Friends may have a bigger influence on Gen Z when they step out to shop

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Gen Z are 50% more likely to buy products based on a friend's recommendation than that of an influencer or a celebrity endorsement. This indicates a shift in the perception of content creators and their 'influence' on the demographic cohort that also forms one of the largest audience groups on most social media and content platforms. In its Not all Gen Z report, Yuvaa--a youth media, insights and impact company--exclusively shared this and other findings with ET on the behaviour and ideologies of the generation born between 1997 and 2012.

According to the report, 71% of Gen Z shoppers from India prefer brands that are environment-friendly, owing to their hyper awareness and concern for climate change, while 63% like to shop from brands that support a social cause. Retail experts note that Gen Zers expect brands to create sustainable products but don't like to pay the additional cost for it. Close to 77% of Gen Z shoppers are price-conscious buyers, as per the report.

This also explains their role in popularising the thrifting culture-the trend of buying used goods, often from a shop that specialises in second-hand products. Gen Z are the DIY (do it yourself) generation, said Dhatri Bhatt, founder of D'Altair Marcom, an integrated marketing agency. «They like to be unique, inclusive, and socially aware citizens,» she said.

«They also realise that a large part of what influencers put out is monetised so they can't completely trust them and therefore need a close friend to validate some of their purchases.» At over 2 billion, Gen Z forms roughly 25% of the global population. It makes up around 35% of India's population, as per Yuvaa. The survey of 900 Gen Z participants from about 20 cities across tier 1, 2, and 3 India