Author: Victor Texcucano, Content Coordinator, RAB
Times change. Millennials were once unceremoniously set aside in favor of Generation Z. Well, karma may be real, because it’s now happened to Generation Z, as marketers now focus on the newest generation – Generation Alpha. Marketers must now focus on this young generation, who have their own unique quirks and characteristics.
Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, is the first generation to live in a world where the internet has been a constant presence. This should signal to marketers where to best reach these consumers, which is important because their behaviors will dictate how brands maintain growth in the future. But it is crucial to not just target these young consumers alone right now, but also their parents, with whom they have significant influence when it comes to household spending.
This generation has both direct and indirect influence and spending power. According to Numerator data, almost half (49%) of Gen Alpha parents say they have a shared shopping list for their household that their kids can contribute to, and about two-thirds (69%) say their Gen Alpha children have asked for a specific product they’ve seen advertised.
Numerator data also mentions that more than half (53%) say their children are given an allowance, mainly the older members of the generation. The allowances, which average $22 a week, translate into a significant $28 billion in direct spending power among these young consumers. What are they spending their money on? Unsurprisingly, number one on the list is toys (48%), followed by snacks (42%), beverages (31%), entertainment (31%) and electronics (29%).
Nielsen IQ data shows that Gen Alpha tween girls (typically children aged 8-12) love skincare products. Facial skin care products had a revenue of $14.5 billion, but interestingly, households with tweens add an additional $2.3 billion. These young consumers see skin care as more attainable than cosmetics. In 2023, beauty and skin care products were high (41%) on holiday shopping lists. This number was 11 percentage points higher than the general population.
Though it is important to note that this generation values both sustainability and body positivity, so any marketing of these products to Gen Alpha should include these values.
Another characteristic of Gen Alpha is that they love social media, which they increasingly use to discover and purchase new brands. This generation uses social media sites like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to follow content creators and they watch get-ready-with-me videos by “skinfluencers” where they end up discovering new skin care brands.
Gen Alpha consumers discover new brands by themselves, and either influence their parents to buy it or they save up and purchase it themselves. Notably, 49% percent of Gen Alpha children have their own personal tablet, and 38% own their own cell phone. What does this all mean for radio? According to the 2024 MRI-Simmons Spring Doublebase, 63% of parents of children ages 17 and under living in the household and 64% of parents who “find it hard to resist children’s request for nonessential purchases” are broadcast radio listeners.