How to Design Websites for Gen-Z with the GeekPower Advantage
So you have a product or service that is specifically geared towards youth. Or, you’re looking to expand your reach into the younger market and find your message lost in translation. You’re not alone here– as Generation Z enters the professional arena and gets some purchasing power, businesses and marketing strategies must pivot to meet the standards of their new customers.
That’s easier said than done! At a surface glance, Gen-Z appears to be full of contradictions in what they like. Generation Z deconstructs the necessity of things like production value and narrative. You may have noticed this in the rise of ‘homemade’ or ‘raw unedited’ content online. So they will turn away from high-production-value commercials, but play a basic meme with the product featured on repeat. They’ll even reproduce the content to join the online trend with their humour or style.
That being said, they are far from cheap. If anything, Zoomers highly prioritize aesthetics and utility. The brands that succeed in appealing to the young market are ones that quickly deliver a product or service with style.
If you want to thrive in the Gen-Z markets, Geek Power has the secrets you need. Keep reading to find out how to tap into the most important modern trends.
How to Design Websites for Gen-Z
This digital-savvy generation grew up with the internet and social media as their primary source of information, entertainment, and social interaction. That relationship only grew during the pandemic. In comparison to other generations, it’s not even close to how much time Gen-Z spends online, or how much media they consume. The internet is their personal and social identity. It’s not surprising that the online landscape changed a lot to respect their preferences.
With a seismic shift incoming for the internet and online marketing on the horizon, the team at Geek Power understands the complexities of communicating with the younger markets. So let’s take a look at how we can expand your business’ reach together!
Who is Generation Z?
Let’s remember that those born around and after the cusp of 2000 are the first fully-submersed internet generation. They have known nothing other than a hyper-competitive commercial market. And over the last two decades, an arms race in advertising occurred. From pop-up ads to disguised ads, to hidden ads, to ads, ads, ads! This changed how Gen-Z consumes media, which is one reason for the rise of short-form content: it cuts through the fluff and delivers with efficiency and aesthetic.
Why call this generation the ‘Zoomers’? When browsing, Gen-Z uses laser-like precision to filter out irrelevant information. They are so familiar with spam that they can instantly recognize advertisements and fluff. With that ingrained skill, they scroll directly to the information they need.
So what matters most to your Gen-Z customers? Let’s take a look at the five most important details for how to design websites for Gen-Z.
Authenticity
A Zoomer can smell a snake from a mile away. What else would you expect from a generation raised among scams and knockoffs? That’s why authenticity matters to Gen-Z consumers. They want to know who they’re buying from and how the product is made. Instead of delivering stereotypical content, try turning the lens around. Show them the business, not a performance. When designing your web page, consider a few things:
- Your role in the community
- The story of your beginnings
- Your culture and identity
- Why and how you make the product
When you connect with a Gen-Z, you make a longtime customer. The easiest way to make a connection is to show them who you and your business are. Your honesty and openness buy brand recognition and loyalty.
Simple Efficiency
Seriously, there is nothing worse than a cooking recipe with a page-long story about a grandma whose recipe survived hell and back. And like that recipe, your webpage should be concise, easy to use, and attractive. The truth is, there are a million products and services competing for your customer’s attention. To the consumer, it is like a never-ending revolving door of things to choose from.
When it’s your time to shine, you can’t waste it with fluff language and oversharing. Your hook must pull attention. Hit them with your product’s use and purpose. Begin with a call to action. Challenge and question the status quo. Fight for your Gen-Z customer’s attention.
Interactivity
If you expect a Zoomer to sit still for longer than a minute and receive content, you might want to adjust your expectations. It really doesn’t take long for a Gen-Z customer to get bored with a website that has no interactivity. Now that doesn’t mean that you need to have games, videos, or music on your website. But there should be movement and a way to engage. Online tools that show the use of your product or service are a fantastic way to enlist a Gen-Z customer. If you let them visualize their future with your product, you’re that much more likely to inspire them.
Aesthetics
Let’s be honest. Aesthetic is a buzzword thrown around way too often. So in relation to Generation Z, what does it mean? Every generation has a culture of aesthetic. What separates Generation Z is their emphasis on aesthetic. It isn’t unique, in fact, the 80s were remarkably similar. The internet is the catalyst of change here. It propels the visual medium to equal heights or beyond the spoken and written word. So without boring you with the details, here are the aesthetics that appeal to Generation Z:
- Hyper-nostalgia: the 90s and 2000s represent an ideal time.
- Stimulating graphics: bold colours, fonts, and imagery attract attention and brand loyalty
- Specific trends: vapour wave, goth core, polaroid, minimalism
Image credit: @ajtuana on Twitter
When in doubt, be bold, decisive, and unique.
Sustainability
Your role as a leader and activist matters to Generation Z. Aside from the internet, there is no greater cultural factor than their passion for social change. This kind of reverence for inclusivity, equality, and being firmly anti-oppression calls back to the 1960s social movements. Take pride in your part of this era and show your Gen-Z customers how your business prioritizes sustainability and activism.
Image: Callum Shaw/Unsplash
Generation Z was raised without the promise of tomorrow. When businesses offer them ways to help build that tomorrow themselves, they thrive. That’s why your activism and sustainability efforts should be front and centre in your branding and online identity.
The Geek Power Advantage
To reach your Gen-Z customers you must deliver your content uniquely, personally, and efficiently. Here’s an example! As I write this article, I realize that I’ve just created an acronym for marketing towards Gen-Z: ASIAS. Letting you in on this production detail creates memorability and relatability. It’s easy to remember, and stands out, but also notes the growing influence of Asian aesthetic and functionality in webpage design. Korean film, Japanese anime, and Chinese exports are now major parts of pop culture. You will see a growing influence of these styles in Western markets because they appeal to Generation Z.
As you can see, designing a webpage for Generation Z isn’t a simple task. In years prior, the idea was simple. For the best results, you delivered your brand and product, and told your story. Well, while minimalism might be a trend for Gen-Z, simplicity will make you forgettable. It’s a fine balance between giving enough and giving too much, which you can read about here. That’s why the writers at Geek Power are tapped into the modern trends– because the internet is a place of constant evolution.
For the best content creation available for your business, the choice is simple: Geek Power has the advantage.
