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What Does Gen Z Expect From eCommerce? Tips for Merchants

Case Study
Anastasia Bezuglaya
By Stacy
Oct 29 2024
8 min to read
Time to read
For anyone thinking that Gen Z is just a bunch of teens endlessly scrolling through TikTok, it’s time for a serious rethink. This digital-native generation isn’t just along for the ride — they’re driving the eCommerce bus, and they’re not slowing down for anyone. Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z isn’t just tech-savvy; they’ve practically got the internet wired into their DNA. With an estimated $360 billion in disposable income worldwide (Bloomberg), they’ve become a dominant force in the market, influencing trends and making brands sit up and listen.

So, what does this fiercely independent, socially conscious generation expect from online shopping? Let’s break down the Gen Z shopping habits and learn what it takes to win them over.

Gen Z Consumer Behavior

Gen Z is the first generation of true digital natives, raised in a world where the internet and mobile devices are as natural as breathing. They don’t just use the internet, they’ve woven it into their lives in ways that are changing the present of shopping. With their influence growing by the day, it’s time to get inside their heads (and their carts). Here is what you need to know about them:

  • Mobile-First Shoppers: For Gen Z, their phones are literally an extension of their hands.​​ A massive 74% of Gen Z adults prefer mobile shopping, and they expect it to be as smooth and fast as a swipe (Hubspot). And if it is not – they will leave immediately.
  • Social Media Influence: Gen Z relies a lot on social media such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In fact, as much as 97% of Gen Z shoppers get inspiration from social media (The Influencer Marketing Factory). They are likely to buy the shoes from a brand recommended by their colleague on Instagram or get a haircut from the local beauty store mentioned by an influencer on TikTok.
  • Instant Gratification: Let's keep this bullet short, just like Gen Z's attention span, which is around 8 seconds (Time). They don’t like to wait at all: long delivery, confusing checkout, or slow customer service will get them mad quickly.
  • Informed Buyers: This generation is smart and skeptical. They’re not easily swayed by flashy ads; they’re deep-divers. Reviews, product demos, influencer shoutouts — they research it all before making a decision. The figures speak for themselves: around 68% of them read or watch at least three reviews before making a purchase decision (The Influencer Marketing Factory). So, the more info you give them, the more empowered they feel to hit “purchase.”
  • Values-Driven: Gen Z doesn’t just shop for products — they shop for values. They care about sustainability in eCommerce, as well as ethics and transparency. As many as 64% of them state that they would spend more on sustainable products (Deloitte). If your brand walks the talk, they’ll stick around. If not, they’ll find one that does.

What Gen Z Expects From eCommerce Stores. Best Practices and Actionable Tips

You now have the insights — now it’s time to put them into action! Take the best practices we’ve covered and start building an eCommerce experience that resonates with Gen Z. From seamless mobile UX to personalization, every change you make brings you closer to engaging this powerful generation.

Seamless Mobile Experience

To Gen Z, their smartphone isn’t just a device — it’s their gateway to the world. Mobile-first shopping is non-negotiable. The perfect website for them should load at the speed of light, be crystal clear, and work flawlessly on mobile. If your site is slow or clunky, you’ll lose them before they even reach the checkout.
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Mobile shopping is particularly important for Gen Z. Here are examples of good and bad mobile experiences.
Tip: Want to appeal to Gen Z shoppers? Ensure your site boasts lightning-fast page load times, intuitive navigation, and a design that feels like a breeze on a summer day. Keeping lag to a minimum will keep Gen Z engaged and cruising smoothly through your sales funnel.

Want to discover more? Check out 15 Filtering UI/UX Changes That Can Drive Sales

Personalization and Customization

Gen Z values personalized shopping experience. If they feel that the brand treats them like unique people, they are more likely to stick around. Let’s take a look at two examples of personalization; one went wrong, and the other one is right:
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Bad example of personalization: Reddit users complain about creepy targeted ads that make them feel watched
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Good example: a personalized shopping experience on FarFetch helps customers instantly complete their look based on the item they are viewing
Tip: Use data to create tailored experiences that resonate with Gen Z’s preferences. Offer product recommendations based on their browsing history or past purchases. Luckily, there are tools that can help you with that, such as AI-personalization powered by Searchanise, smart search and filter app. Generic doesn’t cut it anymore — Gen Z wants to feel like your store gets them.

Learn more! How to Implement Search Suggestions on Your Website With Zero Coding Skills

Speed and Convenience

Patience? Gen Z has little to spare. From the moment they land on your site to checkout, they expect lightning-fast speed and zero friction. If the shopping process is slow or complicated, they’ll abandon ship without a second thought.

