I wanted a play kitchen more than anything as a toddler. All the kids in my neighborhood had one and they were everywhere – my mum would see them in catalogs, on TV ads and at friends’ houses.
It was, when I looked back on it, one of the first things I ever wanted as a consumer. It was a toy that tried to teach young girls about being domestic. But that didn’t matter to my parents or to me when I was three. I was learning that I wanted things–snacks, games, and gadgets that were held in front of my barely formed brain, even if my parents had all the power to buy them. This dynamic between parent and child–where the child is always bothering the caretaker to get something they want–likely won’t ever change.
The way that Americans consume has changed in the last ten years, especially with the advent of Generation Alpha. These kids are growing up in a world with too many brands and too much social media. Their parents are more likely to buy things online from places like Amazon, rather than go to a physical store.
Who is Generation Alpha?
The generation after Gen Z is called Gen Alpha and includes all children born in or after 2010. The largest generation in history, Gen Alpha will number more than two billion by 2025.
This generation of youth has been unofficially dubbed “Gen C,” as in Generation COVID, because of how much their lives will be shaped by this pandemic. Gen Alphas are heavily influenced by technology and the Gen Z creators who dominate their feeds. But the events of the past two years will have a significant impact on who they are.
Ashley Fell, a social researcher and co-author of Generation Alpha, commented on how the lasting effects of COVID -19 will change the perspective of young people. She believes that young people will learn to cherish family more, look up to “everyday superheroes,” and see working from home as a norm. Fell finish by saying “They will be a more creative and resilient generation due to the challenges they experienced.”
What makes Gen Alpha different from the generations that came before?
Three children who attend a weekly virtual after-school program called Upstanders Academy are Mylo, Fia, and Zy. At the academy, they learn about social justice and ask tough questions of regular guests, who include politicians, entrepreneurs, and activists.
Lindsey Barr, a mother, former federal program officer, and founder of World-Changing Kids, created Upstanders in response to a need she observed for age-appropriate ways to address world issues with kids. “They want to talk about social issues,” Barr says of kids. “They care about homelessness, they care about refugees.”
Lindsey’s experience as a child was that social issues were too big to deal with, and that she was told not to bother with them.
The large number of brands available to parents can be stressful. “It’s hard to know what your child needs now and what they’ll need in the future,” said Julie Rogers, co-founder of the kids shoe brand and e-commerce platform Ten Little. “Parents are always wondering how they can buy things kids can grow into instead of something that will only last a few minutes.”
Parenthood is a state of being that is expressed through the products that parents purchase for their children. Baby and child-related products have become more stylish and less utilitarian in recent years, making it easy for parents to express their individual taste and style through the products they choose for their children. This is similar to the “trickle-down effect” in fashion, where upper-class trends influence the styles of the working class. This is only the beginning of the consumerist future for children of Generation Alpha. Although they are not the first generation of children to be targeted by mass media, they are the first generation that will grow up in a world full of digital-first brands that have been targeted at them since they were very young.
Sara Petersen has seen a major change in what she buys for her children between her first child, born in 2012, and her youngest, born in 2019. “In 2012, it seemed like everyone was buying the same playmats and plastic highchairs that were ugly, chunky, and only sold in primary colors,” said Petersen, who is working on a book about digital culture and motherhood. “Now, thanks in part to Instagram, there’s a move toward buying things like natural wood tones, creams, and neutral pastel shades.”
What do brands need to understand about Gen Alpha?
Generation Alpha is the largest group of future consumers and businesses need to get familiar with them now. While they are similar to Gen Z in many ways, their unique experiences have affected how they see the world and what they expect from it.
Gen Alpha kids are raised on screens—and that’s not necessarily all bad news
“Despite exposure to more of the issues plaguing the world, Gen Alpha is hopeful,” says Abdaal Mazhar Shafi, co-founder of UpstartED. He explains that technology has given this generation a window into ideas and cultures outside their bubble. They see it as a way to be engaged.
The amount of time spent looking at screens has increased a lot since the pandemic started, because school, activities, and even meeting up with friends have all moved online. Some experts worry that this could lead to problems like shorter attention spans or social skills that are not developed as well. But it is important to remember that today’s screen time is not the same as it was for earlier generations. Kids now have a lot more control and they can interact and work together while they are using screens.
