蘑菇AV

Gen Zers continue to overtake millennials in several prominent digital activities and platforms, including social commerce, podcasts, and Instagram.

Gen Z will be the fastest-growing group of digital buyers in 2025. In addition, they鈥檙e more willing than previous generations to switch brands. So, brands and retailers should focus on enticing them while also retaining existing customers.

The trend: Gen Z is opting out of both traditional pay TV and ad-supported streaming tiers, signaling deeper changes in viewing behavior. Just 42% of Gen Z subscribers use ad-supported SVOD, while less than half of all US households now maintain a pay TV subscription. Our take: Streaming鈥檚 future depends on reaching the next generation, but current models鈥攅specially ad-supported tiers鈥攁ren鈥檛 meeting Gen Z where they are. With only 1.3 hours of streaming and 0.8 hours of traditional TV per day, Gen Z prefers social video, gaming, and music. To stay relevant, platforms must prioritize native formats, interactivity, and creator integration over legacy ad models.

The news: Gen Z is preparing an ambitious lineup of summer fun鈥攊ncluding domestic and international travel, shopping and dining, and vacation upgrades鈥攖o a degree that outstrips millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers, per a study by Bread Financial. Our take: Gen Zers invest in work/life balance and are willing to spend to maximize their R&R experiences. Brands should meet this generation with luxury-first options and seamless experiences to maximize their return on investment for the younger cohort willing to spend to make a good time a great one.

The trend: Gen Z adults and boomers are more likely to strongly support vaccines for disease prevention than middle-aged generations. The takeaway: Gen Zers mirror older people鈥檚 pro-vaccine stance. This might be surprising, but it also presents an opportunity for brands and marketers who can no longer assume that young consumers are purely skeptical of the healthcare system. Marketers will want to tap influencers and edutainment to make sure accurate information on vaccines and other evidence-based treatments is readily available.

A recent study revealed that Gen Z is struggling with a desire for immediate summer fun with rising costs. Nearly half of Gen Z believes future planning is pointless, driving 37% to spend more on non-essentials and 32% to defer financial priorities until after summer. This presents a prime opportunity for financial institutions to engage Gen Z by framing budgeting as a tool for maximizing summer enjoyment rather than restricting it. Banks should offer intuitive, gamified budgeting tools with real-time insights and vibrant visuals. As summer ends, institutions need to be ready to help Gen Z transition back to financial planning with integrated tools, debt management workshops, and goal-setting features, cementing their role as a trusted partner.

The news: Credit card issuers can cement top-of-wallet status by personalization and perks, especially for millennials and Gen Zers, per a PYMNTS Intelligence and i2c joint report. Our take: To meet young consumers鈥� needs, issuers need to play up the non-rewards features that cardholders crave鈥攈igher credit limits coupled with tools to help cardholders make smart spending decisions.

Gen Z is driving the vertical video revolution: Platforms and marketers must meet them where they are鈥攐n mobile and with creators.

The insight: Gen Z consumers are starting their purchase journeys more often on Google properties, including YouTube and Gemini, according to a Business Insider report citing Morgan Stanley data. Our take: Google is doing a good job of leveraging the popularity of YouTube and increasing interest in genAI-powered shopping tools to win over younger shoppers and establish itself as the first port of call in their customer journeys.

The news: Lowe鈥檚 launched a home improvement creator network as part of a strategy to reach younger audiences through social media personalities. The network, which Lowe鈥檚 framed as key to deepening its connection with Gen Z and millennial consumers, features MrBeast as its first high-profile partner. Our take: Reaching younger generations is crucial for sustained growth, and as influencer marketing surges, Lowe鈥檚 strategy could prove effective at bridging the gap with young homeowners. Influencer collaborations are most likely to be effective when the creator is seen as unbiased and honest, authentic, entertaining, and educational.

The news: A Sprout Social report found that 41% of Gen Z turns to social platforms first for finding information, ahead of search engines (32%), AI chatbots (11%), and friends and family (9%). In an exclusive conversation with 蘑菇AV, Thomas Markland, founder of creator company HYDP, discussed the shift and the need for brands to adopt a social-first strategy. Our take: As social media users, especially younger generations, increasingly turn to social for product discovery, brands that are willing to adapt and are strategic with their creator partnerships stand to gain most.

The news: To effectively engage Gen Z, banks must offer more than just basic digital experiences. This generation demands instant gratification, expecting rapid account openings, quick loan decisions, and frictionless onboarding. Gen Z also prefers visual learning, gravitating toward video explanations and gamified education for financial literacy. Despite their digital fluency, they still value human connection for problem-solving, requiring quick access to live help. Our take: Banks should move beyond traditional "channels" or "products" and design a responsive, omnichannel ecosystem that delivers education, trust, and personalization in real time, fitting seamlessly into Gen Z鈥檚 lives.

96.3% of Gen Zers are digital video viewers, compared to 80.5% of the overall US population, per our May 2025 forecast.

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

The news: The 2025 NBA Finals drew just 10.2 million viewers on average, among the weakest results in two decades鈥攜et Game 7 peaked at 19.3 million, the highest since 2019. Traditional ratings miss the full picture, though: social views on NBA Finals content soared 215% year over year to 5 billion. Our take: Gen Z sports fans are watching differently鈥攙ia highlights, short clips, and mobile-first formats on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. TV still matters, but leagues like the NBA must master new distribution models. With streaming growth and a massive $76B media deal in place, the future is already digital.

The trend: Gen Z is turning to social media for job and career guidance in the UK, but typical pharma company content isn鈥檛 engaging them. The takeaway: Pharma and biotech companies need to embrace social media as serious recruiting channels to connect with Gen Z, and create unpolished, everyday snapshot-type videos with real employees. Social teams should track video trends on TikTok like 鈥渄ay in the life鈥� or 鈥減ut a finger down鈥� and enlist employees to replicate them.

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

The news: Spotify鈥檚 Partner Program has opened new monetization paths for video podcasters, enabling MP4 uploads and revenue through ads and subscriptions. Creators like Ryth report earning over $55,000 per month, surpassing YouTube earnings. However, the model doesn鈥檛 support dynamic ads for premium subscribers, prompting networks to hold back. Why it matters: Nearly half of all digital media time is spent on video, and Spotify is betting big on that trend鈥攅specially among Gen Z, who increasingly prefer video-first podcast formats. Our take: Spotify鈥檚 approach may alienate ad-heavy networks for now, but video鈥檚 growth and creator enthusiasm suggest its long-term strategy is sound.

Gen Z, millennials are least likely to take health concerns to their PCP: Healthcare marketers need to show them where to get low-cost care while warning against overtrusting online medical information.