Which platforms do young Americans who are keen on online shopping like to go to the most?

Amid the pandemic, more and more young Americans are joining the online shopping craze and constantly exploring new shopping channels. Not only are they more receptive to new things than people of other age groups, they are also more willing to consume.

New results from TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Study show that younger generations in the U.S. are the most optimistic about their financial situation over the next 12 months. According to the study, 70% of Millennials and 66% of Gen Z are optimistic about their household finances over the next 12 months, the highest percentages among all generations.

Brands have also been looking for better marketing strategies to better engage with young people. Recently, EnsembleIQ released a research report on the purchasing power of Generation Z, exploring the online shopping preferences of young consumer groups. These Generation Z were born between 1997 and 2006.

The report shows that 38% of Generation Z consumers choose Instagram as their preferred platform for social e-commerce shopping. They believe that Instagram's personal recommendations are more accurate and data security is higher. TikTok and Facebook tied for second place in terms of in-app purchases, both at 22%.

Other findings:

Gen Z consumers are true omnichannel shoppers, browsing and purchasing both online and offline. 51% of respondents said they primarily shop for daily necessities in-store, while 27% prefer to shop online.

Generation Z is largely influenced by their personal social circles when purchasing daily necessities through social media. The activities of friends, family, classmates and colleagues influence the purchasing behavior of 75% of respondents. The second is brand advertising (64%), and the influence of Internet celebrities is about 42%-47%.

Gen Z prefers in-store options that are affordable and offer a one-stop shopping experience. Walmart (49%) and Target (19%) are the top in-store destinations for Gen Z consumers to shop for everyday groceries.

The desire for one-stop shopping remains a top priority for Gen Z online, as does price. 62% say Amazon is their favorite online shopping platform, and 31% say it has everything they need. 13% prefer Walmart for online shopping, and 37% say price is the main influencing factor.

Gen Z is avid price seekers, both in-store and online. 91% of respondents found promotions influential, while customer reviews or recommendations, personalized offers and product-specific informational content were found to be effective at 88%.

Gen Z consumers mostly start their searches on Amazon (52%) or Google (43%), with 28% starting with a brand’s website and 16% starting with TikTok.

50% of consumers surveyed regularly use social media to discover products, with Instagram and TikTok being the most popular at over 60%.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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