Personalisation for Gen Z: Meeting the Expectations of Digital Natives

Consumer expectations are constantly evolving, and it’s crucial for brands to stay ahead of these shifts to deliver exceptional service and retain customer loyalty. In this blog, we explore the growing importance of personalisation for Generation Z consumers in today’s digital-first world.

As the first generation to grow up fully immersed in digital platforms, Gen Z exhibits unique preferences shaped by constant connectivity. Their shopping behaviours and those of their peers are heavily influenced by the online environments they navigate daily, making personalisation not just a preference but an expectation.

Why do younger consumers shop online?

Beyond the significant rise in online shopping during their formative years, Generation Z consumers have a range of additional factors that contribute to their preference for digital retail channels over those favoured by previous generations.

For many consumers, online shopping provides convenience and speed. Being able to purchase goods without even needing to leave the house is extremely appealing to them. Brands must ensure that they have a good online presence and align with Gen Z’s values if they plan to target this demographic. 

Shopping online is now easier than ever for Gen Z and previous generations, thanks to integrated payment gateways and numerous platforms that provide users with the ability to purchase goods. Social media platforms have played a significant role in this by enabling consumers to purchase goods at the click of a button, for example, Instagram and TikTok, which are popular with digitally savvy Gen Zers. 

As a trusted brand fulfilment partner, Granby supports brands across a range of touchpoints, ensuring that your ideal customer can access your products. We have many years of experience supporting brands with eCommerce integrations, including TikTok Shop, which is quickly growing in popularity due to Gen Z trends. 

TikTok Shop offers a highly streamlined purchasing experience, which can encourage impulse buying. As a result, consumers, particularly those from younger demographics, may be more inclined to make purchases with limited deliberation. While many Gen Z shoppers may not yet be managing mortgages or high-value assets, they are often navigating financial pressures such as student debt and lower income levels.

What is important to Gen Z shoppers?

Costs align with Gen Z expectations

Price remains a key consideration for the younger demographic. Young consumers consider price, quality and ultimately the value they will get from buying the product.

To maintain cost-efficiency, brands should collaborate with reliable and value-driven partners, such as Granby. We take the time to understand your specific requirements across both online and offline retail channels, enabling us to deliver tailored, cost-effective solutions that support your brand’s growth and operational goals.

Environmental sustainability efforts

Research indicates that Gen Z consumers are highly influenced by environmental values, with 62% expressing a preference for sustainable brands. While this is a positive shift in consumer awareness, many within this demographic are not yet willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products. This presents a clear opportunity for brands: they must effectively showcase the value and impact of their sustainable offerings.

Authenticity & meaningful connections

Young consumers gravitate towards brands that demonstrate authenticity. Research shows that this generation is more likely to take action in support of causes they care about, including choosing not to engage with brands that conflict with their values. This highlights the importance of building meaningful connections and trust through purpose-driven brand strategies. 

Influencer collaborations play a pivotal role in reinforcing brand authenticity. To resonate with Generation Z, it is essential to partner with influencers who can promote products in a genuine and trustworthy manner. When executed effectively, influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for capturing the attention and engagement of younger audiences.

Brands can also build authenticity and brand loyalty by sharing their corporate social responsibility efforts. Many Gen Z consumers are passionate about using brands with good ethical practices, and many expect brands to showcase these.

Shopping journey speed

Young consumers increasingly expect rapid delivery, highlighting the importance of a robust and responsive supply chain. Without a well-structured logistics framework, delays are more likely to occur, potentially leading to dissatisfaction and loss of customer trust.

Granby recognises the shift from physical-only retail to hybrid experiences, an evolution largely driven by younger consumers. In response to this changing landscape, we ensure your supply chain is managed with precision and flexibility, even during periods of heightened seasonal demand. 

We deliver event kits, POS and entire inventories on time and within your budget. Working with us enables you to adjust marketing strategies based on data-driven insights from Gen Z shopping habits. 

We manage the entire supply chain, from delivery and distribution to reverse logistics. Our reverse logistics solutions ensure careful analysis of products, prompt resolution and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Personalisation

Personalisation is becoming increasingly important to consumers, particularly the younger generation, who spend more time online. When personalisation is achieved correctly, it creates an emotional response from the consumer. 

Personalisation offers a valuable opportunity to celebrate seasonal events or brand milestones. Many brands leverage these occasions to provide exclusive discounts or complimentary items, demonstrating appreciation for their customers and encouraging repeat purchases.

Granby partners closely with brands to develop personalised campaigns that create memorable customer experiences. For example, we collaborated with a well-known chocolate bunny brand to deliver custom-printed ribbons, an initiative that brought smiles to consumers across the country and reinforced brand loyalty through thoughtful personalisation.

Granby has over 65 years of experience supporting brands with all aspects of fulfilment. Whatever your personalisation ideas, we’re here to bring them to life with accuracy, speed and reliability. 

