Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Overview
- Spending Power
- Tweens/Teens
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- Figure 1: Typical product purchasers, by tween/teen iGens, December 2017
- Young Adults
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- Figure 2: Typical product purchasers, by adult iGens, December 2017
- Purchase Preferences
- Tweens/Teens
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- Figure 3: Tween/teen iGen purchase considerations, December 2017
- Young Adults
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- Figure 4: Adult iGen purchase considerations, December 2017
- News Sources
- Tweens/Teens
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- Figure 5: Tween/teen iGens and current events, December 2017
- Young Adults
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- Figure 6: Adult iGens’ trust toward news sources, December 2017
- Self-Perceptions
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- Figure 7: iGens’ attitudes toward interests, by tween/teen and adult iGens, December 2017
- What it means
The iGeneration by the Numbers – What You Need to Know
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- iGens are a small, but influential group
- Racial diversity is a starting point
- iGens are likely still living at home
- A straight-laced group
- Limited financial independence
The iGeneration by the Numbers
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- Who are the “iGens?”
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- Figure 8: Births in the US (millions), Mintel generational cut-offs, 1930-2016
- iGeneration shifts into key spending years
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- Figure 9: US population by generation, 2013-23
- Young Americans are most diverse
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- Figure 10: Generations, by race, 2018
- Figure 11: Generations, by Hispanic origin, 2018
- Two-parent households most common living arrangement
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- Figure 12: Living arrangements of children under age 18, 2017
- Teen birth rate continues to drop
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- Figure 13: Birth rates per 1,000 females aged 15-19, by race and Hispanic origin, 2017
- Unhealthy activities are avoided
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- Figure 14: Behaviors consumers avoid, by generation, April 2017
iGen Finances and Spending Power
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- iGens are financially pragmatic
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- Figure 15: iGens’ attitudes toward money and risk, by tween/teen iGens and adult iGens, December 2017
- Education provides iGens with greater financial opportunities
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- Figure 16: Median usual weekly and annual earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by age, 2017
- The (student loan debt) struggle is real
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- Figure 17: Unsecured debt ownership, by generation, August 2017
- Tween iGens are least likely to have an allowance
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- Figure 18: Allowance, by age, Fall 2007, 2012, 2017
- The going rate for allowances
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- Figure 19: Allowance amount, by age, Fall 2007-17
- Fewer teens spend their summer working
iGen Influences
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- What’s on the minds of iGens right now?
- Activism
- Who’s doing this well?
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- Figure 20: How Ashley Judd Stood Up to Harvey Weinstein | Teen Vogue, October 2017
- Gender fluidity
- Who’s doing this well?
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- Figure 21: Save $2 on our New So Lashy! Mascara, email, November 2016
- Figure 22: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, September 2017
- Body positivity
- Who’s doing this well?
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- Figure 23: NEW Girl's Clothing Line | Obsess by Laurie Hernandez | JCPenney, February 2018
- Figure 24: Aerie, emails, February-March 2018
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- Figure 25: Always #LikeAGirl – Keep Going, video, August, 2017
- Figure 26: Cybersmile and Chessie King Body Positivity Campaign, April 2018
- Authenticity
- Who’s doing this well?
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- Figure 27: Pickup and Go!, February 2018
- Figure 28: Get Ready With Me: feat. Paloma + Glossier, June 2017
- Entrepreneurialism
- Who’s doing this well?
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- Figure 29: The Yellowberry Company, March 2014
- Figure 30: Sneak Peek at Target’s Art Class’ first collaboration, January 2017
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Music mainlined
- Vice behaviors less appealing
- Social media influencers are important – but for how long?
- Adult options don’t always translate
- Long view versus short-term wins
What’s Working?
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- Music festival-influenced fashion
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- Figure 31: Too Faced Life's a Festival – Magic Crystal Mystical Effects Lip Topper
- iGens’ international palate
- Apple Music takes over where MTV left off
- Goodbye “Millennial pink,” hello “Gen Z yellow”
- Reaching the LGBTQ audience
What to Watch
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- Big social media may be losing its luster with iGens
- Smoking is out, vaping is in
- Alcohol consumption down among the youngest drinkers
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- Figure 32: Share of adults who do not drink, by age, April 2017
- Keeping it real with the news
- What works for moms, doesn’t necessarily work for daughters
What’s Next?
