If you sell natural products, we need to talk about your Gen Z marketing strategy.
Two reasons why. First, people born between 1998 and 2012 are outpacing other generations in spending growth. Second, recent survey results suggest these tech-happy kiddos shop differently for natural products than millennials, Gen Xers, or boomers.
Here’s the lesson from the survey. To sell more effectively to Gen Z, consider a retail presence while publishing science-backed content on social and elsewhere.
Now for those survey details. Wellness news leader New Hope Network queried over 1,000 consumers aged 20–75 who frequently use supplements. (They forgot to survey me even though my overflowing supplement cabinet has been known to frighten household guests.) The results suggest that Gen Z:
- Buys more in-store than Gen X or millennials
- Weights price and efficacy equally when supplement shopping
- Uses social media to find natural products
The brick-and-mortar love seems counterintuitive because Gen Zers are children of the digital age. But data beats intuition, so consider hitting the shelves. LMNT got the memo early. This long-time client of mine recently entered retail with LMNT Sparkling, a ready-to-drink electrolyte beverage.
The second result should guide your content strategy. The better you use science to convey your product’s efficacy, the more price-insensitive your customers will be. Read my article on why wellness consumers demand science before buying to explore McKinsey’s data on this topic.
Sure, content isn’t everything. The best proof is a felt benefit, but many products don’t work that way. For instance, CoQ10 supplements offer long-term cardiovascular benefits but probably won’t make you feel any different. And what about folks who haven’t tried your stuff yet?
That’s where marketing comes in—ideally, marketing that simplifies relevant science for comprehension and persuasion. My team helps top wellness brands like LMNT, IQBAR, and HUM do just that. Scientific credibility leads to trust. Trust leads to sales.
Onto the final result: Gen Zers get most of their information about supplements (and many other things) from Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Two thoughts here. First, pair with credible influencers to promote your product. Consider hiring a full-time person to find and retain these influencers. Big investment, big potential payoff.
The second thought is a smaller investment but can move the needle nicely. Just take science-backed content from your website and repurpose it for social. Summarize the content in style, then guide consumers to your website to learn more. Here are two examples from LMNT: link, link.
Again, embrace retail while building scientific trust across channels, especially on social. That’s how you sell to Gen Z.
By the way, check out my free report on building traffic and trust with health and wellness content marketing.
And if you’re interested in working with my team, drop me a note in the contact form below and we’ll set up a free consult.
