Social media and digital interaction have become a major focus for brands, particularly since the COVID-19 epidemic. A recent survey found that Gen Z is particularly impacted by their experiences with these, a point that marketers should take to heart. 

The survey from Qualtrics was designed to look at the evolving state of customer expectations. Survey participants included 9,000 consumers across a wide range of age groups. Survey findings included:

• Negative company interactions are most upsetting to Gen Z. They are least likely to report being happy with their customer experience.
• Gen Z places high value on safety measures and are much more likely than Boomers to leave a brand over perceived insufficient safety measures. The opposite is also true – younger consumers will start buying from a brand if they like its public health safety measures.
• Brand values are also important to Gen Z. Younger consumers are three times more likely than Boomers to be familiar with the values of the brands they purchase from.
• The presence of social media from a brand was one of Gen Z’s top three means of brand relevance. No other age group ranked social media this high.

Considering that Gen Z grew up with social media and e-commerce, it makes sense that they have a higher expectation for brands to meet their needs and provide a satisfactory experience. Gen Z is well aware that they can take their negative interactions public via social media and that they can easily find an alternate brand by searching competitors online.