FEATURE
GENERATION Z
GENERATION Z
the next wave of
jewellery consumers
At the recent International Jewellery Show in Hong Kong, a panel of industry experts discussed the need
for the jewellery industry to be prepared for ‘Generation Z’, the post-millennial age group and the next
incarnation of the jewellery consumer market. LEWIS CATCHPOLE asks who ‘Generation Z’ are and
how can jewellers target them
Who are they?
“Brands are aiming to hit the coveted 18-34 age
range, that is the so-called sweet spot which brands
often think of as targeting Millennials. Hearing that
is like hearing nails on a chalkboard for me”. Those
are the words of ‘generation expert’ Angie Read, co-
author of the book ‘Marketing to Gen Z: The Rules
for Reaching This Vast and Very Different Generation
of Influencers’. “They used to be 18-34,” she says,
“but they have aged and the oldest Millennials are
now 38-years-old and the youngest are 23-24, so if
brands are after the 18-34 year range they are already
targeting ‘Gen Z’ but they just don’t know it yet.”
Although the exact start and end dates for
‘Generation Z’ vary, the most accepted version and the
98% of Gen Z still want to shop in Brick-and-mortar stores
38 JEWELLERY FOCUS
one proposed by Read in her book, are from the years
1996 to 2010. This means that the oldest of ‘Gen Z’
are currently 22 years of age and the vast majority of
them will be sitting between the ages of 13-18.
Despite their age, Read explains that ‘Gen Z’
are more akin to their grandparents than they are
to Millennials. “We call them old souls in young
bodies, because