Think about it, is this true for you...?
According to an eMarketer report released in February 2019, millennials (now ages 23 to 38) are "more willing than their elders to share data with companies" but they are also "more habituated to expecting something in return."
There's a similar pattern in shopping too. Millennials have adopted ecommerce "en masse," but they are no strangers to physical stores. Shopping for millennials often combines the digital and the non-digital, and most research indicates that millennials still approach shopping as a process of researching first digitally and then buying in-store.
Netflix is indispensable for many millennials. Recent polling suggests that Netflix is where many millennials get their dosage of TV programming, almost entirely ad-free. One place where millennials see lots of ads though is YouTube, which is ranked #2 across all age groups under 50 as a favorite for video content.
Although teens shun Facebook because it's "uncool," millennials are at a point in their lives where they care less about whether something is "cool." Utility and usefulness is the trend among millennials, and that is something that Facebook still provides as millennials seek to maintain their social circles. In one 2018 poll, 73% of millennials said they use social media "to stay connected with friends"- millennials are at a phase in their lives where friends are increasingly dispersed, and so they take the "social" aspect of media very seriously.
For many millennials, smartphones have relegated computers to secondary status. eMarketer estimates that 94% of millennials are smartphone users, compared to 65% of baby boomers. Data on smartphone usage and, in particular, smartphone voice assistance confirms the same - roughly 47% of millennials will be smartphone voice assistant users this year, compared to just 18% of baby boomers.
Millennials are skeptics too. According to eMarketer, "If you're an established brand and all of a sudden gender equity is really important or the environment is really important, any Gen Zer or millennial will see through that...they've got Google at their fingertips enough to fact-check you."
...these are just some highlights from a highly detailed, heavily researched eMarketer report. For more information, access to this slide deck, or for additional recommendations for consumer research reports, visit eMarketer or contact a business librarian today.
