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Key findings: BNPL has higher adoption rates among millennials, Gen Zers, and the financially vulnerable. These groups may financially benefit from BNPL giving them accessible lines of credit, predictable installment plans, and relative convenience.

Over 80% of Gen Z want to unplug, according to new research from Quad and The Harris Poll, sparking demand for tactile brand moments like print catalogs, unboxing rituals, and pop-ups that feel more authentic than scrolling. Marketers who fuse these 鈥渞eturn of touch鈥� experiences with digital convenience can build deeper loyalty and lift sales.

From 2023 to 2024, Gen Z patients experienced the greatest YoY increase (177.7%) in GLP-1 prescriptions for weight loss purposes, followed by millennials (145.8%) and Gen Alpha (141.7%). Weight loss drug content on social media has fueled demand. Posts from influencers, celebrities, and other social media users who document their GLP-1 weight loss journeys regularly go viral.

Almost half of Gen Zers (46%) and Baby Boomers (45%) would switch to less expensive brands or product alternatives if there are price increases related to tariffs, according to March data from Collage Group.

Nonalcoholic beer set to overtake ale as world鈥檚 second-largest beer category: Younger consumers drive the growth as they consume less alcohol.

63% of millennials and 61% of Gen Zers feel more connected to health brands since starting GLP-1s, per a January Dentsu report.

The news: Chase will let customers transfer credit limits between cards online without having to make a phone call or send a secured message, per a report by the Frequent Miler. Our take: For credit cards courting millennial and Gen Z cardholders, managing and optimizing financial health simply will be critical to securing their loyalty.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how retailers are approaching their DEI initiatives under the current administration, the impact of staying quiet this Pride Month, and where the discussion around DEI goes next. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, Analyst Paola Flores-Marquez, and Dr. Marcus Collins鈥攁uthor and Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Brands look to Gen X as the new Gen Z. While discussions of consumer marketing at SXSW have typically emphasized youth culture, this year鈥檚 conference featured a number of sessions on consumers in the 鈥渟ilver economy.鈥� The age demographic of 50 and older already represents some 53% of consumer spending, according to AARP.

Forty percent of Gen Z adults have stopped using or purchasing from brands that have contradicted or reversed their DEI efforts, and younger generations rate DEI efforts highly and are more likely to identify as LGBTQ.

Gen Z defines social winners in Asia-Pacific: Snapchat slows in India while TikTok expands in Indonesia and Singapore.

In a hyper-competitive market, FIs that operationalize care through digital design and data-driven personalization will be the ones Gen Zers choose鈥攁nd stay with.

Truist is making significant strides in optimizing its digital onboarding process, prioritizing increased personalization and a smoother customer journey to attract new clients. This multi-pronged strategy includes enabling mobile ID verification to boost conversion rates among younger generations, seamlessly integrating new clients with services like direct deposit and Zelle to establish Truist as their primary bank, and allowing personalized mobile app dashboards. These digital improvements, supported by AI for feedback aggregation, aim to offset the impact of branch closures and meet the demand for digital convenience, particularly from Gen Z. Truist should amplify marketing efforts to highlight the ease and speed of their fully digital onboarding, emphasizing that no in-person ID verification is required.

Dormify complements the company鈥檚 existing Pottery Barn Dorm offering, giving it a deeper foothold in the Gen Z and college-age market, which should help it better engage younger shoppers and build long-term brand loyalty.

Healthcare-focused online shopping is most prevalent among younger generations. In the past year, 77.9% of Gen Zers in our survey purchased a medical service online versus 20.4% of baby boomers.

Pinterest teams with the Liberty to reach Gen Z fans: The focus is lifestyle expression, trend discovery, and community engagement.

Two in 5 (40%) Gen Zers and 1 in 5 (19%) consumers have stopped supporting brands that reversed or contradicted their DEI commitments, per a March survey by Ad Age and The Harris Poll.

At the same time, shoppers are paying closer attention to what they put in their bodies. 鈥淏etter for you鈥� products like yogurt and anything protein-infused are high in demand, even at more expensive price points.

The insight: The US is mired in the 鈥渨orst housing market in almost 50 years,鈥� RH CEO Gary Friedman said during the company鈥檚 Q1 earnings call, as high housing costs and economic uncertainty chill demand. Our take: With the sluggish housing market showing few signs of improvement, retailers must lean into any pockets of opportunity they find. For RH, that鈥檚 burnishing its luxury credentials and pushing deeper into hospitality, while Wayfair is leaning on its diverse supplier base. The resilient pro market is another area companies should look to take advantage of as they try to ride out the downturn.

The trend: A perfect macroeconomic storm is causing younger consumers to cut back on spending. Our take: These pressures aren鈥檛 going away anytime soon. The Trump administration鈥檚 tariffs are leading retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Macy鈥檚 to raise prices鈥攑utting even more strain on young shoppers already feeling stretched. At the same time, job anxieties are growing. The white collar workforce is shrinking, and more companies are citing AI as a reason for layoffs. Put it all together, and it鈥檚 likely that younger consumers will remain cautious with their spending for some time, especially on nonessentials. Retailers that want to win over this group will need to focus on offering value such as high-quality, private label products.

The news: China鈥檚 coffee giants are making their way to the US in the hopes of unlocking a lucrative market to offset pressures back home. Our take: Luckin鈥檚 and Cotti鈥檚 US launches are a problem for Starbucks, which is already struggling to compete with the companies in China and having a hard time winning over customers at home. Unfortunately for Starbucks, many of the moves it鈥檚 making鈥攕treamlining its menu, enhancing the in-store experience, leaning into premiumization鈥攔un counter to consumers鈥� current desire for variety, convenience, and value. That has created an opening for chains like Dutch Bros (and now Luckin and Cotti), which are better positioned to capitalize on emerging trends in the coffee space and can undercut Starbucks on price.