Read Generation Z on Instagram and unlock the growth password of new consumption forces

At present, more than 500 million people in the Asia Pacific region belong to Generation Z, that is, people born between 1996 and 2012. By 2025, this group will account for one fourth of the population of the Asia Pacific region. They are the new generation with growing consumption power and influence. Brands and businesses are paying more and more attention to the needs and preferences of this group, so as to provide suitable goods and services for these growing mainstream consumers.

As a social media platform favored by the new generation under Meta, Instagram The new annual trend report was released jointly with WGSN. Through the research on more than 5000 Generation Z distributed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India and South Korea, it revealed the common characteristics of this group, helped brands understand the interests and needs of Generation Z, and was closer to this new consumption force.

The outstanding characteristics of Generation Z are individuality, authenticity and self expression

For the youth of Generation Z, the subject consciousness of "I" is crucial. They are eager to show themselves truly and reveal their individuality. When asked what they value most when choosing friends and lovers, the answer with the most votes is "I can tell them anything"/"I can be myself around them" (39%). The latter accounts for 51% and 50% respectively in Brazil and the United States.

This pursuit of authenticity and individuality is also reflected in that they will not blindly pursue the trend, but pay more attention to the comfort of clothing and the expression of personality. Nearly one third of Gen Z said they wanted to be more creative in their clothes, and about one quarter of them wanted to find a scent and "core" aesthetic that matched their unique personality.

Research shows that plain clothes may become popular in 2024, which is more obvious in Brazil, India and South Korea. Generation Z may show its own personality through comfortable and simple clothes, retro clothes or unexpected styles. In addition, many Gen Z advocates sustainable fashion. In order to practice this value, they may reduce the purchase of new clothes, reuse old clothes, choose second-hand or organic clothing, and choose to shop locally.

In order to capture the heart of Generation Z, brands and businesses need to explore the uniqueness of their products carefully, and use tools for personalized push in publicity and marketing, so that users can really receive the information they need. As a popular content form, Meta's Reels is vivid, interesting and "grounded", especially popular with young groups, which can help businesses reach high-quality young audiences and close the distance between brands and audiences. Meta Advantage can also display ads to ideal audiences at the right time through AI technology to personalize advertising, and help save time and money by improving efficiency.

Gen Z pays more attention to meaningful connections brought by social media

Generation Z is a generation growing up in the Internet. It is not only used to obtaining information from the Internet, but also tends to establish contact with others through the Internet. In the survey, 28% of Gen Z respondents said that they would exchange Instagram after meeting new friends, so as to take the first step to establish contact. On this social platform, they like to express their good feelings by likes Story (23.3%), sending private messages to share Reel short videos/facial expression packs (17.5%), likes Instagram photos/posts (17.2%) and other ways.

More importantly, they hope to establish and maintain meaningful contacts through social media. 28% of Gen Z said that keeping in touch with their family and friends will be the main reason for them to use social media in 2024. Other reasons include following the trend (20%) and meeting and understanding new friends (19%). As the most digitized generation, Gen Z also likes to voice through social media, participate in public affairs discussions, and promote social progress.

Based on the high social attribute of Gen Z, brands and businesses can make more use of social media platforms such as Instagram and related marketing tools in marketing, and encourage users to share product experience and feedback on social media platforms.

The role of opinion leaders cannot be ignored due to the prevalence of circle culture

Fans are very common in Generation Z, and nearly three quarters of young people classify themselves as some kind of fans. At the same time, young people who like the same sports activities and celebrities will spontaneously form a small circle and socialize based on their common preferences. In the survey, the top three hottest fan circles in Generation Z are TV series/animation circle (32%), music circle (28%) and game circle (23%). These situations will vary in different regions according to the level of industry development. For example, in South Korea, where Korean Wave is developed, more young people will be interested in the music circle, while in the United States, the most popular is the game circle.

In these ubiquitous circle cultures, celebrities or industry opinion leaders of a certain circle have great influence and appeal to Generation Z. According to the research commissioned by Meta to Bain&Company, compared with other generations, 82% of Generation Z youth will pay attention to online opinion leaders and get inspiration from their creative content. In addition to professional content, they also hope to see their favorite creators release more daily and life oriented content, and get advice on life, career and other fields.  

Businesses can use these circle culture and opinion leaders to reach the audience in the vertical field more effectively and quickly expand brand awareness. Through in-depth interaction with different circles and groups, understanding and meeting their personalized needs can also help the brand to further build its own loyal users and fans, and enhance brand stickiness.

Generation Z youth are becoming the main force of consumption. They pursue individuality and self, become familiar with social media, form a circle based on common preferences, and have spontaneous worship and follow of industry celebrities. These characteristics cannot be ignored by businesses. Understanding the needs of the youth of Generation Z, attracting their attention and meeting their needs in an appropriate way, will certainly help brands and businesses to develop greater growth space in the new year.

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