• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 20, 2017

According to an Accenture survey, reported by the Marketing Charts Staff, of almost 10,000 adults aged 18-37 across 13 countries, Gen Z (18-20) consumers are less likely than older Millennials (28-37) to be loyal to a single store across a few retail categories, including health and beauty items, groceries, and clothing/fashion. The results indicate that Gen Z respondents in the US are even less likely to have developed an affinity for clothing stores: just 5% of 18-20-year-olds in the US shop at a single destination for clothing.

However, Gen Z shoppers are open to new shopping methods, says the report. A majority is willing to switch their purchases to a retailer who offered certain services.

• 73% report being interested in curated subscription-type experiences for fashion purchases
• 71% would switch to automatic-replenishment programs
• 25% of Gen Z respondents were open about trying voice-activated ordering, with 10% saying they are already using it 
• A separate report finds similar sentiments among Millennials, who say they are receptive to buying brands via chatbots.

Social media could soon become a major player for Gen Z as well, with 69% of the age group surveyed saying that they would be interested in purchasing directly through social media, says the report. That is in contrast to the prevailing sentiment found in other research, which has suggested that fewer than 1 in 5 adults have made a purchase directly from a social media site, says the report.

44% of Gen Z respondents also said that social media is a source for product inspiration, and more than a third have increasingly turned to social media for purchase decision-making in the last year. Recent research has found that social is a source of product awareness for a large majority of Gen Z respondents.

While they may be more open to new shopping styles and methods, 60% of Gen Z shoppers still prefer to make purchases in store, rising to 77% among respondents in the US. That result adds to a growing body of research suggesting that stores remains the preferred shopping destination for this young group, concludes the report.

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