By Howard Riell, Las Vegas Sun

Generation Z may reside at the tail end of the alphabet, but marketers who fail to give it top-of-mind attention do so at their own risk.

Experts may differ on when the earliest members of Generation Z (also called iGen or post-millennials) were born, with opinions ranging from 1990 to 2001, but it’s agreed they share some traits as consumers. And businesses with an eye on the future should know what they are and how to address them.

“The next generation of American consumers is ethnically diverse, tech-savvy and on the move,” said Chicago-based research firm Technomic Inc. in its recent study, “GEN Z: Decoding the Behaviors of the Next Generation.” “They are discerning consumers. … As they mature, they are more influenced by their peers and by digital and traditional media.”

“Gen Z is the first generation to experience multichannel and digital marketing on a daily basis, and almost since birth,” said Jackie Rodriguez, senior manager at Technomic. “As older Gen Zers’ sphere of influence widens, they still look to outside sources of information rather than making independent decisions.”

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