The first global generation

Marcos Gouva de Souza (mgsouza@gsmd.com.br), CEO, GS&MD Gouva de Souza

Generation Y is the first one that can be considered as global, as its attitudes are similar all over the world, as a consequence of an element of behavioral sameness that come as a consequence of the incorporation of the Information Technology, computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, the Internet and social networks, shaping behaviors and thoughts. In several ways, the behavior of the various generations of consumers have always been a reference to segment and study the evolution of attitudes and behaviors as a result of the moments of several societies and their social, political and economic factors. Specially, the benchmark used to be the United States, adapting its reality to other countries and markets. In time, there were identified the baby boomers, the ones born in the 50s and 60s, as the generation created in the post-WWII in the United States; followed by Generation X, born in the 60s and 70s; and, later, by the Generation X, born in the 80s and 90s and today between 18 and 31 years-old. If the boomers were impacted in their evolution by the television, the X Gen saw the birth of the internet. The Y Gen consumers are the more impacted in their behavior by the massive expansion of the access and use of the Web and by the growth of social networks. And these are two pivotal factors, the drivers of a universal behavior of consumers worldwide, a process that didnt occur with the former generations, due to economic, social, political and geographical differences.

The Citizens of the World of the Y Generation are the Neoconsumers, as we were able to identify in the two editions of a global survey held by GS&MD Gouva de Souza and Ebeltoft Group in 2009 and 2011. And it all points to the fact that, as time goes by, clearer will be this universal behavior, defined by the evolution of access and use of the internet and social networks. The Generation Y accounts for the most part of the estimated 750 million Facebook users, and 50% of them access this social network at least once a day and have an average of 130 virtual friends, with whom they exchange information, references and opinions, creating a level of relationship and direct intercommunication unimaginable in any other moment of history. This, per se, is the pivotal element of the global behavioral alignment, due to the direct and constant connection of these people. Different of other generations, this communication is multidirectional. Instead of being recipients of a predominantly one-way communication coming from the traditional media, this generation, unlike any other before, has the power of interacting. And it makes all different. Relevant traces of the behavior of this generation and more and more present in several countries, partly shaped by the access to broad, general and global information made feasible by technology, are a stronger sense of independence, as consumers can go, by themselves, deeper in what they want; and a critical spirit driven by the opportunity of free-speaking brought in by the multichannel digital communication tools. The same way and for the very same reasons, this generation is more multitasking. On the other hand, however, they become more superficial and instant in their behavior, what reflects in their shopping and spending attitudes and habits, and also in their preferences by brands, stores and sales and relationship

channels. Thus, more and more the solutions created by brands, retailers and service providers worldwide will be more lookalike, as the demands will tend to be more aligned. On the other hand, some of the more present characteristics point exactly to more customized and specific propositions. In the store environment, more specifically, the Generation Y consumers have a consumer behavior that brings all this information acquired, shared, criticized and referenced by the internet and social media, leading to new and more creative solutions for the stores, that have been converting, more and more, in points of relationship, convenience, learning, information, services and experience.