Involving personal choices in shaping products is key to brand loyalty

BRANDS have experienced ongoing disruption for the past 20 years as a result of the internet.

This trend will accelerate as mobile-first generation Z unleashes the full power of the smartphone and looks to brands to provide personalised, on-the-go experiences.

“About 76% of South Afri- can generation Z respondents told us they would be more loyal to a brand that lets them give input or help shape its products and services, compared to 69% of all South African respondents,” says Rachel Thompson, insights director at GfK South Africa.

“And 22% said they liked fully automated products because they can be personalised to their needs.”

Research shows brands will need to relook at their approaches to ensure they remain relevant. Thompson advises brands:

● To shift from offering new things to buy to inspiring new things to do. Wrapping a great experience – digital or real world – around a product can help inspire loyalty. New experiencesfind favour among gen Z consumers.

● To shift from telling your story to starting a conversation about their story. Interact with young customers, listen and learn from them. They love to be involved and continuously look to customise or personal- ise what they get.

● To shift from telling your story to allowing them to tell it for you. Gen Z consumers use social media to get opinions while shopping, and make decisions based on feedback from their network. That makes their endorsement a powerful sales tool.

Old disruption to true dis- ruptive innovation. Design experiences knowing that generation Z is constantly connected and your brand is one of many options.

Design e-commerce experiences with a mobile-first mindset and keep marketing messages casual and to-the-point with instant calls to action or rewards.