蘑菇AV

The number of Gen Z users will increase 15.5% this year, outstripping growth among millennials (1.8%), Gen Xers (5.6%), and baby boomers (6.4%), per our forecast. In 2028, Gen Zers will use BNPL services more than any other generation. Click here to view our full forecast for US BNPL service users, by generation. The Gen Z BNPL debt trap has yet to materialize.

Gen Zers will see a 7-percentage-point jump from 2025 to 2029 (83.3% to 90.3%), compared with a less than 3-percentage-point jump for Gen Xers and less than 1 for baby boomers. Click here to view our full forecast for US digital buyers, by generation. Gen Z far surpasses the total population in social media buyers in 2025 (56.0% versus 36.5%).

Gen Zers and millennials are far more likely to compare prices for medications and medical services than Gen Xers and baby boomers. This shift in buying behavior is driven by consumers bearing more responsibility for their healthcare costs. While high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) were meant to reduce spending, they require upfront spending on medical care before plan payments kick in.

In the UK, 68% of Gen Zers shopped on social media in the past year, compared with 54% of millennials, 33% of Gen Xers, and 12% of baby boomers, per Adyen. Globally, Gen Zers are twice as likely as the general population to discover and buy new products on social media, per an October鈥揘ovember 2023 survey by Capgemini Research Institute. Millennials are also turning to social for product inspiration.

Gen Zers鈥� and millennials鈥� encounters with affiliate marketing are the inverse of what Gen Xers and baby boomers encounter. Younger generations are social first; older generations begin in a web browser. There was a nearly 30-point gap between the share of baby boomers who had seen affiliate ads on YouTube (28.5%) and the share of Gen Zers who had seen such ads (58.0%).

And they鈥檙e more likely than Gen Xers or baby boomers to make purchases via social media, according to our survey. Limited acceptance of payment methods for social commerce purchases could be holding users back. Buyers are using a smaller range of payment methods for social commerce purchases than for traditional ecommerce. But this is likely due to limited acceptance鈥攏ot consumer preference.

customers: Just 47% of Gen Xers and 26% of baby boomers said the same.

They鈥檙e also 22% more likely than baby boomers to be in high-income segments, according to GWI.

The 20.1% adoption rate among boomers is particularly noteworthy for a new technology, indicating a broad-based adoption trend. A notable gender gap exists, particularly among younger users. Gen Z shows the highest gender gap in terms of AI usage.

Baby boomers are individuals born between 1946 and 1964. Social network usage is growing even as time spent peaks. Social networks are seeing user growth. We expect US social network users to grow 1.7% YoY this year to 236.5 million, while adult social network users will grow 1.9% to 212.8 million. Growth will begin to slow in the coming years, but we still expect to see upticks through at least 2029.

However, Facebook is most popular for making buys among millennials, baby boomers, and Gen X social buyers. The US had over 100 million social buyers as of 2024, according to our forecast. TikTok Shop, which debuted in the US in September 2023, is a hefty contributor to the nation鈥檚 commerce sales and buyer growth.

As employment trends and economic stressors drive down life insurance products鈥� relative affordability, insurers must find new ways to sync up with potential customers. Product flexibility, investing in technology, and updating outreach tactics will be key.

Spotify is doubling down on podcast engagement: New features arrive as listenership and advertiser demand both hit record highs.