Why Millennials Suddenly Matter Less

By Matt Pillar, chief editor

July 2014 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

For the past few years we’ve read, conducted, and reported on a lot of meaningful research on the millennial generation, its impact as a growing consumer base, and the nuances that make catering to it an entirely different exercise for retailers.

Now, at least two very credible sources of data are telling us that millennials aren’t so special after all.

This news isn’t cause for panic, nor does it merit reinvention of any millennialreaching initiatives on your part. Everything we know about retailing to the millennial generation remains true — for example, their propensity to prefer passive communication (e.g., text messaging and personalized application engagement). Or the fact that, as consumers, they’re not just digital natives, they’re mobile digital natives, having accepted their smartphones as a veritable extension of themselves. Their most often accurate assumption is that they know more than your store associates do. They’re also comfortable with e-commerce and have nonchalant attitudes about privacy. These all remain true, and they still spell digital and cross-channel engagement opportunity for retailers.