Our CEO for Forbes: Gen Z And The Rise Of Social Commerce

Gen Z’s use of devices continues to increase. Recent data revealed that 98% of them own a smartphone and that in the third quarter of last year, they averaged more than 4 hours a day on apps — and that figure doesn’t include gaming time. Their platform usage habits are, however, shifting slightly. Gen Z has moved beyond the e-commerce favoured by millennials and has become at home with social commerce — the practice of purchasing wholly within a social media platform. And for good reason: the algorithm can learn their preferences to suggest relevant recommendations, provide a personalised shopping experience (which also reduces the risk of abandoned carts), reduce the friction between purchase desire and checkout, and is more engaging with the use of in-app filters, augmented reality features and live streams.

Social commerce platforms for Gen Z include Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. In fact, the hashtag #tiktokmademebuyit has upwards of 2.3 billion views on TikTok, and #amazonfinds has more than 6.7 billion views. According to one Gen Z report, nearly 30% of this group say an easy checkout process is important to them in making a purchase. Brands need to consider a more seamless experience — from discovery to checkout — by minimising distractions and being careful to avoid directing consumers away from the page. It’s important to develop strategies that prioritise enabling consumers to move through the funnel with as little friction as possible.

Read the full article on Forbes!