Social media's influence on Gen Z shopping habits has surged dramatically in recent years. A 2024 survey reveals that ** percent of Gen Z consumers discovered new products or brands through social media influencers, up from ** percent in 2023. This shift underscores the growing importance of digital platforms in shaping consumer behavior, particularly among younger demographics. Beauty and personal care e-commerce growth The rising impact of social media on Gen Z purchasing decisions aligns with broader trends in e-commerce, particularly in the beauty and personal care sector. Global revenue in this market is forecast to increase by ***** percent between 2024 and 2029, reaching a new peak of ****** billion U.S. dollars. This growth trajectory suggests that the digital landscape will continue to play a crucial role in consumer discovery and purchasing habits. Payment preferences among young consumers Traditional payment methods remain popular among Zoomers. A survey across North America, Europe, and Latin America found that debit and credit cards are still preferred by Gen Z for online shopping and travel bookings. However, younger consumers are showing a growing demand for diverse payment options, indicating potential shifts in the e-commerce landscape as digital wallets gain prominence, particularly in Asia-Pacific markets.

While computer and mobile shopping were behaviors already adopted by at least ********* of global consumers before COVID-19, the pandemic gave a boost to a variety of e-commerce technologies and services. Among Gen Z and millennials surveyed in 2022, ** percent said they had adopted contactless payment methods during the coronavirus and continued to use them after the crisis. In contrast, ** percent said they did so during the health emergency but no longer use them. Moreover, the COVID pandemic also drove the uptake of delivery alternatives such as Buy Online, Pick-up in Store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup.

As of the first quarter of 2023, the main categories that Gen Z shoppers would mostly shop for online if they could choose freely were entertainment and fashion. On the other hand, Gen Z consumers would mostly shop for in-person groceries, pharmaceuticals, and home and garden.

Among the categories listed, clothing and shoes stood out as the most frequently purchased by Gen Z consumers as of the second quarter of 2023, with ** percent shopping for them monthly. Entertainment and electronics followed closely, with ** and ** percent of respondents. Conversely, the category with the lowest frequency of purchases by Gen Z consumers during the same period was home and garden, with only ** percent of respondents buying products within that category every month.

In the United States, ** percent of millennials bought clothing online. This was the most popular product category among millennials in all of the countries analyzed.

In the first quarter of 2023, the shopping journey of Gen Z consumers began predominantly in online stores, as reported by ** percent of respondents. Following closely behind were search engines, mentioned by ** percent of respondents, and physical stores, cited by ** percent. It is worth noting that digital channels accounted for **** out of the top five most popular choices among consumers.

In 2021, ** percent of baby boomers preferred in-store shopping, while only ** percent chose online shopping as their primary method of buying. Many millennials and Generation Z shoppers also opted for in-store shopping but showed a way greater interest in hybrid buying methods, at a rate of ** and ** percent, respectively. Favorite brands among young shoppers When comparing male and female Generation Z shoppers in terms of brand preferences in the United States, it was apparent that both groups enjoyed many of the same household names. For instance, brands such as Amazon, Walmart, YouTube, and Netflix appeared on both lists, making them some of the generation’s most popular brands. That said, preferences were far from identical: more Gen Z women liked Doritos, Oreo, and KitKat, while a higher number of Gen Z men had a favorable opinion of Gatorade, PlayStation, and Nike. Sustainable considerations Climate change is a hot topic and is on many consumers’ minds in recent years. As such, a considerable share of people in the United States, and around the world, have started taking up more sustainable habits. For example, many have adapted their shopping and consumption behavior: according to a survey conducted in early 2022, more than half of consumers worldwide planned to avoid buying new goods for sustainability reasons, perhaps intending to buy secondhand or repair the goods they already owned instead.

In 2023, younger consumers were the most likely to buy a product they had seen on a social media platform. According to the survey, almost ** percent of Gen Z and over **** out of ten millennial shoppers in the United States purchased an item they had previously seen on their social media feed.

