidently the older group is utilizing most screens more than the teens; gaming consoles being the only exception. There is one thing that adults and teens alike have in common; that’s the fact that they both use their mobile phones more than any other device.

Starting Early in Life

Teens in the 13-17 age group reported getting their first mobile phone at age 12, while the 18-24 crowd reported getting theirs at age 16. The 25-34 group didn’t get their first phones until an average age of 20.

Time Usage

When the teen group was asked which activity they would spend at least three hours per day engaged in, the results were as such:

71% would watch videos online, 52% would use messaging applications, and 51% would engage in social networking.

In the 18-24 age group, 65% would watch online videos, 40% would spend time on social media and 38% said they’d spend the time texting.

As far as the 25-34 age group goes, 69% would watch online videos, 43% would spend time on messaging apps and 43% would engage in social networking.

Interestingly enough, only the middle group indicated that they’d spend three hours per day (or more) texting.

What’s Makes Something “Cool?”

There are four factors that seem to indicate that an item is particularly desirous. These “cool factors” are listed in the order of importance to their respective age groups.

For teens:

• Friends are talking about it
• I see an ad about it
• It’s something personalized to me

For 18-24 group:

• It’s something personalized to me
• Friends are talking about it
• I see or hear something on social media

For the 25-34 group:

• Friends are talking about it
• It’s something personalized to me
• I see or hear something on social media

Interestingly, only the Gen Z group indicated that seeing an ad about a product would influence their idea of “cool.”

For years, marketers’ attention has been directed towards people born between the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, otherwise dubbed as the “Millennials,” but the spotlight is shifting to the 13 to 17-year-old members of another up-and-coming group-Gen Z.

Obviously, the reason for the Google/Ipsos study is because these statistics act as bellwethers of future trends for the youngsters. Interestingly, the results showed that not only were there notable differences in the digital behaviors amongst certain age groups, but amongst different ethnicity groups within the age groups, as well. This is yet another factor that Genius Monkey considers when determining the right audience to target as they build programmatic ad platforms for their clients.

Those that are in their teens now, had mobile phones when they were in grade school or junior high, whereas their older counterparts didn’t have them until high school or college, which seems to already be shaping certain behaviors. The teens are starting to move away from texting and more towards utilizing messenger applications. They are also departing from online shopping so much on their computers, and shopping more on their mobile devices. They are definitely a crowd to be considered when designing marketing strategies.

The members of the millennial generation are considered to be the pioneers of mobile, while the Gen Z teenagers are natives of this ever-growing movement. These teens, however, understand that they must be wary of their dependence on technology. This means that they can be very spontaneous, yet cautious of the dependency on modern advancements that can develop. It’s this kind of information that becomes very helpful to marketers who are striving to gain a better understanding of Gen Z’s online behavior.

Genius Monkey continues to move forward in our research and development, continually updating and progressing - seeking out new factors to plug into our ever-changing programmatic machine. We keep abreast of technological advancements, and advance along with them … that’s why we are the leader in the industry of digital programmatic marketing.