Selling in America: The Myths About Generation Z

The marketing strategy to connect with American Gen Z

Gen Z consumers are a very important demographic segment for businesses in the United States. Born after 1996, the youngest of them have crossed the threshold of 25 years. The main reasons why it's vital to attract Gen Z consumers are threefold:

• The purchasing power of American Gen Z is currently $143 billion;
• Within ten years, Gen Z will represent 30% of the U.S. workforce, with even higher purchasing power;
• Their online presence exceeds 8 hours per day.

This translates into more digital marketing opportunities for companies in the United States. Yet, American Gen Z has been associated with a series of overly rigid stereotypes that could harm those intending to leverage the purchasing 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 capitalize on market opportunities and build a future in the United States.

What are the strategies for selling to Generation Z in America?

To successfully sell to the new generations of U.S. consumers, it's necessary to debunk the 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 debunk them and help Italian companies grow in the United States.

1. In the United States, Gen Z consumers prefer to shop via e-commerce FAKE!

It's true that American Gen Z is a digital generation. For these consumers, the choice to shop online is driven by the ease of use of e-commerce platforms and the fact that with online shopping, you can quickly get the product you want, comparing it with similar products in no time. However, the physical experience is still indispensable for young consumers in the U.S. Despite their status as digital natives, 81% of American Gen Z states they prefer in-store shopping over online shopping for these reasons:

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

Nevertheless, for many American consumers under twenty-five, the choice to shop in-store will increasingly be influenced by the availability of technologies that simplify the purchasing process in Brick-and-Mortar stores.

This raises a question: how will the relationship between physical stores and e-commerce change in the United States? Surely the accessibility factor will gain more importance. In fact, with the help of digital, consumers will be able to create personalized shopping experiences even offline.

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

Claiming that Gen Z consumers have the shortest attention span ever is simply false. It's enough to say that the preferred platform for young U.S. consumers is YouTube, and YouTube videos last an average of 11.7 minutes (!) The 8-second attention span is thus a myth, and it depends on the character of the individual consumer. Many American Gen Z who use TikTok love watching 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. After all, it's about marketing: brands selling in America must be able to offer consumers content they can consume both while having breakfast and during a short subway ride.

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

Consumers buying clothing in the United States exhibit two converging consumer behaviors.

• On one hand, American consumers buy fast fashion to keep up with micro-trends in the U.S. fashion sector while spending little;
• On the other hand, American Gen Z follows their own personal taste and invests in more expensive but durable pieces.

Environmental awareness has had a strong impact on the purchasing habits of millions of young American consumers who today view trends from a sustainability perspective.

This means that the stereotype of the Gen Z consumer who only buys from Zara and H&M is false. Rather, fashion brands wanting to sell in the United States must understand that micro-trends and slow fashion can coexist: for Generation Z, there's nothing wrong with incorporating fleeting trends into their style if those pieces can be used for a long time. The important thing is to offer fashion collections with sustainable yet trendy pieces, and if the items are pre-loved, the chance to win over this new generation of American consumers will be tangible.

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

To successfully sell in the United States, it's no longer enough to just put some photos of your products on a website. Gen Z consumers reward brands with content, they want to buy from companies with a story and a why, with values aligned with theirs. Moreover, American Gen Z knows how to use many technological tools, which can greatly affect the sales volume of a company lacking an e-commerce site or a social profile.

Finally, before entering the American market, it's necessary to redefine the brand in terms of openness. This means showing Gen Z consumers that they are dealing with a "people first" company, putting the community, its opinions, and its representation first. Considering that 72% of American Gen Z are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social media [Source: National Retail Federation], this is a priority goal on which the success of any new Italian business in the United States will depend.