Here’s how Gen Z connects with brands
New research shows impressively high levels of consumer brand loyalty and reveals how Gen Z and other generations specifically form brand attachments.
Integrated communications agency Zeno Group recently surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. consumers about what attracts them to brands and nurtures and earns their brand trust. Survey results indicate that for Gen Z respondents, identity, transparency and innovation primarily build brand loyalty.
[READ MORE: Here’s how brand values influence consumer purchases]
Meanwhile, millennial respondents are brand loyal but have higher expectations than respondents of other generations. Gen X respondents consider loyalty first when building trust in a brand and boomer respondents focus most on brand legacy.
Other findings include:
- Eight-in-10 (79%) respondents feel deeply committed and reluctant to switch brands.
- Three-in-four respondents say longtime brand love is hard to break.
- More than seven-in-10 (72%) respondents stay loyal to a brand even when it is inconvenient, such as higher prices or limited availability.
- Six-in-10 (59%) respondents consider brand love when recommending a brand. Four-in-10 consider brand love when defending a brand and 35% when investing in a brand.
Based on survey results, Zeno Group also offers brands four recommendations for building consumer brand loyalty:
- Consumers feel emotions like happiness, nostalgia, and pride when engaging with their favorite brands.
- Interactions that feel personal, relevant, and memorable spark loyalty and drive demand.
- Across consumers of all age groups, word-of-mouth is still the most trusted way to learn about brands.
- Loyalty varies by category. For example, trust and routine develops loyalty in grocery, while letting consumers explore their options wins travel loyalty. From tech to retail, every category has its own formula for keeping customers loyal.
It is worth noting the survey took place in December 2024, before U.S. tariffs began driving up costs across key product categories. According to a new report from performance marketing and identity company Wunderkind, 36% of surveyed consumers said they are “very likely” (36%) and 40% sayidthey are “somewhat likely” to consider brands they've never purchased from before if they offer better price or value.
In other findings, only 10% of respondents said they wouldn't switch brands based on price
Zeno Group conducted a nationally representative online survey of 1,500 U.S. adults (18-plus), supplemented by additional representative samples of 501 Gen Z, 500 Black/African-American and 502 Hispanic adults. The study was conducted from Dec. 6-24, 2024.
