Gen Z are driving China’s consumer trend with impulse buying and instant gratification

They are young, technologically savvy, and they are impulse buyers who seek instant gratification by demanding same-day delivery of their purchases.

Meet China’s Generation Z, the drivers of consumer trends in the world’s most populous market.

Up to 70 per cent of China’s young adults between the ages of 18 and 22, known as the Gen Z, are interested to buy products directly through social media, a league ahead of the global average of 44 per cent, according to an Accenture survey of 10,000 consumers in 13 markets, including 1,000 in China.

“Gen Z is the next big consumer market and purchasing powerhouse,” said Yew Hong Koh, managing director of Accenture that leads retail industry practise in Asia Pacific.

To succeed in this increasingly digital world, retailers must understand the expectations of Gen Z customers, their circles of influence and their behaviour, especially their social-media habits and how they differ from those of the millennial generation who comes of age around 2000, he said. And as this generation matures, moves into the workforce and start families, their spending habits, preferences and brand loyalty will most likely endure, and influence their future spending.

In China, the Gen Z has a higher tendency on impulse purchasing than the older millennials and are more willing to pay a premium for faster delivery, said Accenture.