The young and internet-adept young generation is a combo of Gen Z (1996-2012) and Gen Alpha (2013-2025). The point of differentiation is when each got access to screens and applications to manipulate on them: for Z it wasn’t for at least a few years after they were toddlers, while for Alpha it was their entire lives. Alpha–the first 21st century generation–derives its name for being the first Greek letter. The term was popularized by Kristin Patrick, the chief marketing officer of Claire’s. She created it to describe the teen jewelry and accessories retailer’s clientele according to The New York Times.
The reason Zalpha is interesting to people like Kristin Patrick is that they are a group with a huge potential spending power relative to other generations. The report also said they’d emerge as key luxury consumers. Crucially, they’re always online, which makes them a prime audience for brands. However, their difference from their parents, the millennials, makes marketing to them a bit challenging (the oldest of Alpha turn ten in 2023).
“Our email file and loyalty program are mostly parents so we would never use Gen Z slang in a subject line,” Jacee Scoular, the senior director of brand marketing and communications for Hollister and its sister brands, Gilly Hicks and Social Tourist said to AdAge. “But on our social, we’re a much different brand. We have a youthful voice, memes that crush it, content that is super raw and unfiltered, designed by a 21-year-old on her phone that’s destroying engagement rates.”
Though Zalpha can be treated as a homogenous group based on their similar values surrounding diversity and creative idealism, there is clear heterodoxy between the Z and Alpha generations. Gen Z grew up on the internet, while Alpha was born with it. Experts predict Alpha will be more impatient than previous generations. Exposed to instant gratification platforms early, they’ll expect their needs to be met instantly. That’s a consumer that companies will need to become fluent in speaking to soon.
