Gen Z’s interest in influencers decreased by 11% in the period between 2020 and 2022, with Celebs being the target of this number at 22% (according to a report from the market research organization GWI). Is this a sign that investing advertising budgets in booking KOLs (key opinion leaders) is becoming less effective as Gen Z seems unlikely to quickly buy a product just because it is being shared by a certain influencer?
- More conscious of the content shared by influencers
- Smart shopping instead of buying from influencers
- Prioritizing quality over quantity
- Conclusion
More conscious of the content shared by influencers
While the majority of Millennials tend to equate a product being praised by multiple influencers as a good product, Gen Z is more conscious of the information shared by influencers.
Growing up in an era of diverse online content waves and the boom of influencer marketing, Gen Z is no longer unfamiliar with the concept of a brand teaming up with a famous face to increase its influence. They are also more sensitive to whether a post on a celebrity’s personal page is sponsored content or just a regular share.
It can be said that Gen Z tends to choose to watch ads consciously and with more awareness. Therefore, while 84% of Millennials say that KOL content influences their spending behavior, for Gen Z, buying a product will depend on many other factors.
Smart shopping instead of buying from influencers
Contrary to the notion that Gen Z loves extravagance or brand chasing, recent studies show that a large number of Gen Zs are clearly aware of the need to limit purchases to their personal needs. Therefore, influencers who only focus on stimulating consumer behavior or convincing people that they need what they advertise will quickly have negative effects if their target audience is Gen Z.
Gen Z is more likely to spend more on a product if it highlights their individuality and style, rather than buying it just because it’s endorsed by an influencer. Specifically, compared to the mentality of Millennials who are willing to purchase any product from a large brand, Gen Z prioritizes a good and suitable product even if it belongs to the mid-range segment. This will be a challenge for brands as they not only have to choose the right face but also need to have optimal promotion strategies to win over this potential customer group.
Prioritizing quality over quantity
While Millennials prefer celebrities with a wide influence, Gen Z tends to follow small and niche influencers based on their specialty. This group makes Gen Z feel closer and more trustworthy, which can influence their buying behavior. However, Gen Z also tends to compare and receive information more intelligently. They know how to contrast the information that influencers share instead of blindly trusting it. They also have a better impression of advertising content from influencers who invest in insights or have an impressive approach instead of just posting generic ads. Influencers who continuously post overwhelming sponsored content, not investing in content, or mixing up sponsored and non-sponsored content will quickly be put on the “blacklist”. Gen Z may not only buy what they need but what they buy must be worth their trust and value.
In particular, Gen Z with its sustainable consumption trend also pays more attention to social and environmental issues. Therefore, Influencers tend to choose brands or spread messages related to sustainable development or social responsibility, which will easily gain their favor. In summary, for Gen Z, the credibility and uniqueness of a new Influencer are prerequisites for them to decide whether or not to support shared content, rather than the number of followers or the title of the Influencer.
Conclusion
It can be said that Influencers still have a strong impact on the trends and shopping behavior of the Gen Z customer group. However, Gen Z, with all the characteristics of a generation, seems to be shaping a new consumption trend and changing the entire process of investing in content for both Influencers and Influencer Marketing activities. Nowadays, when Gen Z will not click the buy-now button for a collection of 10 lipsticks in all colors just because it was shared by a famous KOL, brands also need to know what they should change in their next Influencer Marketing strategy.
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