At Granby, we understand the additional pressures brands face during seasonal events. That’s why we offer scalable support to help alleviate these challenges. During peak periods, we activate our trusted bank team to reinforce our in-house production processes, ensuring seamless operations and uninterrupted supply chain performance.

Brand experience & packaging

Product packaging plays a significant role in how consumers perceive your brand. It’s crucial that you choose the right packaging, which can be personalised to your unique brand guidelines. Granby works closely with you to ensure that the essence of your brand is perfectly captured during the packing process. We ensure sustainability in all packaging solutions, enabling you to pass these benefits on to your customers. 

Providing consumers with a rich, tactile experience can drive conversions and build brand affinity. Striking, eco-friendly packaging choices are more likely to increase social sharing and, therefore, brand awareness too. 

Granby’s expert team is fully equipped to support brands through all seasonal events, offering scalable solutions tailored to fluctuating demand. Our 77,000-square-foot secure warehouse is designed to handle and store products with precision, featuring advanced security measures. 

Our proprietary Warehouse Management System, SCOPe, provides full visibility and control across operations, including real-time inventory tracking, KPI dashboards, and customisable pick strategies. This ensures seamless planning, efficient resource allocation, and rapid turnaround, even during peak periods. To explore how our warehouse management strategies can optimise your logistics operations, read more here.

How to build loyalty with Gen Z consumers

Building customer loyalty is essential for long-term success. Encouraging repeat engagement and positive word-of-mouth begins with aligning your brand with the values that matter most to Generation Z. By delivering on these expectations, brands can elevate their positioning and foster sustainable growth.

Gen Z consumers expect rewards

At Granby, we understand that sourcing the right rewards is key to building lasting customer loyalty, yet it can be a complex challenge for many brands. With decades of experience across diverse sectors, we offer expert support in reward procurement, ensuring each campaign is both impactful and cost-effective. Our bespoke, in-house developed systems enable a seamless and immersive rewards journey, tailored to your brand’s objectives and your customers’ expectations.

Granby has developed its own rewards platform, SwiftReceipt. This advanced, in-house built system enables brands to streamline their customer redemption journey, providing purchase validation and instant customer gratification. 

All customers need to do is upload a photo of their receipt to a branded microsite for validation. We validate receipts quickly and effectively, identifying any risk of fraud through the use of Optical Character Recognition. Read our article regarding AI and fraudulent receipts. 

Granby’s immersive platform enables the instant delivery of digital rewards and ensures physical rewards are despatched within 24 hours. Our fulfilment operations are built for speed, precision, and brand consistency, giving you complete confidence in every customer interaction. We seamlessly connect digital entry points, including microsites and QR codes, to tangible, real-world rewards, creating a frictionless and engaging experience for your audience.

Find out more about SwiftReceipt and how it enables instant gratification for your customers.

Personalised gifting

Personalised gifting is a great way to build loyalty and encourage emotional engagement from your most dedicated customers. Granby has supported many brands with rewards fulfilment, from advent calendars to surprise and delight packs and personalised gifting. These items are popular among Gen Z, as it is such an influential consumer group. 

Seasonal gift packs are a popular strategy among FMCG and health and beauty brands, particularly those targeting younger consumers. Granby has a proven track record of supporting a number of the UK’s leading health and beauty brands with high-volume promotional campaigns, ensuring seamless execution, timely delivery, and an exceptional customer experience. Our expertise in luxury hand-finishing, inventory management, and campaign fulfilment enables brands to connect meaningfully with their audiences during peak seasonal periods.

Seamless integrations in the digital landscape

In today’s fast-paced environment, convenience is key, consumers expect effortless access to products across multiple channels. To meet these expectations, brands must prioritise multi-channel distribution and seamless system integrations. Granby’s proprietary platforms, including SCOPe and OrderSure, enable real-time data exchange, API connectivity, and multi-carrier fulfilment, ensuring a frictionless customer experience from purchase to delivery.

Granby expertly manages all eCommerce integrations, enabling brands to sell across multiple platforms with ease. Our systems integrate seamlessly with leading platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, ensuring smooth operations and real-time visibility across channels. By adopting a multi-channel approach, brands not only enhance customer convenience but also strengthen operational resilience, reducing dependency on any single platform and safeguarding business continuity.

Staying ahead of Gen Z consumer behaviour

Generation Z represents a vital demographic for brands seeking long-term growth. To engage this digitally native audience effectively, it is essential to stay ahead of their evolving expectations. 

Brands must consistently demonstrate value, transparency, authenticity, and innovation, qualities that resonate deeply with Gen Z and foster lasting loyalty. As research shows, personalised experiences and ethical brand behaviour are key drivers of purchasing decisions among this cohort, making it imperative for businesses to align their strategies accordingly.

We can support you with all aspects of brand fulfilment, 3PL and eCommerce integrations. Contact us to find out more about how we can help you stay ahead of Gen Z consumer trends.