Gen Z & the paradox of luxury Luxury Daily Round Table May 2017 @HBS360 Hana Ben-Shabat, Partner
In a nutshell Luxury was always designed for and inspired by youth but could only be afforded by the older consumer. As youth changes new paradigm emerges for luxury Gen Z is set to challenge the key principles of luxury Exclusivity Brand control Universality Extrinsic values Gen Z redefining luxury are you ready? 2
One of the most important demographic trend of our time is the rise of Gen Z Born between 1998 2016 Shaped by distinct economic, social, technological and geopolitical trends, It s a generation like no other 3
Globally they will be a power to reckon with - 2.5B Gen Z population N. America 82M Europe 156M Asia Pacific 1,396M Latin/South America 213M Africa 600M 4
Our recent research (US focused) identified six characteristics of Gen Z Embracing diversity Taking Responsibility Mastering Technology Valuing community Redefining Status Exercising Influence 5
Embracing Diversity : Gen Z is the first majority minority generation Race & Ethnicity by Generation in 2026 White Hispanic Black Other Silent (14M people) Baby Boomers (66M people) Gen X (65M people) Millennials (80M people) Gen Z (82M people) 9 9 6 75 15 12 8 65 13 22 10 55 14 25 11 51 14 27 12 48 1. Race data reflects non-hispanic people of each race; Hispanic data includes people of all races. S ources: U.S. Census Bureau 2014 National Population Projections; A.T. Kearney analysis 6
Taking Responsibility : Growing up, Gen Z witnessed the impact of the Great Recession Share of Wealth in the US 45 1998 45% 40 35 36% 30 25 20 15 10 25% Top 1% Bottom 90% 21% 5 0 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Data from the last birth year for each generation Sources: National Bureau of Economic Research; A.T. Kearney analysis 7
Mastering Technology : Gen Z are the digital intuitive Growing up in constant digital innovation 1998 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2016 3 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2011 2 The first Gen Z is born 1998 2004 2010 2016 The first Gen Z turns 18 1999 2001 1 2003 2005 2006 2007 2010 2011 2016 1. Private companies began pumping out personal GPS products, like the in-car navigation devices from Tom Tom and Garvin 2. IBM Watson, an AI computer system beat two all-time champions of Jeopardy at their own game 3. Google Deepmind, an AI computer system beat the world champion at GO 8
Valuing Community: Gen Z experienced constant exposure to social and geo-political unrest Geopolitical and Corporate events that marked Gen Z Healthy food movement shaped their diets Major environmental disasters caused by companies Climate change was never up for debate Gen Z followed the War on terror from the beginning International communities brought the refugee crisis close 9
These life experiences shaped their attitudes towards spending and consumption They are not brand loyal Luxury is about quality not brand 20% Clothing 23% Beauty 39% Footwear 47% Electronics Luxury Brands annoy me they are about show off, but I trust their quality. I am willing to spend on items that are high quality and that will last for long time % of Gen Z saying that Brand is more important than price 10
Redefining Status- from I am what I own to I am what I do - its all about the experience from To 11
And about being unique.. I don t like to dress like everyone else fashion is the same everywhere I go, even abroad same stores, same brands so I look for ways to be unique, I look to different eras and try to create different looks I am doing 90 s right now 12
How can Luxury brands relate to Gen Z? 13
The five fundamentals for engaging Gen Z Inclusion Engagement Personalization 531865149 Intrinsic value and Values 537835564 Experience, Experience, Experience 14
Inclusion is a given Being a postgender, post-race generation, Gen Z expect brands to be inclusive in their communications 15
Engagement matters With little brand loyalty, capturing the hearts and minds of Gen Z will require: Story Telling Two ways (Digital) communication Leverage of influencers Emphasis on community 16
Personalization is key Gen Z want to make their mark Including on products they have purchased. #Unique #Different are key words in their vocabulary 17
Intrinsic value and Values Gen Z value quality and product longevity. They will respond positively to brand that emphasis these attributes 526743173 In addition, they want to buy from brands that reflect their values of Ethics & Honesty 586373736 18
Experience, Experience, Experience Experiences are important to Gen Z because they offer an opportunity to create lasting memories. 19
Gen Z is redefining luxury Inclusive Shared Personalized Less Impulsive Values driven Intrinsic value focused 20
Thank You For further details and Gen Z briefings please contact: Hana Ben-Shabat Partner A.T. Kearney hana.ben-shabat@atkearney.com @HBS360 21