Just compare the cluttered main page of (arguably) the worst website in the world with the minimalistic and clear main page of the Apple website and guess which one they’ll stick around for.
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Good example: a personalized shopping experience on FarFetch helps customers instantly complete their look based on the item they are viewing
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Sleek and stylish website design
Tip: Streamline every aspect of the shopping experience, from fast, relevant search results to a minimal, intuitive checkout. Compare your store's user experience to the minimalistic and clear designs of brands like Apple, which Gen Z tends to favor over cluttered, confusing websites.
Empower your store with fast and efficient search

Social Proof and Authenticity

Gen Z trust their friends, acquaintances, and bloggers they follow far more than any brand message. They look for honest opinions, user-generated content, and real reviews. The worst thing the brand can do is buy fake reviews, which will immediately turn Gen Z buyers away.
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Multiple five-star reviews without any text make the reviews seem fake
Tip: In the world of Gen Z, peer opinions and influencer endorsements hold far more sway than traditional brand messages. Display user-generated content (UGC), product reviews, and ratings front and center, showcasing how real people — just like them — are enjoying your products.

Learn 6 Proven Strategies How to Boost Customer Loyalty and Retain Customers

Ethical and Sustainable Brands

Gen Z won’t buy from a brand that does not share their values, even if they like the product. They care about sustainability, ethics, and transparency. They want to know where their products come from, how they’re made, and whether your company is actually doing what it says it’s doing. If the brand is all talk and no action, they’ll see right through it.

Take Amazon’s so-called “Aware Collection,” for instance. It may look eco-friendly on the surface, but when you dig deeper, it’s wrapped in single-use plastic and shipped halfway across the world. Gen Z is way too savvy for that kind of greenwashing.
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Amazon’s “Aware Collection”
Tip: Gen Z are loyal to brands that stand for something. So if you want to connect with them on a deeper level, try to be upfront about your supply chain, use eco-friendly materials, and showcase your impact on social and environmental issues. In other words, let them know they’re shopping with purpose.

Examples of Brands Successfully Selling to Gen Z

Now let’s look at the strategies of some of the brands popular among Gen Z:

Glossier

Glossier is a beauty brand that relies a lot on feedback from its community and user-generated content. They invite customers to co-create products and share content on social media. Another major draw for Gen Z is transparent ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. Add to it a user-friendly mobile platform and fast checkout, and it’s no wonder Gen Z loves them.
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Glossier mobile platform and user generated content on Instagram

Patagonia

Gen Z loves Patagonia for sustainability: they use eco-friendly materials and launched successful initiatives such as “Worn Wear” (customers were encouraged to buy used or repair their gear). This resonates deeply with Gen Z, who are willing to pay for quality with a conscience.
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Sustainability initiatives launched by Patagonia

Zara

Zara has managed to capture Gen Z’s love for speed and convenience by perfecting the art of instant gratification. They have invested in mobile optimization and personalization to win Gen Z. Zara mobile app offers recommendations based on user preferences and browsing history. So, if you want to learn how to use personalization to target Gen Z in eCommerce, just take a look at how Zara does it.
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Mobile-friendly website and sustainability campaign launched by Zara

Checklist: How to Appeal to Gen Z in eCommerce

Bearing in mind our insights, we’ve put together a practical checklist to help online merchants assess their store’s readiness for Gen Z shoppers and pinpoint areas for improvement. Along with actionable items, we’ll show you how to easily implement these strategies in your Shopify or Shopify Plus store using the Searchanise Search & Filter app. So why not get started today to make sure your store meets Gen Z’s expectations?

✔ Optimize Mobile Experience for Instant Search Results
Pro Tip: Harness the power of tools like Searchanise’s lightning-fast search to autocomplete and autocorrect search results. Let your buyers get instant relevant results from the first letters they type.

✔ Personalize the Shopping Experience
Pro Tip: Implement AI-powered personalization tools in site search. They’ll help you deliver highly relevant product suggestions that make every interaction feel like a personalized conversation.

✔ Leverage Social Proof with Reviews and UGC
Pro Tip: Use Searchanise’s integration with review apps to highlight reviews and product ratings directly in your search results. Honest feedback at a glance? Yes, please!

✔ Highlight Ethical Values
Pro Tip: Utilize Searchanise’s banners and product labels to spotlight your sustainable products or ethical practices. Make it easy for Gen Z to find — and feel good about — supporting brands that align with their values.

✔ Enhance Speed and Convenience
Pro Tip: Speed up the shopping journey with Searchanise’s rapid search results, voice search and add-to-cart buttons. Make the experience smooth, intuitive, and as fast as their expectations.

Conclusion

The purchasing power of Gen Z keeps growing, and as a result, they are slowly becoming the most powerful force in eCommerce. That’s why it is essential to understand consumer expectations of Gen Z to win them over.

Best eCommerce strategies to sell to Gen Z include keeping up with their fast pace, embracing their values such as sustainability and ethical shopping, and meeting them where they live — online. If you can deliver what they expect, you’ll win over this influential generation.

Make your life easier by leveraging tools like Searchanise, designed to meet Gen Z’s needs with AI-personalization, instant search results, and a seamless shopping experience. Try it free for 14 days and start winning over Gen Z!
Stacy
Stacy is a content creator at Searchanise. Her professional areas of interest are SaaS solutions and ecommerce. Stacy believes that quality content must be valuable for readers and achieve business goals. When she is not busy writing, which does not happen often, she reads passionately, both fiction and non-fiction literature.

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