Inside Gen Z’s Shopping Brain: What Drives Their Purchases in 2025
A research-backed look at the journey Gen Z-ers take before making a purchase.
Bobbie’s parent company, HUNTER, recently launched Wave 2 of its Influence in America study. The study is geared towards understanding how to win attention across varying sectors during a time when consumer attention and trust are harder to earn than ever before.
The new data offers a clear snapshot of how Gen Z navigates purchasing decisions, how they’re influenced, and what brands can do to meet them where they are. And since we’re not in the business of gatekeeping, here are a few key takeaways brands and marketers should know:
Gen Z Universal Purchasing Truths
1. Little Luxuries Lighten the Weight of Adulthood
With less money to spend and necessities accounting for large purchases, Gen Z consumers are more likely than average to indulge in small luxuries. This trend aligns with a phenomenon known as the “Lipstick Effect” originating during the Great Depression. When many goods are too pricey for consumers to afford, small luxury items fill the space created by out-of-reach indulgences.
2. Research Before Purchase
Gen Z consumers rate purchasing risks 7% higher than the average consumer, and they consult 15% more sources. In other words, before they buy, Gen Z does their homework. This reinforces a need for trustworthy reinforcements – from real customer reviews to friends, family and creators they trust.
3. Social Media Plays a Role
Not surprisingly, social media has a big impact on Gen Z purchasing behavior. Gen Z is 58% more likely to discover a product through social media, and 54% more likely to use social media to learn more about products. Social content, UGC and creator content can help offer discovery, context, comparison, and a tap-to-buy shortcut.
4. IRL Beats URL
Despite their digital DNA, Gen Z-ers most frequently cited “in-store” as the leading source driving their awareness about products and services — aligning with other generations of consumers. Brands will want to reconsider before packing up experiential in-store campaigns and moving 100% online.
5. Family and Friends Matter
Gen Z is 31% more likely to turn to friends and family to inform their purchasing decisions. However, some of these “friends” may include parasocial relationships between influencers and Gen Z viewers, solidifying the path for brands to use influencers as a medium to reach consumers.
What This All Means
To actually earn Gen Z’s attention (and dollars), brands need to:
Elevate affordable indulgences and position budget-conscious messaging towards this demographic (did someone say “Sale”?)
Show up across multiple channels, including the ones Gen Z lives in—TikTok, YouTube, IG, but also IRL
Make creators and genuine customers your lead storytellers at every stage of the purchasing funnel and invest in creators who feel native to the niche (and let them speak in their own voice!)
Gen Z spends cautiously but celebrates loudly. Meet them with mini luxuries, proof they can trust, and creators who feel like friends. Nail that mix, and you’re not just part of their feed—you’re part of their life.