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Bringing Back Surprise and Joy

A guide to shopping for Gen Z this holiday season

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For those of you with someone from Generation Z on your shopping list this season, rest assured it will most likely be an easy, stress-free experience. For parents, family members and friends, the appeal of this efficiency can possibly take away from the spirit of giving – the meaningful experiences of surprise and joy.

As tech natives, this group has pondered their wish list far in advance and probably communicated their requests via email, text or social media, all equipped with links and images. I was delighted when my 9-year-old son texted me in early November with images and links to the items on his wish list, making holiday shopping for him a cinch!

But how can Gen Z be delightfully surprised when they have thoughtfully crafted the items on their list in advance and with purposeful intentions? You can do so by adding in the experiential. This generation has some amazing characteristics, which provide clues on how to take the items on their wish list and turn them into meaningful, experiential gifts.

Gen Z is comprised of those between the ages of six and 21, generally born between the years 1995 and 2010.  Based on research, this generation is: 

  • Highly intentional in decision-making
  • Intuitive digital natives
  • Curious and courageous
  • Influential and inspirational (particularly to their peers)
  • Purpose-driven 

It has been scientifically proven that experiences bring greater happiness than material gifts. Here are my thoughts on bringing back the surprise and joy to holiday gift giving for Gen Z by integrating the experiential:

Find Your Local Experts

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This generation seems to thrive on learning new skills and honing their existing talents. Do they enjoy art? Are they musical? Do they love sports? Are they obsessed with understanding technology? A powerful supplement to the gift they want would be one-on-one time with an expert. And you won’t have to look far. Tap into your local community, relatives and friends to find these experts: 

  • Assisting local artists on a petitioned graffiti project
  • Getting feedback and guidance from a music producer
  • Learning how to throw a perfect spiral with the high school quarterback
  • Attending a gaming event or conference
  • Chatting with a makeup specialist at Sephora and getting a tutorial  

Up their Production Quality

You will be hard-pressed to find someone in Gen Z who doesn’t use YouTube. This group watches millions of YouTube videos daily and many have their own channels. The primary motivations are to learn (especially from their peers), teach and inspire others and for personal expression and entertainment. If your Gen Z gift recipient is into YouTube, consider surprising them with the following: 

  • Video- and image-editing software, apps and tutorials
  • Tripods, selfie sticks, DSLR video camera, capture card (for gaming) and microphones
  • Mentoring from industry social media experts and vloggers

The element of surprise and joy can be restored in our holiday gift-giving this season by looking for those opportunities to add an experiential element. Although it may be easier to buy the iPad, the gift card, the calligraphy set or the football, experiences will be the most memorable for Gen Z – this holiday and in the years to come.

For an in-depth look at my research on Gen Z, please check out my latest blog posts on MG2.com.

Hitting a Moving Target: How Gen Z will be the Most Challenging for Retailers to Align with Part I

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Hitting a Moving Target: How Gen Z will be the Most Challenging for Retailers to Align with Part II

Happy holidays!

Myra is a principal within the retail market at MG2, an architecture and design firm based in Seattle. From established global retailers to the start-up brand about to make its mark – she enjoys partnering with clients seeking to be pioneers in their industry. By always raising the bar, she seeks to foster collaborative and creative partnerships that generate successful store design and implementation. She brings a constant curiosity of consumer behaviors, brand experience and a passion to retail and architectural design projects.

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