Last Updated on April 11, 2025 by admin
Understanding your audience is a hard job, but decoding the Gen Z, Gen X, Boomers, and Millennial shopping habits is where the real challenge lies. All generations shop differently, so you need to do some deep research to find out how things function in their “worlds.”Understanding your audience is a hard job, but decoding the Gen Z, Gen X, Boomers, and Millennial shopping habits is where the real challenge lies. All generations shop differently, so you need to do some deep research to find out how things function in their “worlds.” To help you determine where to meet audiences where they are, we surveyed thousands of U.S. consumers of all generations to learn about their shopping habits, media consumption, and the latest trends they’re following. For those in a rush, we’ve put a quick generation-by-generation overview below with links to the deep dive of each age group. To see a broader side-by-side comparison of how all generations handle each stage of product discovery and purchases differently, jump to our comparison section. Millennial Shopping Habits Gen Z Shopping Habits (ages 18-24) Social media, searching on the internet, and word-of-mouth are the top ways Gen Z discover new products. Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are the top social media apps among Gen Z. Of Gen Z, 37% have bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in the past three months, and 43% have bought through an in-app shop. One in two Gen Zers want companies to take a stance on social issues, specifically racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, and climate change. When companies advocate for these issues, it has a strong impact on Gen Z purchase decisions. Ads on streaming services beat cable TV for reaching Gen Z. Retail discovery is still relevant but less frequent than digital channels. Jump to our Gen Z deep dive >> Millennial Shopping Habits (ages 25-35) Social media, internet search, and YouTube ads are also the top ways Millennials discover new products. Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok are the top social media apps among Millennials. Of Millennials, 43% have bought a product through an in-app shop in the past three months, and 36% have bought based on an influencer’s recommendation. Of Millennials, 47% want companies to take a stance on social issues, specifically racial justice, income inequality, climate change, affordable healthcare, and LGBTQ+ rights. When companies advocate for these issues, it has a strong impact on Millennial purchase decisions. Ads on cable TV beat streaming services for reaching Millennials by a small margin. Retail discovery is still relevant but less frequent than digital channels. Jump to our Millennial deep dive >> Gen X Shopping Habits (ages 35-54) Gen X prefers to discover new products through search, social media, and in retail stores. Gen X discovers new products on social media more frequently than any other channel, even though it isn’t preferred. Of Gen X, 90% use social media — Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are their favorite apps. Of Gen X, 19% have bought a product through an in-app shop in the past three months. The same number bought based on an influencer’s recommendation in that period. Of Gen Xers, 40% say companies should take a stance on social issues, specifically climate change, affordable healthcare, racial justice, and income inequality. Further, 40% say companies shouldn’t engage with social issues, and 20% aren’t sure. Jump to our Gen X deep dive >> Boomer Shopping Habits (ages 55+) TV ads, internet search, and retail stores are the top ways Boomers discover new products. Social media falls flat for boomers — just 20% have discovered a product on it in the past three months, and only 11% have purchased a product on a social app in that time. About half of boomers say companies should not take a stance on social issues. When it comes to influencing their purchase decisions, social issues simply have no impact on a majority of Boomers. Jump to our Baby Boomer deep dive >> A Generational Comparison of Today’s Shopping Trends [Side-by-Side Data] Where do consumers discover products? Social media, internet search, and YouTube ads are key for reaching Gen Z and Millennials, while TV, search, and retail are favored by Gen X and Boomers. As far as social media, Boomers and Gen X use Facebook more than any other app. Meanwhile, Gen Z is all about YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Not only is Gen Z communicating with friends and being entertained, but they’re also discovering (and buying) products on social media more than any other generation. What drives consumers to buy products? When it comes to making purchase decisions, all generations are highly influenced by price, quality, and product reviews. Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X also value brands that have active communities around them and a social media presence. Additionally, whether a percentage of the proceeds from their purchase will be donated to charity is highly important to Gen Z. Where do consumers like to buy products? All generations favor buying products in person at a store over any other channel, but this preference decreases significantly with age. Buying through online retailers like Amazon and directly from a company’s website is also popular. Gen Z and Millennials are most interested in buying through social media and from a company’s mobile app. Ready for more of the insights you need to reach your target audience? Let’s take a deep dive into the shopping habits of today’s consumers, as well as how each generation compares, based on data from our 2024 Consumer Trends Survey of over 700 consumers in the U.S. Shopping Trends by Generation (A Detailed, Data-Driven Breakdown) Gen Z Shopping Habits in 2024 (ages 18-24) So, where is Gen Z discovering new products? Let’s start with the digital elephant in the room: social media. Social media drives Gen Z product discovery. Our most recent survey shows that 40% of Gen Z has discovered new products on social media in the past three months, and 41% of them say it’s where they discover products