Do you want to capture the hearts and minds of Gen Z? If you missed our incredible panel event in Singapore, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with the latest trends and strategies for creating products, services, and businesses that speak directly to the unique needs and desires of Gen Z. In this live event with key innovation leaders, we uncovered game-changing insights and actionable strategies that will keep you ahead of the Gen Z curve! Discover our Key Strategies for what Gen Z needs next.

Gayathri

Gen Z approaches relationships differently, experimenting and making their own decisions rather than following traditional paths. They accept "situationships" and understand that sometimes there's nothing you can do about a situation. This non-committal approach translates into their day-to-day decision-making, as they often play both sides

- Gayathri Gopal, Principal Innovation Consultant, Gen Z and consumer specialist at Board of Innovation

Curated global digital cultural and social identity

Aliya Gilmore from Culture Group

Gen Z, is one of the first global generations …they didn't have the same cultural milestones as other generations … Gen Z is all digitally native - that's what unites them … you have this joint language, a joint culture, a joint pop culture that I don't think applies to any generation before it

- Aliya Gilmore, Creative Strategist at Culture Group

Gen Z lives in their own micro-cultures and niches and believes in a unique political culture. They carefully curate the image they want to create on social media. There are often contradictions between what they show the world and their private attitudes. In Southeast Asia, Gen Z rejects Western health and wellness practices in favor of their own cultural practices and beliefs.

What does it mean?

Gen Z is highly diverse, digitally savvy, and socially conscious placing a high value on authenticity when engaging with brands, and they tend to support companies that share their values.

Why is this important to organizations?

Their spending has a substantial impact, as they are projected to make up 40% of all consumers by 2025. Understanding their needs and ways of thinking can help organizations build products, services, and businesses that match and fulfill their needs.

Prioritizing their own health and wellness

Gen Z has a D.I.Y. approach to health. While they accept expertise, they want to do their own research and feel empowered by translating this research into what is best for themselves. Gen Z wants food to feed their mood. They look for food innovations that cater to their mind-body-soul connection, especially around cognitive benefits and evoking desired emotions.

We asked panelist Grace Caines, Digital Insights Specialist for the Open Innovation team in Nestlé R&D Singapore: “There’s also the element of the private and public showcase of health and wellness. There’s this generational idea of what health and wellness should look like. But in the private sense, they’re also reacting to it differently, like self-care can mean decadence or indulgence. Whereas to the public, it’s more of routine, or it’s something that it’s more what you’d expect health and wellness to look like. There’s a lot of contradictions,” Grace said.

What does it mean?

Gen Z has its own unique approach to health and wellness. They seek information so they can come up with a conscious choice and make their own adaptations to it. It’s a generation that prioritizes their physical and mental well-being. They understand the importance of building balance in their lives. They follow the same decision-making process when choosing their next meal or snacks and are looking for functional foods that can help them function better in their daily lives.
Gen Z Innovation

Why is this important to organizations?

Catering to Gen Z needs and desires can help your organization to stay relevant and competitive in the market, especially when considering they’re set to represent a significant portion of consumers in the coming years. This brings a unique opportunity for organizations to innovate by developing products and services that resonate with Gen Z.

Open to new relationships and social connections

Papri Dev, Regional Communication lead APAC at Tinder shared that Gen Z is a generation that approaches relationships differently and is more experimental in making decisions about what they like.

“When it comes to relationships, instead of kind of dealing with it in the traditional way of following a traditional path, or following convention and a chronology of how dating or relationships used to be at one point in time, they’re kind of jumping across and making decisions, experimenting. They’re very honest and open to many different possibilities. They’re exploring relationships from many different angles.”


From a social connection perspective, gaming is transforming and taking on a new positive meaning for the current generation, with women emerging as new players in the industry. Derek Wong, Senior Product Manager at ONE Esportes believes gaming is not just about entertainment but also represents fun, connection, and relaxation, and even addresses mental health challenges. “We’ve seen through COVID that games are here to stay,” Derek said. “It’s how you meet new friends and bond. It’s this idea of play. And I think Gen Z is leading the front there, being inclusive about games and making it a core part of their lives.”

What does it mean?

Gen Z approaches relationships differently. Experimenting is a new step in their decision-making process. They’re more likely to experiment and try new things before deciding what they like. And this is expanded to relationships with people, brands, products, and services.

In addition, gaming, often associated with entertainment, gained a different perspective for this generation. Influenced by Gen Z, gaming has evolved into a space that fosters social interactions, builds communities, and provides an avenue for self-expression.

Why is this important to organizations?

If you aim to win this generation, you must provide them with platforms and ways to experiment before they choose your product or service. And should be part of their shopping and journey experience. Organizations must understand that traditional marketing strategies may fail when engaging with this generation. Be creative and experimental in your approach.
Gen Z innovation girls gaming

Accepting and open-minded

Gen Z doesn’t unplug. They don’t understand the difference between the real world and the online world. Gen Z is open-minded and accepting of things that were previously considered taboo or unacceptable, such as gender norms. They are well-versed in information about products, ingredients, and brand identities. Businesses must be aware of the different access points to information and echo chambers as they cater to this particular group of consumers.

What does it mean?

Organizations need to develop digital and social media strategies that engage Gen Z and appeal to their values and interests, also considering omnichannel activations. Transparency becomes a truthful ally to build trust and loyalty among Gen Z. Organizations should also be conscious of social issues and strive for diversity and inclusivity in their branding and messaging.

So, how do you create products, services, and businesses that resonates with Gen Z needs and desires?

Keeping up with the needs of each new generation is a serious challenge and opportunity for organizations that want to win in the marketplace. In order to win, it’s critical to navigate complex hierarchies and decision-making processes quickly, overcome resistance to change, and drive more agility and flexibility in responding to market trends.

We have helped organizations to address these challenges and bring to their businesses as they make bigger moves, design better experiences or launch new businesses.

Do you want to keep innovating with the agility to capture the Gen Z opportunity? We can guide your organization to develop future-proof Gen Z strategies and also to foster a culture of innovation. Check some of our Gen Z cases below. And get in touch! We want to hear more about your journey building new products, services and businesses for Gen Z, and the future generations.

Get the full Gen Z Event Experience Now

Curious to know how our Gen Z event was in Singapore? Don’t worry, you can still catch all the action by watching the recording. You can view our full event gallery and access all the insightful information shared by our panel of Gen Z experts.