Are retailers ready for gen Z?

Coming of Age

In a Millennial obsessed market place, retailers may be surprised to realise that Generation Z (Gen Z) now makes up a large portion of the population. This generation born at the turn of the millennium, is growing in importance not only as potential customers but also as employees, and their arrival in the marketplace will hail a new era of retail.

Indeed, anecdotal evidence is already beginning to show a new overlap between online and bricks-and-mortar stores: while in store footfall is generally falling, closing stores have a significant negative impact on online sales within that location.  Gen Z are using the store as a shop window before buying online.  In this complex, intertwined new business model, retailers need to get savvy to ensure every aspect of the experience reflects the expectations of this increasingly significant customer group.

While the temptation may be to bracket Gen Zs with Millennials – especially in their attitudes towards technology – the reality is very different. While Millennials have grown up alongside a digital revolution and actively embraced it, Gen Zs were born into e-commerce and social media. It is their world and as such, their expectations of the adult environment as both consumers and employees, will be very, very different. New technologies, from Amazon Drones to Virtual Assistants, will become a part of the new shopping norm for Gen Zs.

Clearly as consumers, Gen Z will expect a slick retail experience, one that offers a frictionless shift between channels. And as they share every aspect of life via Snapchat and Pinterest, Gen Zs can make fantastic brand ambassadors – but only if the experience meets their expectations.

More critically, perhaps, for retailers already struggling to attract the right talent, is the role of Gen Z as employee.  This digital native generation is used to being empowered with the right information; and they will expect that experience to be mirrored in the workplace. Their digital skills could and should be a major asset – and they will be baffled and frustrated to be asked to work in a retail store where the customers have more information than the retail staff. This single device generation will look askance when shown one system to check inventory, a separate iPad for recommendations, plus another fixed electronic Point of Sale (POS).

Gen Zs will expect a single device model and real time access to the in depth inventory and customer information required to deliver an excellent customer experience. In a low unemployment market with high demand for digital savvy individuals, creating a working environment that supports Gen Zs’ digital technology expectations will be key for retailers looking to secure the next wave of fresh talent.

Embedded Technology

Of course, retailers have looked to improve the digital experience in response to the demands of Millennials. But Gen Zs’ digitally native expectations are a step ahead. Equipping retail staff with iPads is step one – ensuring they can also close the sale on the shop floor, rather than returning to the POS or using a separate system to check inventory is an essential next step.

Similarly, retailers can build on the investment in beacon technology and kiosks by extending beyond the current provision of website access to create a destination experience that connects kiosk to enterprise supply chain and customer transaction system. Every in-store experience, whether delivered by kiosks or retail staff, must be personal, timely and relevant – and that means embedding technologies within the end-to-end retail model. Therefore, retailers that are able to create a truly digitally enabled, end-to-end business model should capture this increasingly influential generation as they are the future of retail.

Businesses across every market are looking to attract the best young talent, to harness the insight of digital natives to deliver competitive advantage. The catch 22 is that without creating a positive working environment in the first place, it will be incredibly tough to recruit these high-quality employees. Retailers need Gen Zs – and it will be the creation of a digital native retail experience that will be key to attracting this generation as both consumers and employees.

Raghav Sibal is the Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand of Manhattan Associates, a technology leader in supply chain and omni-channel commerce, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chains. For more information visit manh.com.au.