If this title doesn’t make sense to you, rest assured every single Gen Z reading this understands it. If you’re selling to them, then this is the major key content you should sign up for. The shifting spending power of Millenials and Gen Z is something that brands should be aware of because as Morgan Stanely points out, they are set to overtake Baby Boomers as dominant consumers in the next few years.

Timeslive.co.za reported that Gen Z combined spending power in South Africa was a staggering R131bn. That’s a whole lot of consumer spending. How do you connect with them? It’s all in the Lexicon. “Language is a lens that gives a more detailed insight to behaviour and understanding their language breaks down barriers, creating opportunities for connection between brands and the youth.” Connection itself is an intangible part of the language. Let’s start there.

 Gen Z combined spending power in South Africa was a staggering R131bn, but, how do you connect with them?

Youth spending

Part of that connection that should be leading us in how to speak to the youth is understanding their values: what matters most to them. To say that diversity in every aspect is critical to them is an understatement. Diversity matters to them on multiple dimensions and forms part of the language of their everyday lives They will come at you without hesitation if they feel that there is a lack of diversity, under-representation or discrimination of any sort. Diversity should be woven into the fibre of any organisation (check out our other article here to see how diversity enhances creativity). Back to their lexicon itself. 

Connecting through lexicon

We’ve observed that culture has an undeniable influence on behaviour and influences how and why people consume goods and services. Language is the backbone of any culture. There’s no more hiding from the fact that online purchases and more personalised connections, including language, are becoming increasingly popular and that’s on periodt!

Octopus translations highlight that 55% of online shoppers prefer to do so in their mother tongue. We may look at our 11 official languages and buying behaviour given the poverty stats in SA, but who’s to say those Gen Zer’s living in minimum wage homes today won’t become the middle-class citizens of tomorrow. We can only hope they do. Perhaps it’s not about localising for all 11 official languages, but the most prominent in your region. A universal Gen Z language that brings the world of tech and language into an integrated space, is gaming. This is a language Gen Z speaks fluently which is why Aipx acquired an eSports team, in the popular game Rocket League, that brands can partner with.

AIPX has acquired an eSports Organisation to allow brands to connect with this evolving market

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Be as you wish to be seen

Gaming is a space where we can connect more authentically with the youth. It’s a space where we ought to play because that’s where the growing consumer market is…and it’s a ton of fun. This is where we get to break down the virtual walls so to speak to truly understand the populous Gen Z consumer. The way they interact with the world is entirely different and millions of them have merged the worlds of gaming and reality. What it boils down to is seeing the world through their eyes, even if those eyes are virtual. 

We’re not saying you need to be cheugy (iykyk) because frankly, Millennials and Gen Z will see right through it. Connect with the youth market but do it authentically through those that speak their language and have a genuine interest in connecting with them. Those are the ones you need on your team.

eSports GenZ youth marketing youth spending