Insights / Alpha Generation: Outspoken, Connected, and Redefining Consumerism

Alpha Generation: Outspoken, Connected, and Redefining Consumerism

Very soon the generation born between 2010-24 will outnumber baby boomers, with predicted numbers swelling to over 2 billion by 2025. In a few years, by 2030, they will make up 11% of the workforce.

There are so many reasons why this generation are important to understand, but the top three must be that they are predicted to be the largest, wealthiest, and longest lived ever.

Other significant statistics include:

65% of Gen Alphas will have jobs that currently don’t exist
49% of Gen Alphas currently make purchasing choices based on the opinion of influencers
By 2034 they will outspend any other generation
By 2029 their economic footprint will reach almost $5.5 Trillion according to the BBC.

Currently, this generation still live with their parents, and adult influence on them reflects in a sophisticated brand awareness for their age, which is then compounded by social media consumption where generational content overlaps. Social media sharing - Get Ready With Me, Shelfie etc - has a direct impact on the visual presentation of popular brands.

Image: Drunk Elephant

Born in the year that App was word of the year, this cohort have never known life without the ability to immediately access information using a proliferating list of devices. According to Dr Eliza Filby the average Gen Alpha has over 100 photos of themselves posted on social media by the time they are 1. This connectedness to the world means that they are also exposed to global issues and often the airing of contrasting standpoints, a fact which many agree has created the most outspoken, opinionated and questioning generation yet.

This translates into an absolute necessity for brands to measure up to and exceed their brand ethics standpoints and be clear about explaining where their values lie.

Image: Janko Ferlic

At the same time, there are signs that this generation may be the one that develops a
healthier relationship with technology. In a Razorfish survey, 74% of Gen Alphas are aware of alleviating mental health issues by stepping away from technology and going outside.

The many influences on the habits and perceptions of humans is a tangled web that
we love teasing apart. We forecast the behaviour of the consumers of the future,
whatever generation they belong to, with every project we do, whether we are thinking about something that’s hitting the shelves in two year’s time or thirty.