Marketing to multiple generations at once poses a challenge to many different companies across a number of industries. Millennials and Generation Z are often thought to have opposing consumer behaviors and expectations when it comes to shopping compared to each other and the generations that came before.
While most Millennials grew up before the digital era and the world of online shopping, the large majority of Gen Z has grown up dependent on technology and can’t imagine a package taking longer than two days to arrive.
With this in mind, these two generations’ perceptions, expectations, and usages of technology in their day to day lives are vastly different. In addition, their consumer behaviors often reflect this. In this case, market research is the answer to understanding and capturing a wide audience with a lot of buying power.
For a technology company trying to reach a wide range of customers, these major differences in consumer behavior pose a challenge.
This is where market research comes into play. Conducting market research with Gen Z and Millennial participants can help your technology company better understand how it can meet the needs of and appeal to both generations.
Drive Research, a generational market research company, recently completed a qualitative recruitment project where both Millennials and Gen Zers went on a shopping trip for either a new smartphone or laptop. They were asked to complete a mobile ethnography study about their shopping experience and their habits when it comes to purchasing new technology.
Customer experience research can help identify key marketing strategies to best attract the attention of Generation Z and Millennial shoppers.
Overview of Smartphone and Laptop Shopping Study
Drive Research recently partnered with a leader in generational research and solutions that specializes in Millennials and Generation Z. The generational research company hired our qualitative recruitment company for a national customer experience (CX) study using digital ethnography via a smartphone app.
Our qualitative recruitment focused on the following criteria:
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A split of Millennials and Generation Z
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A split of males and females
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A split of household incomes
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A split of ethnicities
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A mix of technology adoptions, brands, and uses
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A mix of shopping reasons
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A mix of retailers
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In the market for a new smartphone or laptop
Participants who met these criteria were asked to complete a 12-question mobile ethnography study in which they were sent instructions to download an app and a code to unlock the study. Participants were then asked to visit a specific retail store to shop for a new smartphone or laptop.
After their shopping trips, participants uploaded their video responses and photos to the 12 different questions. Each recorded video response lasted 30 to 60 seconds.
Qualitative Recruitment Process for Generation Z and Millennial Participants
Drive Research, a national qualitative recruitment firm, utilized our tested and proven recruitment process for encouraging Millennials and Gen Z participants to sign up for this mobile ethnography study using an app.
First, our team scheduled a kick-off meeting with the client, a generational research and solutions company to discuss the mobile ethnographic project’s objectives, process, timeline, and screening criteria.
To find and recruit Millennials and Gen Zers, Drive Research relied on paid social media posts and behavioral targeting to find those who matched the client requested criteria as referenced above.
Process for Screening Recruited Millennial and Gen Z Participants
Our national market research company, with a specialty in recruitment for qualitative research, created an online survey with a mix of questions to pre-screen potential participants.
The recruitment screener asked questions regarding age, gender, geography, the timeline for their next phone or laptop purchase, current technology usage, retailers they shop at, and more.
Millennials and Gen Zers who met all qualifying criteria based on their answers to the online screener received a follow-up phone call from the Drive Research recruitment team to verify their responses from the survey online.
This strategic recruitment process assures all participants are completely qualified for the study and a good fit for mobile ethnographic research.
Once a participant was deemed completely qualified for the mobile ethnographic study, the recruitment team discussed the next steps and forwarded over a confirmation email with more in-depth instructions and details for the study.
Rewards for the Millennial and Gen Z Participants
All 84 qualified participants were strategically selected. Those who signed up for the research went to a specific retail store (Costco, Verizon, Best Buy, etc.) to shop for a new phone or laptop as they normally would.
After their shopping experience was over, participants immediately uploaded video and photoresponses to each of the 12-questions or tasks asked in the app.
To thank the mobile ethnography participants for their time and feedback, each was rewarded with a $75 Amazon gift card. Upon successful quality check, each participant received their gift card within a short time frame.
Drive Research is a national market research company located in New York. Our team of experts can successfully recruit, design, and execute a full study around consumers of any generation.
Interested in learning more about our market research services? Reach out through any of the four ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040