Selling in America: The false myths about Generation Z

The marketing strategy to connect with America's Gen Z

Generation Z consumers are a very important demographic segment for those with businesses in the United States. Born after 1996, the oldest have crossed the 25-year threshold. There are three main reasons why it is vital to attract Gen Z consumers:

• The purchasing power of America's Gen Z is $143 billion today;
• Within ten years, Gen Z will account for 30% of the U.S. workforce, with even more purchasing power;
• Their online presence exceeds 8 hours a day.

This translates into more digital marketing opportunities for companies in the United States. Yet, American Gen Z has been associated with a number of stereotypes that are too rigid and could be detrimental to those who plan to take full advantage of the buying power of young consumers in the U.S. market. For Italian companies, understanding American Gen Z consumers means putting themselves in the best position to take advantage of market opportunities and build a future in the U.S.

What are the strategies to sell to Generation Z in America?

Successfully selling to new generations of consumers in the United States requires dispelling false myths about the lifestyles and buying patterns of Gen Z in America

How true are the stereotypes about American Gen Z consumers? We at ExportUSA wanted to highlight some of the myths associated with this generation to dispel them and to help Italian companies grow in the U.S..

1. Gen Z consumers in the U.S. prefer to shop via e-commerce FAKE!

It is true that America's Generation Z is a digital generation. For these consumers, the choice to buy online is dictated by the ease of use of e-commerce platforms and the fact that e-commerce allows them to get the product they are looking for right away and compare it with similar products in a short time. However, the physical experience is still indispensable for young consumers in the US. Despite their status as digital natives, 81% of U.S. Gen Z say they prefer in-store shopping to online shopping for these reasons:

• Trying out purchases;
• Avoiding poor online shopping experiences;
• Disconnecting from social media;
• Discovering new products.

Nevertheless, for many U.S. consumers under the age of twenty-five, the choice to shop in-store will be increasingly affected by the availability of technologies that simplify the shopping process in Brick-and-Mortar stores.

This begs the question: how will the relationship between physical store and e-commerce in the United States change? Certainly the accessibility factor will assume greater importance. In fact, with the help of technology, consumers will be able to create personalized shopping experiences even offline.

2. Gen Z has an attention span of 8 seconds FAKE!

To claim that Gen Z consumers have the lowest attention span ever is simply false. The platform of choice for young U.S. consumers is YouTube, and videos on YouTube last an average of 11.7 minutes (!). The 8-second attention span is therefore a myth, and depends on the character of the individual consumer. Many U.S. Gen Zs who use TikTok like to watch long videos because they can get more information about the products they intend to buy. At the same time, marketing on TikTok in the United States will remain a great way to introduce Italian companies to Generation Z. At the end of the day, it's all about marketing: brands selling in America need to be able to offer consumers content they can consume either while eating breakfast or during a short subway ride.

3. Gen Z is driven by fast fashion market trends FAKE!

Consumers who purchase clothing in the United States adopt two converging consumption behaviors.

• On the one hand, American consumers buy fast fashion garments to be able to follow the microtrends of the US fashion industry while spending little;
• On the other hand, American Gen Zs listen to their personal taste and invest in more expensive but durable garments.

Environmental awareness has had a major impact on the buying habits of millions of young American consumers who now look at trends from a durability perspective.

This means that the stereotype of the Gen Z consumer who only buys from Zara and H&M is false. Rather, fashion brands that want to sell in the United States need to understand that microtrends and slow fashion can coexist: for Generation Z, there is nothing wrong with incorporating passing trends into their style if those garments can be used for a long time. The important thing is to come up with fashion collections with sustainable but trendy pieces, and if the garments are pre-loved the chance to win over this new generation of American consumers will be substantial.

Developing a marketing strategy in the United States to sell to Gen Z

Putting a few pictures of your products on a website is no longer enough to sell successfully in the United States. Gen Z consumers reward brands with content; they want to buy from companies with a story and a why, that have values aligned with their own. In addition, American Gen Z know how to use many technological tools, a fact that can greatly affect the sales volume of a company without an ecommerce site or social profile.

Finally, before entering the American market, it is necessary to redefine the brand in terms of openness. This means demonstrating to the Generation Z consumer that they are dealing with a "people first" company, that is, one that puts the community, its opinions and representation first. Given that 72% of U.S. Gen Z are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social [Source: National Retail Federation] this is a priority objective on which the success of any new Italian business in the U.S. will depend.