A 2021 survey found that a ***** of the global social media shopping spend in 2025 would be attributed to millennial consumers. Next in line are Gen Z shoppers, accounting for ** percent of social commerce spending.

As of 2024, millennials were more focused on e-commerce purchasing factors when buying clothes and shoes than Gen Z. More millennials (** percent) considered the ability to buy fashion online as an important factor for purchasing than en Z (**** percent).

According to a survey conducted among consumers in the United States, ** percent of Millennial respondents said sustainability was a driving factor behind their purchasing decisions. Gen Z respondents driven by sustainability amounted to ** percent.

A survey conducted in August 2023 revealed that ** perrcent of Millennial online shoppers in the United States intend to shop on amazon.com for the holiday season in 2023. The second most-preferred channel was specific brand websites, with ** percent of Millennials planning to shop there for the holidays.

In 2023, about two-thirds of millennials in the United States said they would prefer to shop mostly online for leisure, sports, and hobby products. Only about 14 percent of millennial consumers said they would prefer to shop predominantly in-store for such goods.

According to a study of iOS users in the United States, ** percent of millennials used the Apple App Store. Amazon followed as the second-most used shopping app, with a usage rate of ** percent among mobile commerce shoppers of the millennial generation.

In 2023, more than **** of millennials worldwide said they use search engines, such as Google, when doing research on products they intend to buy. This makes the search engine by far the most commonly used source of information for product research among this generation. Gen Z also frequently used search engines, but noticeably utilized social media platforms more than older generations.

In the United Kingdom (UK), millennial shoppers were the group purchasing clothing and shoes the most online. A total ** percent of millennials, aged 27 to 42, reported shopping mostly online for clothes and shoes in the 2nd quarter of 2023. Gen Z shoppers followed, with ** percent mostly shopping online for their apparel.

Not having to wait for products to be delivered, as with online shopping, was the leading reason for American Millennials to shop in physical retail stores in 2018. According to the survey, being able to see, hold and try on products before purchasing was the second most cited motive to visit brick-and-mortar stores over online stores.

Millennial population in the United States

Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 is considered a Millennial. In the United States there were approximately ***** Millennials in 2017, making it the third largest generational cohort at that time. It is, therefore, important for retailers and brands to pay attention to their shopping behavior and preferences.

Millennial shopping behavior

According to a recent survey, some ** percent of Millennial respondents stated that they shop at least once a week in brick-and-mortar stores, more than both Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. Millennials were also the most likely generation to shop in order to improve their mood in the United States.

According to the results of a recent survey conducted in the United States, most respondents across all age groups preferred to buy products directly in stores. The highest share of in-store buyers was among baby boomers, with 83 percent. On the other hand, the same generation did not seem as interested as others in buying products through companies' apps or social media.

In the first quarter of 2023, the United States had the highest share of Gen Z consumers who had participated in a live-streaming shopping event by a large margin, with ** percent. For comparison, Australia was next in line with ** percent. On the other hand, Poland and Portugal had the lowest share of Gen Z consumers who had participated in live commerce over the same period, with ** and * percent of respondents, respectively.

More than **** of consumers belonging to Generation Z bought something on social media platforms, according to a survey in 2024. Almost a ***** of overall consumers bought on social media platforms. The consumer experience In a 2023 survey, Facebook and Instagram were the social media platforms offering the best shopping experience. To gain deeper insights into the elements constituting a satisfactory social commerce shopping journey from the user's viewpoint, key factors shaping consumers' heightened engagement with social commerce included, but were not limited to, deals and discounts, seamless purchasing processes, exclusive offers, and increased availability of customer reviews. Social shopping destinations Facebook is the leading social commerce platform globally, except among Gen Z, who favor Instagram and TikTok. However, the types of social media accounts that shoppers followed and purchased from varied by age group. Gen Z and Millennials predominantly bought from brand accounts, with Gen Z also showing a preference for social media influencers. Conversely, Gen X and Boomers preferred purchasing from trusted retailer accounts.