Brands, take heed: a rising generation of digital native consumers, born between 2010 and 2025, are primed to overhaul the consumer landscape. Raised on technology, eagerly principled and the apples of their parents’ eyes, this generation’s expectations already present a powerful force for brands.
Influenced by their millennial parents and gen Z role models, this rising cohort is characterized by their strong ethics and values. According to a 2019 report from VML (fka Wunderman Thompson Commerce), 59% would like to work somewhere saving lives, while 51% want a job where they can use technology to make a difference. Echoing the rallying cry of gen Z climate activists, 67% of 6-9-year-olds say that saving the planet will be the focus of their career.
These values will steer their purchasing habits and determine brand loyalty, with 66% of all gen Alphas saying they want to buy from companies that are trying to do good in the world. “They have definite views on how things should work,” Hugh Fletcher, Head of Thought Leadership (EMEA) and UK Marketing at VML, tells VML Intelligence. “They are very big into ethics, so the story of the brand is important.”
