Generation Y UX trends – How to market to this generation

How companies approach user experience changes over time. There is a shift in user experience and related business and marketing activities each time a new generation steps forward and becomes an influential factor. Today, companies are clamoring to uncover the perfect marketing mix to target the newest generation that has some clout—Generation Y.

Generation Y UX trends have become an important part of how companies develop their marketing plans and determine which technology to use as part of their marketing and advertising campaigns. Before you can create a successful users experience for Generation Y, you need to understand what they are all about, what makes them tick, and the type of interactions that will cause them to engage with your company.

What Do We Know About Generation Y?

Even though they are closely associated with one another, Generation Y and Generation X have a number of differences when it comes to how companies market to them. Understanding the differences between the two groups enables companies to better understand how to create a user experience that will be well received.

So, what do we know about Generation Y?

Gemma Maidment of Webcredible outlines some of the important characteristics of this generation:

• Generation Y is anyone who was born after 1980
• They are conformists and their goal is to fit in
• They make collaborative purchase decisions
• What other people have to say matters
• They expect instant gratification

The Key to Generation Y UX Trends – Instant Gratification

Perhaps the most important takeaway about what we know about this generation, and one of the most important factors for generation Y UX trends, is that instant gratification is an essential component for marketing to Gen Y.

 

“Mobile has introduced a platform for instant gratification and truly multichannel retail, which generation Y strives for, and the retailer that gets this right will gain a huge advantage over its competitors,” says Maidment.

Engaging Generation Y

As outlined in 5 Things That You Need to Know About Marketing to Gen Y by Nathalie Nahai, Generation Y individuals are a little more tricky to market to because they are more skeptical of traditional marketing and advertising tactics, which has an influence on how companies can create an engaging user experience.

“If you’re serious about engaging Gen Y consumers, you have to give them an experience they’ll want to share. By focusing your efforts on experiential marketing, and incorporating a sense of social responsibility and an incentive to share your content with their peers, you’ll be able to connect with these consumers more deeply and help win their trust,” says Nahai.

When it comes to Generation Y UX trends, the steps companies must take to effectively engage with this generation are becoming clearer. Companies need to further examine who Generation Y is and what they want, and focus on instant gratification using mobile and interactive technology to engage this increasingly powerful generation of consumers.