By Katherine Williams
Growing up with constant access to the internet, Gen Z tends to love online shopping more than anything. Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, over half of Gen Z and Millennials say they plan to shop in-store less often once businesses begin to reopen. This makes e-commerce and digital marketing crucial for attracting new customers and appealing to Gen Z. Young shoppers also love to get product recommendations and discover new trends from their favorite social media influencers, who have huge power in Gen-Z consumer trends. From brand ambassador positions to sponsored posts, Gen-Z e-commerce influencers are changing the game when it comes to online shopping for a new generation.
Brands will often partner with Gen-Z influencers to make their products more appealing to the influencer’s Gen-Z followers. Collaborations between, for example, Emma Chamberlain and Louis Vuitton as well as Charli D’Amelio and Hollister helped to bring Gen-Z business to brands that might not have been as popular with Gen Z beforehand. Gen-Z e-commerce influencers help rejuvenate brands and make them more trendy in the social media age.
Influencer marketing also plays a big role in the e-commerce influencing world. Because Gen Z prefers to get product recommendations from peers, many companies look to micro-influencers for e-commerce sponsorship opportunities. Discount codes you can share with friends, utilized by popular digital-first companies like Glossier and Parade, are a smart strategy for making your brand popular. These kinds of social-branding strategies play into Gen Z’s interest in seeing what their peers are wearing and using in order to discover new products.
While brand partnerships have always been a form of marketing in the fashion world, combining e-commerce advertising with influencer culture and the specific market of Gen Z requires thoughtfully crafted marketing. Gen Z likes e-commerce influencers that seem more authentic, as if they are truly recommending the product just to share an item they enjoy, and Gen Z hates when e-commerce influencers include corporatized captions that clearly indicate an advertisement. E-commerce influencing aimed at Gen Z should incorporate authenticity in order to make sure that Gen-Z shoppers will be interested in your brand. E-commerce influencers, from TikTok dance stars to Instagram fashion bloggers, are leading the digital commerce market for Gen Z. Incorporating these young public figures into your marketing strategy will ensure that your brand truly connects with Gen Z.
Adolescent Content, a global marketing agency run by Gen Z for Gen Z, can help tailor your marketing strategies to attract your target consumers.
© 2023 Adolescent Content, a Certified Women-Owned Business