A recent study, conducted by UserTesting, a leading provider of on-demand Human Insights, compared some generational differences and similarities of online activities between Baby Boomers and Gen Z’ers, in Asia Pacific countries like Australia, Singapore, India, and also in the U.S. and the UK.
The urge to stay online is more in Gen Z than Baby Boomers
The study found the largest disparity when comparing the online time of two groups in the APAC, the UK and the US. 60 percent of Gen Z’ers in APAC stated that they spend 9 hours or more online every day, while 60 percent of Gen Z’ers in the UK claimed an average of 7-8 hours. In the U.S, only half i.e. 50 percent of Gen Z’ers spend an average of 5-6 hours online daily.
For the Baby Boomers in the APAC region, 30 percent spend 5-6 hours online, and 20 percent noted they spend more than 10 hours online, while in the UK, 60 percent of Baby Boomers spend only 1-4 hours per day online. In the U.S, it was found that the screen time spent by Baby Boomers compared to Gen Z’ers wasn’t that different; 50 percent of Baby Boomers spend an average of 3-4 hours online daily.
The rise of shopping apps
While popular before the pandemic, usage of mobile delivery and shopping apps accelerated when the shutdowns occurred. Usage of apps is where a big difference occurs; 65 percent of consumers in the APAC and UK regardless of generation, use these apps on a weekly basis, compared to 60 percent of Gen Z’ers in the U.S who use these apps on a daily basis. Similar to their international counterparts, 60 percent of Baby Boomers in the U.S. use them on a weekly basis as well.
Most loved apps across geographies
The study found that Amazon was the most referenced app among both generations across APAC, U.S. and UK. Other popular choices included Flipkart, eBay, ASOS, Etsy, Grubhub, Nike, Postmates, and Uber Eats to name a few.
The buying journey for big-ticket items appears to begin with online research no matter where shoppers are located, with a majority of both Baby Boomers and Gen Z’ers starting with online research versus going to a physical store/location.
Quality is the key priority
When asked what both generational groups prioritized in a brand, 60 percent of Baby Boomers and more than 30 percent of Gen Z’ers selected “quality” as their highest priority in a brand in the APAC region. The U.S. Gen Z’ers were the only outliers as they were evenly split (30 percent each) between reputation, price, and quality. Both Baby Boomers and Gen Z’ers from each global region had price as the second most popular choice when it came to what they prioritize in a brand.
When asked which brand they were most loyal to, there was some crossover between the two generations. Brands such as Amazon and Apple were frequently referenced and noted for reliable service and high-quality products respectively. Some respondents from both generational groups also noted that they try to make the most of their dollars by focusing on the best price and deals at that moment, regardless of the brand.
Methodology
The survey was conducted in June with 10 men and 10 women per age group, per region that participated in the video think-aloud survey. Participants that qualified for Baby Boomers were ages 57-75, and Gen Z’ers were 18-24, living in Australia, India and Singapore, the U.S., and the UK.
