How to capitalise on Gen Z spending habits this holiday season

If your customer base consists of a lot of Gen Z or students, this post is for you. A lot of brands have a mountain of untapped opportunity within their younger generation of customers. Students are price-conscious, but fashion and trend-focused, and are known to remain loyal to companies who treat them well as a student long after they have graduated.

This article will explore opportunities and buying habits of students, and 6 top tips for how you can capitalise on their spending habits now to win lifelong brand advocates.

DID YOU KNOW:

• 75% of students plan to spend during Black Friday ??
• 97% of students will look for a student discount when Xmas shopping ??
• 90% of students would consider shopping with a new brand IF they are offered a student discount ??
• 77% of students will use student discounts to cut back on their spending ??

So, what can you do about Gen Z’s approach to spending this winter?

1?? Upgrade your student discount CTA

• 89% of student spending is with brands promoting their own student discounts.

Brands who improve their CTA messaging have seen:

• 309% more student sales
• 20% increase in AOV
• 67% of students shopping again in 30 days

2?? Keep your imagery fresh

• Keep in line with seasonality
• Ensure that it’s relevant to what you’re currently offering a discount on

3?? Highlight specific products on offer

• If your offer is available across multiple products, highlight them all in your messaging

4?? Shout about your offer on social media

• Using email marketing, social media, and everywhere possible
• Segment students into their own lists
• 69% of students want to be told about discounts via email
• Students and Gen Z spend their days scrolling, so speak to them in their natural habitat

5?? Include “Student” keywords in your search bar

• 92% of students check for discounts while they shop
• Use keywords like “student” “student discount” “student coupon”

6?? Offer percentage discount rather than monetary

• Students prefer not to be tied into a specific spend
• They are likely to spend more if they know they are getting a percentage off that is proportional to their spend

Still need to add Student Discounts to your Shopify store? Consider our 5-star rated Shopify app, Easy Student Discounts to offer discounts to 10,000+ universities globally with no fees until they actually make a purchase ??

The screenshot below is from one of our merchants after 2.5 months of using Easy Student Discounts ??

Sources:

Student Beans - What Marketers need to know about students and the cost of living crisis