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- Netflix wants to gamify the streaming process
- Driving impulse purchases for online shoppers
- YouTube competes as an audiobook resource
- iGens want to discover small brands
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- iGens are good with money, but don’t have any
- iGens want to fit in, and stand out
- iGens want what’s new, from familiar brands
- iGens are against discrimination, but really against bad customer service
- iGens aren’t experts in the news, but they do read social feeds
- iGens enjoy sports, but may also consider themselves “nerds”
- iGens trust the news, unless it comes from their friends
Positioning Products for iGens
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- Deal seeking starts early
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- Figure 33: Positioning products for iGens, tween/teen and adult iGens, December 2017
- iGens are the new trendsetters
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- Figure 34: Positioning products for iGens – select items, by generation, December 2017
- Good deals matter, but sales appeal more to iGens than Millennials
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- Figure 35: Desirable product qualities – deal and sale items, by generation, December 2017
Who Pays for What?
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- Parents shoulder most purchases for tween/teen iGens
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- Figure 36: Typical product purchasers, by tween/teen iGens, December 2017
- Adult iGens still lean on their parents for most purchases…
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- Figure 37: Typical product purchasers, by adult iGens, December 2017
- …but are slowly transitioning toward financial independence
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- Figure 38: Typical product purchasers – net of all purchases, by tween/teen and adult iGens, December 2017
Tween/Teen iGen Purchase Considerations
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- Peers push purchase more than brands
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- Figure 39: Tween/teen iGen purchase considerations, December 2017
- TV influential for Black audience
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- Figure 40: Tween/teen iGen purchase considerations – select items, by race, December 2017
- Importance of affordability increases with age
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- Figure 41: Tween/teen iGen purchase considerations – affordability items, by age, December 2017
Adult iGen Purchase Considerations
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- Erosion of trust can impact adult iGen shoppers
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- Figure 42: Adult iGen purchase considerations, December 2017
- Friend recommendations outweigh online recommendations
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- Figure 43: Purchase considerations – select items, by adult iGens and Millennials, December 2017
- Affordability key for adult iGen women
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- Figure 44: Adult iGen purchase considerations – affordability and online recommendation, by gender, December 2017
- Hispanic adult iGens are drawn to environmentally friendly products
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- Figure 45: Adult iGen purchase considerations – environmentally friendly and organic items, by Hispanic origin, December 2017
Keeping the Adult iGen Consumer
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- What do iGens take issue with?
- Customer service
- Discrimination
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- Figure 46: Move Mountains, April 2018
- Privacy
- Politics
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- Figure 47: Reasons adult iGens avoid companies, December 2017
- Adult iGens care more than Millennials about company missteps
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- Figure 48: Reasons adult iGens avoid companies – select items, by iGens and Millennials, December 2017
- Brand reputation matters more to adult iGen women
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- Figure 49: Reasons adult iGens avoid companies – select items, by gender, December 2017
Areas of Interest and Expertise
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- Being a nerd is a point of pride for most adult iGens
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- Figure 50: iGens’ attitudes toward interests, by tween/teen and adult iGens, December 2017
- Sports are still important to iGens
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- Figure 51: iGens’ attitudes toward sports, by tween/teen and adult iGens, December 2017
- Music, movies, tech, and TV are a few of iGens’ favorite things
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- Figure 52: Tween/teen iGen areas of expertise, December 2017
- Older iGens have music knowledge, TV and movies for younger iGens
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- Figure 53: Tween/teen iGen areas of expertise, by age, December 2017
- Hispanic iGens savvy about media, fashion, and new products
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- Figure 54: Tween/teen iGen areas of expertise – select items, by Hispanic origin, December 2017
Trust in the News
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- iGens are skeptical of what they see online, even stories from friends
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- Figure 55: iGens’ attitudes toward news and trust, by tween/teen and adult iGens, December 2017
Tween/Teen iGens’ News Sources
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- Social media reigns as primary source for current event knowledge
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- Figure 56: Tween/teen iGens and current events, December 2017
- Boys more likely to turn to news-specific sources
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- Figure 57: Tween/teen iGens and current events – select items, by gender, December 2017
- Hispanic tween/teen iGens favor TV news
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- Figure 58: Tween/teen iGens and current events – TV news, by Hispanic origin, December 2017
Adult iGens’ News Sources
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- iGens may read BuzzFeed, but they trust The New York Times
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- Figure 59: Adult iGens’ trust toward news sources, December 2017
- NYT stands out among the crowd
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- Figure 60: Adult iGens’ trust toward news sources – select items, December 2017
- Business-oriented news sources more trusted by higher earning iGens
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- Figure 61: Adult iGens’ trust toward news sources – select items, by household income, December 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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