Prepare for Gen Alpha Marketing: The Youngest and Savviest Consumers

By 2024, it's expected that there will have been around 2.2 billion people born as a part of Gen Alpha.

With each new generation comes a host of changes in terms of people's beliefs, viewpoints, and lifestyles. As such, the way we marketed to the last generation may not work with the most recent. For any business to stay successful, it has to change along with its audience.

The oldest of those in Gen Alpha are still not quite teenagers, but they'll soon start to make up a large portion of consumers. It's important to know how to market to these consumers so your business can continue to grow and succeed. Follow our marketing tips below, and you'll be well on your way to reaching the newest generation of consumers.

Defining Gen Alpha

Generation Alpha is the most recent demographic of people being born, following Generation Z. It generally consists of anyone who was born from 2010 and those born up until 2025. Expected to be over 2 billion people strong by 2025, this will be the largest generation ever to be born. 

Right now, the oldest of Gen Alpha are only12 years old. Over the coming years, more teenagers will begin spending their own money than ever before. To give some perspective, currently there are about 27.7 million teenagers (Gen Z) in the United States. It's estimated that this demographic spends around $63 billion dollars of their own money annually. 

The Characteristics of Gen Alpha

The fact that Gen Alpha is still so young means that most marketing services have yet to consider them. There aren't many companies that need to market themselves to people 12 and under. Before long, however, they'll become consumers, and businesses will need to understand what Gen Alpha is like to properly market to them.

Climate Advocation

Younger generations are generally far more focused on the state of the planet than the generation before them. Millennials generally consider it to be more important than Gen Y, and Gen Z more so than Millennials. While Gen Alpha is still very young, it's safe to say that as they grow, they'll understand the importance of being environmentally friendly.

Despite their young age, Gen Alpha is already concerned about the environment. They are the most digitally connected generation thus far. And because of that, they are more socially aware and in tune with global concerns, like climate change at a young age. Showing that your brand makes efforts to be sustainable and responsible will go a long way. This is something that is already beneficial for some generations and will become even more crucial in the future.

Focus on Family and the Future

The Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on everyone, but more so on Gen Alpha as it significantly affected their formative years. As such, they're likely to have certain concerns that older generations may not. Fears of becoming ill and missing out on quality time with family and close friends are something that will stick with many young people.

Inclusivity Is Important

Gen Alpha will be the most diverse generation to date, which is affecting the expectations people have. Inclusivity and representation are huge priorities among young people as it helps reduce things like bullying and prejudices. Ultimately, inclusivity helps make things fair for everyone, which younger generations strongly support.

More Time Online

Gen Alpha is the first generation to be born entirely in the fully digital world. With advancements in the internet and technology as a whole, they spend a lot more time online. This is even more true of Gen Alpha, as many have had access to it their whole lives.But they are more discerning about the media they consume. And they prefer an interactive experience where they make a contribution as opposed to pure consumption of content. Gen Alpha will not be as active on Facebook, Instagram as other generations. They prefer to spend time on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Roblox, where they can contribute and be creative. They’re also beginning to turn to podcasts for their information in place of news and media outlets.

How to Market to Gen Alpha

If you want to succeed with Gen Alpha, you need more than just quality products. It's crucial to know how to engage with a changing audience and provide them with what they value.

Don't Be Afraid To Provide Authenticity and Transparency

Gen Alpha children are very socially aware - more so than previous generations. They tend to favor brands that conduct themselves responsibly - both environmentally and socially. They also have better insights into the types of products and services that have a negative impact.

You should work to make your business as responsible as possible and highlight this to your audience. Fashion brands are a good example, as some types of clothing can have a sizable environmental impact, and many products are made in sweatshops under poor working conditions. A fashion brand that can show its products are more sustainable and environmentally friendly and are manufactured under fair conditions will likely gain more support from Gen Alpha.

If your company has had issues in the past, in terms of emissions, for example, don't shy away from this. Be open and honest with your audience and explain how you're making improvements.

Create Experiences

Content creation is still a fairly new concept, but it has exploded in recent years. Platforms like TikTok allow anyone to show their creativity, and more people are consuming this type of content every day.

Social media and virtual communities are already very important for a lot of users, and they're continuing to grow.  Marketers will want to create content that connects with their users. If you can find a way to give your audience a chance to contribute rather than just consume, it will massively increase engagement.

A typical example of this is the use of user-generated content. This could be as simple as sharing content that users have made with your products or services.

Some brands have already been able to take advantage of this. Pringles, for example, used the #PlayWithPringles campaign to encourage TikTok users to create videos with Pringles. It resulted in over 343,000 videos and 278 million views.

Access to Multiple and Digital Payments also plays a role 

Marketing a business is often difficult and takes a lot of research and planning. There's a range of things you need to consider, such as your target audience, your industry, and your business operations. But it's also important to think about how the consumer will eventually purchase from you.

As Gen Alpha gets older, brands will need to adjust their focus. This isn't just in terms of the personalities of these new users, but also how they are accessing your products. As digitally savvy generation, they own multiple devices and spend more time online. And that is where they’ll make their purchases. 

They expect brands to have the latest technologies, and they expect to be able to pay the way they want. Digital payment processing, in-app purchasing, and cross-platform connections are becoming all the more essential as each generation grows.

Merchants must have a payment platform that meets the demands of these tech savvy generations. MonerePay is a payment processor that can provide custom solutions to a range of businesses. We take a consultative approach to tailor your payment processing solution to your needs. But that's not the only way we help support our businesses. With our robust and intuitive business intelligence reporting, merchants get access to in-depth data to improve both marketing and decision-making efforts. 

To find out more about our services, click here to contact us today.