She stated that in the past, mothers have always been a key marketing demographic, but it was a category that felt “identity-killing.” Petersen said that even progressive, working women felt they had to conform toward a general mold of motherhood. She explained that “everyone bought the same ugly bag,” and in some ways, you felt better and worse about it. Petersen said that their consumer identity was flattened into one broad, unexciting group, and there were few brands that prioritized their individual needs, that specifically catered to them.
The rise of mommy blogs in the early 2000s created an industry around the idea that mothers could influence other parents through their domestic struggles. This idea was based on the idea that there are endless products that can solve all parenting problems. The stereotype of the millennial parent is one who is very careful about what their child eats and uses, because they want their child to have the best of everything. This idea is rooted in the belief that material possessions equal good parenting.
“Parenting,” if you can even call it that, is an old industry that hasn’t changed in nearly a century, said Lisa Barnett, co-founder of Little Spoon, a direct-to-consumer baby and children’s meal brand. “We recognize that there’s a new generation entering the life stage of being a parent.”
What does the future hold for Generation Alpha?
Lindsey developed Upstanders Academy to teach kids how to become leaders and good citizens. She is worried that kids may become apathetic or depressed because of all the negative news. However, she and Abdaal are optimistic. They are looking forward to 12-year-olds presenting ideas for sustainable companies.
They want to be able to work from home. They want to be able to design their own hours. What workers want most is flexibility. They want to be able to work from home and design their own hours.
Abdaal Mazhar Shafi
The way that young people envision their futures and careers is based on what is happening in the world around them. According to Abdaal, they are looking for work that is more meaningful. However, they have also seen new ways of working during the pandemic, as their parents’ careers have changed. When young people talk about their goals and the kind of workplaces they want to be in, they typically want flexibility.
Hazel may think that robots will eventually do most jobs, but there will actually be even more jobs for humans in the future. According to McCrindle’s prediction, 65% of kids starting school right now will grow up to have jobs that don’t exist yet. Seven-year-old Evan is excited about this because it means there will be a job for everyone, no matter what they’re interested in.
There are new career options that will come from things like Web3, cryptocurrencies, AI, alternative energy, etc. Social and demographic changes will also have an impact on what the future of work looks like.
It is not logical that baby food brands and kiddie snacks are designed with the child in mind instead of the parent. “It is contradictory because, for us, the baby does not understand what the packaging looks like,” Barnett said. “We are trying to attract the parents by thinking about what they want.”
Legacy brands such as Gerber and Beech-Nut are struggling to keep up with new online-only companies such as Little Spoon. They have changed their packaging and offered organic options, but this is not enough to stop the growth of DTC companies focused on kids. The parenting industry has shifted largely online during the pandemic, with parents becoming used to buying clothes, household items, and toys online. They are now seeking out technology and products that are convenient and transparent.
According to Petersen, a large part of why people enjoy shopping from mommy Instagram influencers is because it provides escapism from the difficult reality many mothers face in the United States, especially during the pandemic. This is especially true when considering that American society has failed to put into place policies that would make mothers’ lives easier, such as free preschool or universal paid leave.
Companies are not trying to replace America’s bad child care policies, they are just trying to support parents who have to work and take care of children at the same time.
Advertisers are drawn to millennial parents and their children because millennials are anticipated to have the most spending power of any other age group. Market research has broken down the millennial demographic into smaller subcategories, but the general age range is still widely used.
Generational labels are used to describe a group of people who are of a similar age and share similar lifestyle or ideologies, often as expressed on social media. The term ‘millennial’ has become an online identity in recent years, often being stereotyped as a group of people who are obsessed with avocado toast, student loans, Harry Potter, liberalism, and jaded youthfulness.
In other words, age is not a good measure for what someone has in common with others, because it doesn’t take into account important factors like race, class, etc. However, advertisers like this idea because it makes it easier to target specific groups of consumers.
Generations are becoming more like commodities than groups of individuals, according to Mark McCrindle, the consultant credited with coming up with the term “Generation Alpha.” In an interview with the New York Times, McCrindle said that age range is a key factor in targeted advertising, making it important to “stake claim” in each new generation.
The first of the so-called “Gen Alpha” will be turning thirteen in 2023. They are very comfortable with social media and the internet, and are quite skeptical and wise for their age. They are also very hopeful for the future. Brands that want to survive this transition need to realize that it’s the Gen Alpha’s world now, and they need to be invited in order to participate.
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