impulse partnered with Groupshop last month to learn about how gen z is discovering and sharing new brands. we dropped $500 for a lucky winner + their bestie and received over 10k responses from our +300 weekly players.
ultimately, we found
gen z’s friends are our real influencers
talking to our friends is easy
because they’re with us every step of the way
fake images, fake reviews, and fake influencers ruined the gen z shopping experience, so social validation is a must. we can trust our friends to give an honest and authentic recommendation of products. only 28% of us believe influencers enjoy the products they push.
we see “influencers” as people who are paid to promote mediocre products. and that’s the biggest problem. they promote mediocre products. if a product was really that good, you wouldn’t have to pay Kim K $1m to promote it.
our definition of “friend” has expanded greatly over the past 10 years. friends aren’t only the people we see in person. they’re our mutuals on social, creators, and anon’s we’ve met on social apps.
it’s easiest for us to share brands through imessage. a few reasons for this:
whether irl or url, we’ve grown to trust our friends
convenience is 👑 when it comes to sharing
if we’re sharing a link, then texting is easiest. if we find it on ig then we’ll share it through dm. sometimes we’ll airdrop, text, or dm each other the brand when we’re in the same room bc its easier for our friends to have it on their phone than to come over and look.
we still love sharing face to face. my girlfriend dm’s me tiktoks but i can’t watch them until we’re together 🙄
if the homies ain’t stamp it we ain’t coppin! from discovery to purchase, gen z asks our friends for their opinions and personal experiences with products and services. the most important factor for gen z purchasing is trust.
we build trust along the discovery journey. the more we see our friends and mutuals interacting with a brand or having a great experience, the more inclined we are to buy.
so what does all this mean for brands?
create an amazing and novel experience for your customers irl and url
meet your customers @ every point on the discovery journey
give people a reason to share your brand
make products and services so good that you don’t have to pay people to share
that’s what we learned with Groupshop! be on the lookout for what they’re building 💚
if you want to win dope prizes + share your opinion, def download impulse ⭕️
if you want to learn more about your gen z + your community, def hit us up ⚡️