The Inside Scoop on Millennial and Gen-Z Holiday Gifting in 2020

This year has looked a bit different than others. So far in 2020, we’ve faced a global pandemic, elected a new president, fought for social justice, and so much more. It goes without saying that this holiday season is sure to look a little different, too!

In such a unique time, the already challenging task of holiday shopping for the Gen-Z’ers and Millennials in your life is even more difficult. So, to make things just a little simpler, we’re giving you the gift of the inside scoop!

We reached out to our proprietary community of influential 18-34 year-olds to get their thoughts on all things 2020 holiday gift giving—from how they plan to shop to what they’d most like to receive. Here’s what they had to say.

About Our Millennial + Generation-Z Community

The YMC community, including our @youthmarketing followers, consists of more than two hundred thousand highly-engaged students and young adults from across North America. Over 90% of our network is between the ages of 18-34. In other words, our community represents Millennials and Generation-Z.

So, to collect the best possible tips for Millennial and Gen-Z holiday shopping, we went directly to the source! We polled our audience via our internal network and directly on Instagram Stories and received an incredible number of responses.

What We Discovered + What it Means for Holiday Shopping in 2020

Our Instagram survey helped us to uncover some interesting insights that’ll impact how consumers are shopping for Millennial and Gen-Z gifts this season.

It wasn’t surprising to learn that, given the current pandemic and the resulting lifestyle changes, Millennial and Gen-Z consumers are now purchasing items they wouldn’t have considered in the past. These purchasing decisions are also making an impact on their holiday wish lists.

Here are some of the key takeaways from our research and what they mean for Millennial and Generation-Z gift giving in 2020:

75% of respondents said they’re currently working or attending classes virtually
Millennials and Gen-Z’ers are spending more time at home. So, it’s a safe bet to give gifts that align with the homebody lifestyle.

Nearly all respondents said they’re favoring online shopping this holiday season
Most Millennials and Generation-Z are staying COVID-safe and ditching the stores this holiday season. Consider ordering a gift online and having it shipped directly to your special someone’s doorstep.

Most respondents would rather receive cash than a gift card
With our audience ditching in-store shopping, it was surprising to find that people prefer receiving cash over gift cards to use at their leisure. This means a holiday card with some green definitely isn’t out of the question!

Gift cards aren’t dead (even though most respondents would rather receive cash)

While most respondents said they’d prefer cash over gift cards, they also indicated that they’d be open to receiving gift cards. There’s no shame in the gift card game!

80% of respondents admit to exclusively living in casual and comfy clothes this year
We weren’t surprised to see that 80% of our Millennial and Gen-Z survey participants are living in loungewear. So, when it comes to purchasing clothing as a gift, think fuzzy and soft!

A majority of respondents love subscription boxes
Most of the respondents said they’d love to receive a subscription box as a gift because it’s the gift that keeps giving. So, if you’re open to a monthly spend, this could be your best bet!

Gift Ideas for Millennials + Gen-Z

Based on these findings (and some helpful hints from our community), we’ve pulled together a few ideas for gifts that’re sure to please your Millennial and Generation-Z loved ones.

YMC Holiday Gift Guide 2020 Infographic

Gift Cards

While our survey participants indicated that they’d prefer cash over gift cards, a gift card adds a personal touch and is easier to use online. When asked what gift cards they’d prefer, some of the top brands our respondents mentioned were Amazon, Target, Sephora, Starbucks, and VISA. They also recommended shopping small and local, as many of those businesses are now offering gift cards and better e-commerce experiences.

All Things Cozy

A vast majority of our participants are working or taking classes remotely, but they indicated that they’d prefer receiving comfy and cozy essentials over items for their WFH setups. Desired items mentioned included blankets, sweatpants, coffee, headphones, and essential oils.

We recommend checking out Nordstrom Rack, Urban Outfitters, and Nespresso for goodies that’ll help keep your loved ones comfy and cozy.

Loungewear

Our Millennial and Gen-Z survey participants indicated that they’d love to receive loungewear as a holiday gift. Some ideas include anything sherpa, boots, slippers, and matching sets.

Check out Aerie, LL Bean, and Adidas for some on-trend loungewear gift options! If you’re looking for something more unique, take a peak at Depop’s thrifted items.

Subscription Services

If you’re looking for a gift that’ll keep on giving after the holiday season, look no further than a subscription service. Our Millennial and Gen-Z respondents noted their favorites as FabFitFun, HelloFresh, and Winc.

