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?

1️⃣ 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

2️⃣ Keep your imagery fresh

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

3️⃣ Highlight specific products on offer

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

4️⃣ 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

5️⃣ Include “Student” keywords in your search bar

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

6️⃣ 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