Magazine: The forgiver and the punisher – generational differences that manifest in shopping

Annamária Tari
psychoanalist

Clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Annamária Tari specialises in studying generations, and she is an expert on generations Y, Z and Alpha. She has been researching emotional life and personality change in various generations for more than 10 years. She told that shopper behaviour in the present and the future is more and more difficult to predict. Shoppers have omni- and multichannel characteristics, and the line between digital and physical is blurred for them. Therefore it is a good idea to guide them via smartphone apps.

Present and future generations

According to the categorisation of Mária Törőcsik, a researcher at the University of Pécs, the oldest generation is Baby Boomers – consumers older than 70 years. Their children are Generation X, who are followed by Millennials, then come Generation Y – those who belong here grew up on web2, and Generation Z – these consumers are already working, too. What we call Generation Alpha are 0-13 year old children, who have big influence on what their parents are buying. Ms Tari told: research has proved that consumers belonging to generations Y and Z are doing ‘milestone things’ 4-5 years later than usual, e.g. starting a family at the age of 35-40.

Functional shoppers

Baby Boomers go shopping with a list, and they are looking for practical and cheap items – they really like discount supermarkets. Members of Generation X try to do shopping as quickly as possible, they like it if they don’t have to go a long way away for a product. These two generations have the ability to forgive, they are loyal to what they like and happy to participate in promotions.

Generations Y and Z love shopping, they adore new things, brands and exclusive items. They are ego-centred, so they aren’t loyal to brands at all. These consumers have a critical attitude towards brands, they don’t tolerate mistakes or disappointment. Since they have power as consumers, they punish brands and act online if they feel it necessary. Influencers can have a great impact on their buying decisions. Ms Tari explained that emotions are important in every age group, shoppers want experiences – but these are different in every age group. Trust, health, safety and following trends quickly are valued more and more. //