Don’t Forget to Support Small, Local, + Black-Owned Businesses

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the importance of supporting small, local, and Black-owned businesses this holiday season.

According to an article published by Salesforce, “56% of consumers — and 62% of Millennials, the largest consumer segment — say they spend more at small businesses now than they did last year.” So, we bet the Millennials and Gen-Z’ers on your list will be thrilled to see you’re doing the same!

Here’s a list of a few of the YMC team’s favorite small, local, and Black-owned businesses to inspire your shopping!

We hope this inside scoop on holiday gift giving for Millennials and Gen-Z’ers has you feeling inspired. We wish you a happy, safe holiday season and happy shopping!

Looking for More Than Shopping Tips?

If you’re a brand manager interested in reaching more Millennial and Generation-Z consumers, we can help! At YMC, we’ve been connecting brands with 15- to 34-year-old consumers for two decades—we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!

5 Ways Your Brand Can Vet Its Collegiate Influencers

People, especially influencers, present their best selves on social media. Their pictures are photoshopped, their captions are thoughtfully crafted, and their aesthetics are carefully developed. But, things aren’t always as they seem! The recent college admission scandal, known as “Operation Varsity Blues,” is proof that what collegiate influencers put out on social media does not always translate to real life.

Each year, more brands are turning to Gen-Z collegiate influencers—like Olivia Jade, who we followed in the “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal—to promote their products through social media marketing and partnerships. And, given the current industry climate, it’s extremely important to thoroughly vet your collegiate influencers.

The following are five ways to evaluate future collegiate influencers to ensure that they’re a great fit for your brand and can effectively engage with your targeted audiences on campus.

1. Seek out on-campus involvement

In order to promote a brand on campus, a collegiate influencer needs to be plugged into their campus community. So, it’s a good idea to look for students who have a variety of involvement across different campus groups.

Ask each student about the leadership roles they hold and what their responsibilities are as a member or leader in each group. Meaningful involvement in on-campus groups can be leveraged for the brand, so make sure you delve deeper into their connections.

2. Look into secondary social media channels

While your brand might only be searching for collegiate influencers to assist with campaigns on a single platform, it’s important not to forget about other social media sites. Your brand should evaluate potential student influencers’ online personas as a whole.

Many students use different channels to express different sides of themselves (ex: Twitter = politics, Instagram = lifestyle, YouTube = beauty). Evaluating each of these channels in close detail is a simple way to ensure that each of your future influencers embodies the values of your brand—on each and every platform. Not to mention, it will help your company to avoid any not-so-happy surprises down the line!

3. Ask them about their studies and career aspirations

Evaluating influencers is much more than exploring their online personas. It’s important to have thoughtful conversations with potential collegiate partners to get to know their personalities.

The best influencers are those who are passionate about what they do. We encourage brands to ask students about their studies and career aspirations. Often times, students interested in social media, marketing, and public relations turn out to be fantastic collegiate influencers.

It’s always a great idea to seek out highly-ambitious students, but be sure to ask them about their course load and schedule. Students with too much on their plates may not be able to devote the necessary amounts of time and energy to your brand’s campaign.

4. Make sure their brand is aligned with yours

Collegiate influencers use their personal brands to promote products and services. Gen-Z has grown up surrounded by influencer marketing, and they can tell when posts feel forced or inauthentic.

To ensure a successful campaign, evaluate potential college influencers’ social media content thoroughly—this includes reading through captions and looking at Instagram stories. Also, look for diversity in your influencers’ content. Great student influencers are well-rounded (i.e. they post a variety of photos that show different aspects of their lives).

Lastly, if you have very specific content requirements for your campaign, make sure your potential student influencers already meet those requirements. It’s unlikely that influencers will change content or posting style drastically for your brand.

5. Take cues from your interactions

If potential influencers don’t sound interested in an interview, then it is highly unlikely that they’ll be able to convey authentic enthusiasm for your brand when it’s time for them to begin posting. So, don’t let content quality blind you. Trust your gut in initial conversations and interactions. You can help someone craft better posts, but you can’t craft excitement.

The takeaways

As brand managers, there are two very important lessons to take away from the “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal. First, social media reality doesn’t always equate to a potential influencer’s real life. And second, it’s important to thoroughly vet each and every individual that represents your brand— including any collegiate influencers.

At YMC, we work with a network of thousands of thoroughly-vetted collegiate influencers across the country, so you can feel confident knowing that we have the right college connections for your brand. Our team carefully reviews each potential hire to ensure they are right for the brand, motivated about the job, and are involved in campus life.

