The Gen Z Disconnect

As the most diverse generation in American history, Gen Z is widely known to value individuality, self-expression and authenticity. Gen Zers are far more open to sharing their thoughts, opinions and feelings publicly than previous generations were at their age. That’s likely due, in part, to the fact that they’re not only digital natives, but also social media natives who grew up interacting with peers and brands across multiple social platforms every day. Since they’re so transparent themselves, Gen Zers tend to have little patience for brands and brand influencers whose messages they think are inauthentic.

Those are just a few of the insights surfaced at our Forum, which brought together more than 100 CEOs, “ZEOs” (Gen Z CEOs), senior retail and brand leaders, executives from our Retail Influencer Network, media professionals, and members of The Z Suite — an exclusive new network of Gen Z thought leaders. Joanna Coles served as mistress of ceremonies and the event featured guests that ranged from the CEOs of brands beloved by Gen Z, such as Forever 21’s Winnie Park and Bubble’s Shai Eisenman, to successful Gen Z founders to influencers and advocates such as gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman.

This report from the Retail Influencer Forum distills some of the day’s most important insights and revelations, giving retail and brand leaders, content creators, designers, analysts, investors, influencers, and anyone who is curious about Gen Z’s motivations and shopping behaviors a short guide to authentically connecting with this unique and highly diverse generation of consumers.