• by Ray Schultz , August 30, 2022

Young shoppers would rather buy directly from ecommerce brands than marketplace platforms, according to “Global Voices: Q2 2022,” a study by ESW.

Of the shoppers polled, 60% of Gen Zers and 63% of millennials prefer to buy from international ecommerce brands. 

In addition, 73% of millennials and 69% of Gen Z shoppers believe that shopping via D2C channels gives them a more personalized experience, versus 63% of Gen X and 50% of Baby Boomers. 

The top three social media platforms for Gen Z consumers. are Instagram (52%), YouTube (51%), and TikTok (43%). Only 34% use Facebook for product discovery. 

Millennials like YouTube (46%), Facebook (45%) and Instagram (44%). A mere 32 use TikTok for discovering products.

“Younger consumers’ shopping preferences indicate that retailers and brands must adopt a robust direct-to-consumer ecommerce and content strategy in order to remain competitive in the future,” states Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, President and Chief Executive Officer, ESW Americas. 

Bousquet-Chavanne adds: “Our data reveals that 78% of Millennials and 74% of Gen Zers enjoy a greater experience when shopping on a brands’ own website, while only 69% of Gen X and 60% of Baby Boomers feel the same.”

ESW surveyed 14,455 consumers in the U.K., France, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South Africa, UAE, India, Italy, China, South Korea, Japan and Australia in July 2022.