Hello everyone and welcome to our newsletter on all things Gen Z.

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We are closing up for the holidays at Get to Know Towers - the festive parties have been completed, the end of year reviews finalised and the last of the presents bought.

What do you mean, there is still another day and half of shopping left? Good luck out there if you celebrate Christmas and you are still rummaging through the back half of your brain to try and think of “what to buy” for your loved (and not so loved) ones.

As ever, the huge Get to Know team is here to help. We love Shane Frank, the Californian teacher, on TikTok. Here are the tips from his Gen Alpha students (that’s the 10-18 age group, if you’re asking) on what to buy people 'in their 30s' for Christmas. One of us 👴🏽 is a particular fan of “wine and hip implants” and electric blankets for Millennials because “their muscles be hurting”. 

Indeed.

Talking of gifting, we can all start to think differently about ​​how to incentivise the next generation of employees. The £100 gift voucher may no longer cut it, and we certainly found that this deep dive into reward packages by Deloitte contained many compelling arguments.

Something to read to the family and loved ones over the holiday period.

Deck the halls

We know that when it comes to decor, a Gen Z trope is to rebel against the minimalism of their millennial predecessors in favour of brighter colours, psychedelic patterns and kitschy objects. And Christmas is no different: many young people are done with a “beige” Christmas (for which a home like Kim Kardashian’s might be the blueprint (and here's how she does the prezzies)) in favour of a more gaudy, nostalgic look. Think coloured lights, tinsel, and this year’s hottest trend: bows. 

We are family

In the UK, Virgin Trains spoke to more than 1,000 Gen Zers about “going home” for the festive season. Top reasons include being able to wind down and relax, having dinner cooked for you and Christmas traditions. However, more than one in 10 leave again as early as December 27, as we miss our friends, crave independence and want our own space back. More detail here on baths, free food and personal waiters.  

All I want for Christmas

Each year, youth consumer trends expert Casey Lewis watches hundreds of Christmas list TikToks and summarises all the top gifts people are wishing for. The full list is behind her paid subscription here, but this video gives you a flavour. Big hitters include the Stanley Quencher Cup, Skims, and smiley face slippers (which you can get for $10 on Amazon if you’re smart).

Money, money, money

Christmas is expensive for everyone, and young people are particularly conscious of it this year. Research found that Gen Z plans to spend £446 on average, and started shopping earlier to make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. More than a third of Gen Z (36%) plan to use credit cards, buy now, pay later schemes, overdrafts and loans to fund their Christmas spending. 

And finally…

48%

. . . of Gen Z respondents said they would rather spend Christmas alone than fall into debt, according to a survey by the financial management app, Cleo.

Have a lovely holiday everyone, and see you in 2024!

How can we help?

In my many travels and conversations, I’m increasingly talking to CEOs, executives and civil society leaders wanting to better understand the next generation of consumers and the next generation of employees. Gen Z is putting pressure on us all to transform in fascinating ways, and many of us are asking questions about how to cater for younger workers and future proof our organisations.

If this sounds like you, we’d be keen to have a chat and see if TNM can help. From our own content production to work we have done, for example, with The Oliver Wyman Forum, we have a raft of insights and data which can support you. We work closely with a number of global organisations – helping with high-impact story-telling, digital media, internal communications, through to employee benefits, HR and working structures.

Email me direct and all of us at TNM look forward to speaking further.

Kamal Ahmed
Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder
The News Movement

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