If you’re tackling collegiate influencer recruitment internally, we hope these tips serve as a great starting point for properly evaluating your future collegiate representatives. If you’re still feeling nervous about where to start, YMC can help!

Want to learn more?

Check out a few other articles we’ve written on this topic:

A Millennial’s Guide to Landing a Post-Grad Job

As a Millennial currently on the job hunt, I feel like I’ve become an expert on all things related to getting hired post-graduation. I know things may be looking bleak, but fear not fellow seniors, you aren’t alone in this (which actually may be the problem, there are too many of us looking for jobs!).

For your benefit, I’ve compiled all the tips and tricks I’ve gathered from my internships and from attending almost every networking or alumni event at school. Hopefully it will help you land your dream job! Or really any job at all, we can’t be picky at this point.

1. Sign up for job alerts

Sign up for job alerts on sites such as Indeed and Career Builder. You will receive daily emails from these sites with alerts for open jobs in the field and location you choose. Also, check out AngelList, which is basically the Indeed for start-ups.

2. Make an online portfolio of your work

One of my professors who runs his own PR firm suggests this because a portfolio gives him a better feel for who you are and your personality. It also makes it easier for him to come up with questions to ask you in the interview based on your previous work.

3. Use your network

Hit up your professors for advice and guidance on getting jobs. They’ve been around the block and are sure to have some tips for you. Additionally, most of them worked in their field before becoming a professor, so they will likely have some connections for you in the industry. Have them connect you (via LinkedIn or email) with any past students who have jobs that you are interested in learning more about.

4. Complete your LinkedIn profile

Connect with everyone! I spent three hours one day connecting with everyone I knew to get my number to 500+. After I had connected with so many people, more people kept connecting with me! To get you started on your LinkedIn journey, connect with me here. Special shout out to any companies who are reading this and looking to hire an enthusiastic, passionate, team player… your search is over, I am available!

5. Perfect your elevator pitch

You want to let someone know that you’re an asset they should invest in. Showcase why a company would benefit from hiring you.

6. Clean up your Facebook

Use the “View As” tool to see what is public. It’s not worth missing out on your dream job because the company recruiter saw that photo of you on spring break and thinks your behavior speaks more to your character than the “dedicated, hard-working, motivated, go-getter” you describe in your cover letter.

7. Keep cover letters short

Keep cover letters short and to the point. Do not restate things that are on your resume. Instead, describe specific projects or tasks from past experience and how they transfer to this job. Focus on quantitative facts! Your goals are to highlight your interest in the company and position and to describe your background and how it pertains to the job itself.

8. Don’t be afraid of start-ups!

Yes, you will probably work longer hours and be paid less for it, but startups have a bunch of sweet perks too. Additionally, at a startup, you’re typically wearing a bunch of different hats and helping out wherever needed. This gives you far more experience than you would in a larger company where your job is more defined.

9. STALK. STALK. STALK.

We are Millennials, we know how to get the dirt on people. Don’t waste these stalking skills on that girl from your 8 AM lecture who you swore you saw at that party the other night talking to your boyfriend… use your stalking skills to get a sweet job! For any job or company you want to work for, check out their LinkedIn and see if you have any connections with other employees (especially your school’s alumni). Before an interview, research the person you’ll be interviewing with and see what you can learn about them. Check out their past experience and what their interests are. Anything you can bring up that you have in common is a bonus.

10. Set up informational interviews

At one of my past internships, my mentor talked about the importance and usefulness of informational interviews. To score an informational interview, find a junior level employee. Bonus points if they have something in common with you or a mutual friend/connection. Send them a message with something along the lines of, “Hey, I know you are busy, but can I take 15 minutes of your time to speak with you and learn more about your company and the work you do there?” As someone in a lower level position, they will usually be more willing to speak with you and flattered that you want to pick their brain and hear about their experience. After speaking, thank them and keep in touch. If a position opens up at their company, they may think of you first!

11. Don’t give up!

Look for ways to get in the back door of a company. Network. Be a little sneaky and stalk people. Suck up, but be genuine about it. Don’t be shy about promoting yourself.

And above all, don’t stress. Trust in yourself and your abilities. If you work hard, you will succeed. And if you don’t succeed, go live at home for a while with free food and free laundry and your dog and a working dishwasher and now that I think of it, that isn’t sounding so bad at all…