Young people primarily shop online. The corona pandemic has only intensified this development. But as soon as young people have to go into the “real” business, it becomes embarrassing or unpleasant for many.
The new adults have been born into a digitalized environment and have acquired new ways of purchasing products and services. Generation Z is considered the generation that was born with a cell phone in their hand.
But while online shopping isn’t a problem, for many young people going to a brick-and-mortar store is a real nightmare.
While many young adults in their 20s and 25s begin to tackle tasks like paying taxes, getting gas, or running a household, going to the store has become a tedious task. Apparently they lack the necessary knowledge.
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Interaction and communication are difficult when you only buy and pay for a lot of things online
A young woman reports on Tiktok that she is afraid of going shopping at the local butcher shop. But instead of mockery and ridicule, many people report in the comments who have similar problems:
They don’t know how to behave in a local store, what to ask for, or what to do there. Some shared how they ended up buying products like a whole salmon or a quarter of chorizo just because they saw others doing so:
At the fishmonger’s I didn’t know that salmon was sold whole. I ordered a salmon thinking it was a kilo and he gave me the whole salmon (€64). Because I was embarrassed, I didn’t say anything and took it.
Similarly, a young woman recounted her experience in a specialized butcher shop where, when she asked for 50 grams of cheese, she received only one slice: “I left with my slice of cheese, in silence and in shame,” she confessed.
This phenomenon shows how difficult it is for young people to shop in physical stores. A Spanish bank, for example, anonymously evaluated user data (via Caixabankresearch.com). According to this statistic, over 40% of 16 to 29 year olds spend their money online.
In comparison, customers over 65 spend less than 10% of their money on online purchases. In addition, among older people, at least 43% prefer to shop directly from brands rather than order online for reasons of trust and security.
The payment institution Mastercard came to similar results in its own study, which was published in 2022:
What’s the problem? This trend towards online shopping highlights a general, much larger problem and that is the lack of interpersonal communication. Many young people, reinforced by the Corona pandemic, are simply used to exchanging ideas via text messages. A call or phone call is handled much less often if it can also be done via a message.
More about Gen Z: In a recent study at a Norwegian university, researchers found that 40% of students have lost the ability to write handwritten texts. Turkish professors are also having similar experiences with their students who belong to Gen Z: Gen Z is losing an ability that humanity has had for 5,500 years