I did a seminar the first week of February and I wanted to include some facts about each generation and what their preferences are for online vs. offline behavior. To my surprise, some of the statistics were much different than what the media portrays and from my own assumptions. The facts below are reported by Neilsen and PEW Research Center, one of the least biased, most reliable polling organizations in the country. The following statistics show why having multiple touch points in your advertising and a complete marketing plan from audio awareness through lead conversion is critical to a business’s success.

Generation Z (age 7-22)

• Did you know that over half of this generation (58 percent) prefer to make purchases in store rather than online?
• 68 percent of Gen Z says they prefer to receive communication from a brand via email
• Out of all the generations, Gen Z’s have the highest volume of transactions

What is the takeaway? Research! This group is going to research heavily online but will ultimately convert to an in-store purchase if possible. In the digital marketing world, we can track their journey from start to finish.

Millennials (age 23-38)

• Millennials are twice as likely as other generations to turn to social (instead of phone or email) to communicate with a brand
• 90 percent of millennials research product reviews online before making a purchase
• 65 percent of millennials prefer Amazon for online shopping

What is the takeaway? Reviews! This group is going to choose a product/service with more reviews and reputation over another. In-store purchases are not as important however communication and engagement with the brand is. The product/service needs to be what the company says it is.

 Generation X (age 39-54)

• Gen Xers are heaviest social media users of any demographic group
• 45 percent of Gen Xers use their phones to look for a better price or other options on a product while shopping at a retail store
• Gen Xers spend more time per week on all devices—21 hours on smartphones, 9 hours on PCs, and 4 hours on tablets—than millennials do

What is the takeaway? Social! This group is spending a lot of time online, especially on social media. If they are going to go in store to purchase something, they want to make sure it is the best deal out there and they know how to find it!

Baby Boomers0 (age 55+)

• 76 percent of smartphone-owning baby boomers use the internet at least several times per day but the heaviest use is in the morning between 5 a.m. and noon.
• 85 percent of baby boomers research products on their web browsers
• 66 percent of baby boomers make regular purchases on web devices however 67 percent of them report that if an item they want is available online or in a nearby store, they prefer to purchase in-store

What is the takeaway? Research and interaction! This group will spend the time researching, hunting for deals, and making bigger ticket purchases as they have the most disposable income. Ultimately, it will come down to one-on-one interaction and value.

Katie Warren, Midwest Communications, Green Bay