Do you know Generation Alpha? It is the demographic cohort succeeding Generation Z. Researchers use the early 2010s as the starting birth years and the mid-2020s as the ending years, while most of its members are the children of millennials. In 2020, 81% of children under the age of 12 were reported to influence family purchases, translating to $500 billion in purchases a year. Given that, what is it that retailers and brands should know about the generation that is expected to number 2 billion by 2025?

According to experts, Generation Alpha is already highly opinionated and active, with a fully developed position on most current issues. They will never use cash or own a car while they lead highly digital lives. Personalized, curated offers are the norm for them. They want real-time, in-app personalization from online retailers on social media and more immersive technology experiences.

Gen Alphas’ purchasing behavior will affect shopping and especially favor value-driven shopping. This means that retailers will need to focus on more transparent, ethical supply chains as well as support inclusion and diversity if they want to stay in their radar. At the same time, sustainability and technology etiquette are factors that cannot be neglected.

It is also worth adding that Gen Alpha is very accustomed to being doted on by their parents. As marketing professors highlight, children are capable of developing brand associations as young as three years old. “Whatever the parents expose the child to, the more often they will come to identify with that brand even from a very young age; those connections happen very naturally and almost non-consciously.”

Concluding, to ignore emerging Alphas is to ignore the future. This group of consumers is going to continue to shape the global culture and physical world. That’s why, retailers and brands should get to know them better and make strategic moves to appeal to them. The future is not far away.