Picture this: The two of us plus twelve kids. In a line, doing the Soulja Boy: “You gotta punch, then crank back three times, from left to right.”
Um, what?
Um, what? is right! During “Live from CHA Summer: Meet Generation Z!”, our panel of twelve kids, ages 7 to 14, taught us a whole lot about what’s hot, happening, in, out and important in the kid-o-sphere. They also taught us the Soulja Boy dance.
It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was fun! If you’re not hip to Soulja Boy, and you don’t have twelve kids eager to teach you, then you’re just gonna have to visit You Tube and learn it on your own. We can’t do everything. But we can share the things those twelve sharp little minds told a room full of retailers that afternoon at CHA.
Kids. Call them what you want: Generation Z, dot.com kids, or Generation Media. Whatever, dude. Just don’t call them late to the party. The kids of Generation Z – “Zeds” for short – are history's first 21st Century generation, and although they may resemble the kids of our past, they are very different. They are also the next huge wave of shoppers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 40% of U.S. households will have at least one child under the age of 18 within two years. But just who are these kids and why are they so different from previous generations?
The oldest “Zeds” are 14; the youngest are yet to be born. They come from families with younger parents who want their kids to experience it all – according to all reports, the Zeds will be the most empowered generation ever.
We're seeing an erosion of childhood – this is a generation of little adults. Marketers call it KYOG: Kids Getting Older Younger: Six is the new sixteen. Zeds left the womb knowing how to work a computer and never looked back – they have no past memory of life without technology.
Zeds live on the Internet – they’re highly connected little guys. Kids in grade school create avatars and play on Whyville.com; their older siblings hang out on MySpace and Facebook. And they all love YouTube: Research shows this generation spends more time on the Internet then the do watching television (“TV is like, soooooo boring.” Lindsay, age 9). As they grow, expect technology to be important in every area of their lives.
They did mention a few commercials. They all thought Domino's Pizza Tracker, an online system that went live in all Domino’s stores on June 30th, was way cool. You can track your pizza online from the time you place your order, until it leaves the store on its way to your home. Sounds like fun. Not. Check it out:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080130/pizza_tracking.art.htm
Judging from what the kids shared that day, the rest of us have a lot of catching up to do! Our CHA panel discussion taught us many things:
* E -mail is not used to communicate with each other; parents and teachers use it, but kids, not so much. They prefer to spend their time Im-ing (instant messaging) one another on their computers, or sending text messages from their cell phones.
If you haven’t been already, you will be approached by someone trying to sell you a text-messaging advertising program. Although this sounds like a good idea, trust us, it’s not. At least not yet.
“Texting is for my friends and my family only. Any other people texting me would be weird.” Tulsa, Age 14
Zeds will sign-up for your e-mail blasts (with mom’s permission) if they like your store or your product, but your blasts must have lots of photos and little copy. And your e-mail blasts need to be sprinkled with clickable links that take them to your website or other cool places.
You should already be collecting e-mail address. Now, it’s time to separate them into categories: Scrappers, crafters, adults, kids – whatever categories work for your business. The nice thing about e-mail is that you can send specific offers to specific consumer groups. If you mistakenly send adult offers to kids, they’ll nuke your e-mail so fast it’ll make your head spin. Then they’ll block you from sending further messages.
* When kids like a website they spend hours on it, and will come back again and again and again. How does your stack up? Is it a natural extension of your store? And is it fun? Build-a-Bear Workshop (http://www.buildabear.com/) and Club Libby Lu (http://www.clublibbylu.com/ ) are two good examples of great websites for kids. Each of these sites offer children lots to took at, games to play, music, trends, and more. Spend some quality time on each one of them and you’ll see what we mean.
Your website may not be so kid-specific but it needs to have pages that are especially for kids. Remember, too that many of the Zeds parents are Millennials; another generation that’s been raised on-line – they, too expect your website to be interesting and interactive.
* All of the kids on our panel have have a favorite craft: scrapbooking, painting, origami, knitting, and jewelry making were among those mentioned. One retailer asked if they like to tye-dye and the panel lit up with a resounding “YES!”
Those under age 11 visit craft stores with their parents; the older kids sometimes shop with friends, however, it’s interesting to note that they still visit the same stores they shopped at with mom. This is good news for Michael’s and Jo-Anne’s stores and bad news for independent retailers. To get on a kids radar you have to get their parents attention.
Do you run monthly in-store events and promotions? How often do you advertise? Do you utilize Bag Stuffers and money-saving coupons? When did you last connect with local daycare centers, schools, and home school parent groups? We no longer live in a “build it and they will come” world – to get customers to come to you, you have to reach out to them.
