Gen Z & Live Commerce — Tap Into Future of Shopping

There are many reasons why live commerce has become the go-to sales tactic for global brands.

The pandemic can take a lot of the credit, as it forced retailers to find new, engaging ways to share their products with their audiences. With brick-and-mortar stores shuttered, retailers turned to online, interactive shopping to replace the traditional shopping experience.

And the stats back this up—between March 2020 and July 2021, there was a 76% increase in live commerce purchases globally.

But it’s more than just the pandemic that resulted in 80% of marketers believing that live commerce will be the way to share products and launches in the coming years. It’s also the population that currently holds the lion’s share of the global buying power.

The powerful mix of e-commerce & live video

Gen Z makes up 32% of the global population. Not only that, they are making money—anyone who is currently 18-27 is a part of Gen Z—and buying decisions. And they are the taste-makers—they decide what is in fashion, what slang we use, what products are cult favorites, and which influencers are worth following.

For this generation, shopping online is the norm. They don’t have fond memories of browsing their local mall with their friends or trying on jeans in a tiny fitting room. Online shopping isn’t something they do because it is particularly convenient. They do it because it’s just how things are done.

They are also consuming more video content than any other age bracket. Sixty-two percent of Gen Zers say they visit YouTube daily, another 64% are on Instagram every day, and more than 20% of Gen Z spend more than 5 hours every day on TikTok. 

Their love of video content, coupled with their native understanding and acceptance of e-commerce has resulted in the merging of the two.

It's all about trust

Gen Z wants to be able to trust the brands they buy from—but this goes much deeper than just knowing they will get a good product that delivers on its promises.

They want to know that the brands they support are doing good in the world, leaving it a better place than they found it. When examining Gen Zs overall purchase intent, four key factors were important for the vast majority:

• 92% are driven by sustainability
• 90% ethical business practices
• 87% inclusivity
• 86% shared values
  
  

Gen Z is also looking to connect with brands in ways that many other generations still don’t recognize as a possibility. They want to be able to speak to an influencer, give their feedback on products, and interact with the brands they love on a 1-to-1 level. 

So what's the solution?

Gen Z has heralded an era in commerce where live video is championed, and trusting the brands you buy from is non-negotiable.

So how can you build trust with Gen Z while also leveraging the power of live commerce? 

First and foremost, you need to take a deep look at your brand—Gen Z wants to know they are supporting brands that have the same principles as they do. While this doesn’t mean you need to flip your entire business on its head, you should take a look at three of the four categories—sustainability, ethical business practices, and inclusivity—and see where you net out. 

After that, you can start to dig into connecting directly with your Gen Z audience via your live commerce events.

Live commerce, the Gen Z way

So, you’ve got your ducks in a row and you’re ready to produce your first live commerce event. But with a famously short attention span—we’re talking 8 seconds here—how will you keep Gen Z tuned in to your live commerce event long enough to get them to add to cart?

Gamification

One of the reasons why Gen Z has such short attention spans? Video games. And marketers have noticed this trend and are finding ways to adapt—93% of marketers are all in with gamification and will keep using it to level up their brands. To keep your youngest audience members entertained, try using some of the gaming principles to up your live commerce events.

Keep things moving at a fast pace—think short segments that lead into one another. Find ways to gamify your stream—with Stage TEN you can add live voting and polling that audience members can participate in. Bring gaming language into your live—think “level up” and “GOAT”... but be sure to only use them when it’s on-brand and relevant.

Personalized interaction

Gen Z wants to connect with the brands, creators, and influencers they buy from. When you go live, you need to find ways to bring the audience into the experience. This can be as simple as responding live to comments as they come in. Stage TEN gives you the power to pull audience member comments on screen so they can be featured and addressed live. It becomes about more than just the product you're selling—it becomes a truly interactive shopping experience.

On-brand influencers

Working with influencers that resonate with Gen Z is another great way to connect with this generation. When you find an influencer that ticks all the boxes—sustainability, ethical business practices, shared values, and inclusivity—and has a loyal Gen Z audience, you’ll not only have access to this ready-to-buy audience, but you’ll also be aligned with someone who already holds their trust.

Go live, sell stuff

Don’t miss out on connecting with your Gen Z audience. With Stage TEN, creating live e-commerce streams is as easy as clicking “add to cart”.

Sign up today and start streaming for free.