Gen X and Gen Y

Shopping Habits of Gen X and Gen Y

Generation X consists of people born between 1965 and 1978 and make up 40 million consumers. Because they are between the ages of 32 and 45 and are starting to buy homes and make money, they are the prime consumers for the green industry. There are 37 million less people in Gen X than in the Baby Boomers, meaning less potential customers. Therefore, it is very important for the industry to capture them as costumers. In order to do so we first need to understand a few things about them:

A.     They have been exposed to multiple media since their birth making them savvy and cynical consumers.

B.     Almost 50 percent of this generation’s parents were divorced, causing them to be very self-reliant.

C.     This generation grew up with technology so they catch on to new concepts and technologies quickly.

Gen X is used to using the Internet and finding information online. It will be very important for Garden Centers to have a good websites that show everything that they offer. Generation X wants a product not a process, so stores should be organized to make it easy for customers to find what they want. Also is important to impress them in first visit or it is likely they will not be back

Generation Y consists of people born between 1979 and 1994 and consists of about 60 million people, larger than Gen X by 20 million. This generation currently ranges from teenagers to people in their late 20s, so part of this generation is entering, or will be entering the buying age for the green industry. A few important things to know about Gen Y include:

A.     They are impatient because they have grown up in an automated world

B.     Family-oriented because most had stable childhoods

C.     They are curious about how things work

D.    Very good at managing their time.

E.     Are the most diverse generation

So when selling to Gen Y one needs to think about being quick and smart. They will want to get their plants and go home to their family, so stores should be set up efficiently. Also they will probably not want to spend much time doing planting themselves, so patio planters and will hanging baskets should be popular items. Furthermore, because this generation is very prone to impulse buys, having flowering products in entrance and exits should bring some additional sales.

What are your opinions about selling to these generations?