* Every kid on the panel – especially the girls – like to spend time with their fathers. “I like to hang out with my dad because he buys me new stuff.” Shannon, age 14.
One of the moms at our panel discussion referred to her husband as "Disney Dad" because he tends to be the fun parent. The boys on the panel also mentioned attending workshops at Home Depot; making bird houses and “other cool things.”
Traditionally, “Mommy & Me” classes were the norm – but not any more! It's time to add some "Daddy & Me" time to your repertoire of crops, classes, demos, and projects. Generation X and Millennial Dads are far more hands-on parents than previous generations; and they are always on the lookout for fun places to hang with their kids – why not at your store?
* All the kids – both boys and girls – like to make jewelry. And they all mentioned hemp. The boys string things like big beads and sharks teeth on leather; the girls prefer clear elastic, big beads and plenty of CHOICE. If "variety" came up once, it came up a thousand times. They like to choose their own materials, however, they prefer to buy smaller beads, like seed beads, in packages.
Add a jewelry making class to next year's Kids Craft Summer Camp, and schedule additional classes throughout the year. Fashion and entertainment magazines are great trend resources. And if you're not currently into jewelry making, perhaps you should check it out.
* Kids know what good customer service means, and they would like some, thank you very much. You have to remember that there are many kid-specific retailers out there who are jockeying for their business. Limited, Too, Justice for Girls, Hollister, Aeropostale, Zumiez, and Pac Sun are just a few retailers who treat kids like kings and queens. Many, like Abercrombie & Fitch, specifically design their stores for Zeds and Millennials. Know why the stores are dark and the music’s loud? So you’ll give your kid your credit card and wait outside – if the music’s too loud, you’re too old!
At home, Zeds are accustomed to being the most important person in the room; smart retailers understand this. Our panel zeroed in on what they do not not like about certain stores: They don’t like to be followed around, they hate to be asked if they need help over and over, and they don’t appreciate associates who breathe down their necks. What they would like is to be welcomed by friendly faces who treat them with respect, like they do at Abercrombie, et al. Great customer service knows no age.
In just an hour’s time our young panel shared a little bit of their world. And what a big world it is! While many businesses were still trying how to figure out how to do business with the Millennials, Generation Z swept in and caught us all off guard. But you can’t ignore the Zeds – they won’t let you!
Call now to book our NEW presentationUm, what?
Um, what? is right! During “Live from CHA Summer: Meet Generation Z!”, our panel of twelve kids, ages 7 to 14, taught us a whole lot about what’s hot, happening, in, out and important in the kid-o-sphere. They also taught us the Soulja Boy dance.
It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was fun! If you’re not hip to Soulja Boy, and you don’t have twelve kids eager to teach you, then you’re just gonna have to visit You Tube and learn it on your own. We can’t do everything. But we can share the things those twelve sharp little minds told a room full of retailers that afternoon at CHA.
Kids. Call them what you want: Generation Z, dot.com kids, or Generation Media. Whatever, dude. Just don’t call them late to the party. The kids of Generation Z – “Zeds” for short – are history's first 21st Century generation, and although they may resemble the kids of our past, they are very different. They are also the next huge wave of shoppers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 40% of U.S. households will have at least one child under the age of 18 within two years. But just who are these kids and why are they so different from previous generations?
The oldest “Zeds” are 14; the youngest are yet to be born. They come from families with younger parents who want their kids to experience it all – according to all reports, the Zeds will be the most empowered generation ever.
We're seeing an erosion of childhood – this is a generation of little adults. Marketers call it KYOG: Kids Getting Older Younger: Six is the new sixteen. Zeds left the womb knowing how to work a computer and never looked back – they have no past memory of life without technology.
Zeds live on the Internet – they’re highly connected little guys. Kids in grade school create avatars and play on Whyville.com; their older siblings hang out on MySpace and Facebook. And they all love YouTube: Research shows this generation spends more time on the Internet then the do watching television (“TV is like, soooooo boring.” Lindsay, age 9). As they grow, expect technology to be important in every area of their lives.
They did mention a few commercials. They all thought Domino's Pizza Tracker, an online system that went live in all Domino’s stores on June 30th, was way cool. You can track your pizza online from the time you place your order, until it leaves the store on its way to your home. Sounds like fun. Not. Check it out:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080130/pizza_tracking.art.htm
Judging from what the kids shared that day, the rest of us have a lot of catching up to do! Our CHA panel discussion taught us many things:
* E -mail is not used to communicate with each other; parents and teachers use it, but kids, not so much. They prefer to spend their time Im-ing (instant messaging) one another on their computers, or sending text messages from their cell phones.
