Generation Z: very impressionable online, but clever with their own data

The study shows how different the individual generations are in their brand perception, how they deal with their data online and what expectations they have when they make their data available to a brand.

More than one in two Germans (55%) are convinced that Generation Z (up to the age of 23) can be most easily influenced online - be it through advertising, media or influencers on social networks. By comparison, only 12% believe that the baby boomer generation (55 to 73 years) is most likely to be influenced by what they see on the internet. Generation Z consumers are well aware of their own susceptibility: 62% of them believe that they belong to the most impressionable generation.

However, the situation is different when it comes to protecting their personal data: When it comes to what data can be shared with brands, Generation Z is much more secure than older generations. For example, one in four Generation Z consumers (25%) configure their settings for sharing data on social media. Only 15 percent of Baby Boomers do this.

Data for a better customer experience

In general, Generation Z is much more willing to interact with brands and their advertising (Generation Z: 54%, Baby Boomers: 12%). For a better customer experience, 62% of Generation Z would pass on their data to a brand. This willingness decreases with increasing age in the following generations (Gen X: 50 percent, Baby Boomers: 43 percent).

If the customer experience is not right, brands have a hard time in all generations: 15% of Generation Z would no longer provide a company with any data if the customer experience was poor. Among Baby Boomers, 39% would even boycott the brand with a data boycott.

"Trust is the basis of every good customer relationship. The results of the study show: German consumers are cautious and brands are under scrutiny. Those who communicate transparently and generate a high level of recognizable added value for their customers from data are making a sustainable investment in the quality of this relationship," says Christoph Kull, Vice President and Managing Director Central Europe at Adobe. "Companies that provide a positive customer experience have the opportunity to build valuable trust and therefore relevance. This requires the right technical infrastructure on the one hand and a high degree of human, creative excellence on the other."

The results at a glance

• 55 percent of German consumers consider Generation Z to be the most impressionable generation.
• When it comes to protecting their personal data, Generation Z is much more secure than older generations.
• 62 percent of Generation Z would trade their data for an improved customer experience.
• Around 90 percent of Germans are concerned about whether their data is treated confidentially. Only one in four consumers (26.8%) is prepared to pass on their contact information to brands.
• For 13% of Generation Z and millennials respectively, sharing their personal data is not a problem. Among older consumers from the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations, this figure is significantly lower (7% and 9% respectively).
• Consumers of all generations want brands to explain to them simply and clearly what they intend to do with their data (Generation Z: 27 percent, Baby Boomers: 34 percent).
• 60% of Generation Z are open to interacting with brands on social networks, forums or messaging websites. The older the consumers are, the more this willingness decreases (boomers: 24%).
• Across all generations, German consumers are particularly afraid of criminal misuse of their data (Generation Z: 37%, Baby Boomers: 34%).