If you haven’t been already, you will be approached by someone trying to sell you a text-messaging advertising program. Although this sounds like a good idea, trust us, it’s not. At least not yet.
“Texting is for my friends and my family only. Any other people texting me would be weird.” Tulsa, Age 14
Zeds will sign-up for your e-mail blasts (with mom’s permission) if they like your store or your product, but your blasts must have lots of photos and little copy. And your e-mail blasts need to be sprinkled with clickable links that take them to your website or other cool places.
You should already be collecting e-mail address. Now, it’s time to separate them into categories: Scrappers, crafters, adults, kids – whatever categories work for your business. The nice thing about e-mail is that you can send specific offers to specific consumer groups. If you mistakenly send adult offers to kids, they’ll nuke your e-mail so fast it’ll make your head spin. Then they’ll block you from sending further messages.
* When kids like a website they spend hours on it, and will come back again and again and again. How does your stack up? Is it a natural extension of your store? And is it fun? Build-a-Bear Workshop (http://www.buildabear.com/) and Club Libby Lu (http://www.clublibbylu.com/ ) are two good examples of great websites for kids. Each of these sites offer children lots to took at, games to play, music, trends, and more. Spend some quality time on each one of them and you’ll see what we mean.
Your website may not be so kid-specific but it needs to have pages that are especially for kids. Remember, too that many of the Zeds parents are Millennials; another generation that’s been raised on-line – they, too expect your website to be interesting and interactive.
* All of the kids on our panel have have a favorite craft: scrapbooking, painting, origami, knitting, and jewelry making were among those mentioned. One retailer asked if they like to tye-dye and the panel lit up with a resounding “YES!”
Those under age 11 visit craft stores with their parents; the older kids sometimes shop with friends, however, it’s interesting to note that they still visit the same stores they shopped at with mom. This is good news for Michael’s and Jo-Anne’s stores and bad news for independent retailers. To get on a kids radar you have to get their parents attention.
Do you run monthly in-store events and promotions? How often do you advertise? Do you utilize Bag Stuffers and money-saving coupons? When did you last connect with local daycare centers, schools, and home school parent groups? We no longer live in a “build it and they will come” world – to get customers to come to you, you have to reach out to them.
* Every kid on the panel – especially the girls – like to spend time with their fathers. “I like to hang out with my dad because he buys me new stuff.” Shannon, age 14.
One of the moms at our panel discussion referred to her husband as "Disney Dad" because he tends to be the fun parent. The boys on the panel also mentioned attending workshops at Home Depot; making bird houses and “other cool things.”
Traditionally, “Mommy & Me” classes were the norm – but not any more! It's time to add some "Daddy & Me" time to your repertoire of crops, classes, demos, and projects. Generation X and Millennial Dads are far more hands-on parents than previous generations; and they are always on the lookout for fun places to hang with their kids – why not at your store?
* All the kids – both boys and girls – like to make jewelry. And they all mentioned hemp. The boys string things like big beads and sharks teeth on leather; the girls prefer clear elastic, big beads and plenty of CHOICE. If "variety" came up once, it came up a thousand times. They like to choose their own materials, however, they prefer to buy smaller beads, like seed beads, in packages.
Add a jewelry making class to next year's Kids Craft Summer Camp, and schedule additional classes throughout the year. Fashion and entertainment magazines are great trend resources. And if you're not currently into jewelry making, perhaps you should check it out.
* Kids know what good customer service means, and they would like some, thank you very much. You have to remember that there are many kid-specific retailers out there who are jockeying for their business. Limited, Too, Justice for Girls, Hollister, Aeropostale, Zumiez, and Pac Sun are just a few retailers who treat kids like kings and queens. Many, like Abercrombie & Fitch, specifically design their stores for Zeds and Millennials. Know why the stores are dark and the music’s loud? So you’ll give your kid your credit card and wait outside – if the music’s too loud, you’re too old!
At home, Zeds are accustomed to being the most important person in the room; smart retailers understand this. Our panel zeroed in on what they do not not like about certain stores: They don’t like to be followed around, they hate to be asked if they need help over and over, and they don’t appreciate associates who breathe down their necks. What they would like is to be welcomed by friendly faces who treat them with respect, like they do at Abercrombie, et al. Great customer service knows no age.
In just an hour’s time our young panel shared a little bit of their world. And what a big world it is! While many businesses were still trying how to figure out how to do business with the Millennials, Generation Z swept in and caught us all off guard. But you can’t ignore the Zeds – they won’t let you!
"Meet Generation Z!"
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