Shopping: Gen Z, millennials use e-commerce, self-checkout to avoid other people

Why it is the topic trending:

• Highlights Significant Generational Differences: The stark contrast in preference for avoiding human interaction in shopping between the digitally native younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials) and the older generations (Gen X and Baby Boomers) is a noteworthy and evolving demographic trend that has significant implications for the retail industry.

• Reflects a Fundamental Shift in the Retail Landscape: The increasing adoption of online shopping, Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS), and self-checkout options by younger consumers indicates a fundamental and ongoing transformation in how consumers are choosing to engage with the retail environment and complete their purchases.

• Addresses Evolving Social Dynamics in Consumer Behavior: The preference to minimize or avoid interaction with others during the shopping experience touches upon changing social norms, varying levels of comfort with different types of interactions, and a potential shift towards valuing efficiency and autonomy over traditional social engagement in transactional settings.

• Provides Crucial Insights for Businesses: Understanding these distinct generational preferences and the underlying motivations driving them is absolutely crucial for retailers and businesses across all sectors in order to effectively tailor their services, optimize their customer experiences, and make strategic investments in technology and infrastructure that align with evolving consumer expectations.

• Connects Directly to Broader Trends in Technological Adoption: Younger generations, having grown up in a digital age, are typically far more comfortable with and reliant on technology in nearly all aspects of their daily lives, including communication, entertainment, and increasingly, their shopping habits and preferences.

Overview:

The GoDaddy Consumer Pulse survey has revealed a distinct and pronounced preference among Gen Z and Millennial consumers for shopping methods that intentionally minimize or entirely eliminate the need for direct interaction with other people, whether it be store staff or fellow shoppers. This younger demographic shows a significantly greater inclination towards utilizing online shopping platforms, Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) services, and self-checkout options in physical stores compared to their older counterparts in the Gen X and Baby Boomer generations.

Detailed Findings:

• A significant majority of Gen Z respondents (54%) and Millennials (50%) reported that they actively prefer shopping methods that afford them the opportunity to avoid interaction with other people during their purchasing journey.

• In sharp contrast, fewer than a third of Gen X (29%) and Baby Boomers (29%) expressed the same strong preference for interaction-free shopping methods, indicating a clear generational divide in this particular aspect of consumer behavior.

• The specific shopping methods favored by those seeking to avoid interaction include the convenience and autonomy of Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) services, the speed and self-control of self-checkout systems in physical retail locations, and the overall detachment and efficiency of shopping online through digital platforms.

Key Takeaway:

A substantial and growing portion of younger consumers, specifically Gen Z and Millennials, are actively choosing and increasingly preferring shopping methods that allow them to minimize or completely avoid interaction with other people. This fundamental shift in consumer expectations and behaviors within the retail environment has profound implications for businesses and underscores the increasing importance of technology-driven and self-service options in meeting the evolving needs of these key demographics.

Main Trend:

• Trend Name: Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping

Description of the trend:

Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping describes a significant and accelerating trend, particularly prominent among younger generations like Gen Z and Millennials, where digital technologies are not merely a tool for facilitating shopping but are actively being leveraged to create a detached and largely interaction-free purchasing experience. This trend goes beyond the simple adoption of e-commerce, encompassing a preference for autonomy, efficiency, and a desire to minimize or entirely avoid social engagement during the shopping process through online platforms, self-service options, and contactless fulfillment methods.

What is consumer motivation (detailed description):

• Seeking Unparalleled Convenience and Efficiency: Online shopping and self-checkout options are widely perceived as offering superior speed and efficiency, enabling consumers to save valuable time and effort compared to traditional shopping methods that necessitate interaction with store staff.

• Desire to Avoid Social Anxiety or Potential Awkwardness: Many individuals, particularly within younger demographics, may experience social anxiety or general discomfort when interacting with strangers or even store employees. Interaction-free shopping methods provide a welcome way to navigate their purchasing needs without these social pressures.

• Valuing Autonomy and Control Over the Shopping Experience: Shopping online or utilizing self-checkout systems empowers consumers with a greater sense of control over their entire shopping journey, allowing them to leisurely browse, carefully select items, and complete their payments at their own preferred pace and without feeling observed or rushed.

• Increased Baseline Comfort and Reliance on Technology: Gen Z and Millennials, having grown up in the digital age as digital natives, possess a much higher level of comfort and inherent reliance on digital interfaces and self-service technologies for a wide range of daily tasks, including the process of shopping and making purchases.

• Preference to Avoid Sales Pressure and Unwanted Assistance: Some consumers actively prefer to avoid interactions with sales associates in order to prevent feeling pressured into making purchasing decisions they are uncertain about or receiving unsolicited assistance that they do not require or desire.

What is driving trend (detailed description):

• Continued Advancements in Technology: The ongoing proliferation and sophistication of e-commerce platforms, the increasing user-friendliness and reliability of self-checkout systems, and the growing availability and efficiency of Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) services have collectively made it significantly easier and more appealing for consumers to bypass human interaction during their shopping experiences.

• Strategic Shifts in the Retail Landscape: Retailers across various sectors are increasingly recognizing and responding to these evolving consumer preferences by making substantial investments in their online sales channels and deploying more self-service technologies within their physical store locations to improve operational efficiency and cater to the demands of the "Anti-Social Shopper."

• Dominant Influence of Digital Natives: As Gen Z and Millennials represent an ever-growing and increasingly influential segment of the consumer market, their inherent comfort and strong preference for technology-driven solutions are playing a pivotal role in shaping the broader expectations and standards for the entire retail industry.

• Increasing Value Placed on Personal Time: In today's fast-paced and demanding world, consumers are often operating under significant time constraints and are therefore prioritizing shopping methods that offer maximum efficiency and minimize the amount of time required to complete their purchases.

• Evolving Cultural Norms Around Social Interaction in Transactions: There may also be underlying cultural shifts and notable generational differences in the way individuals perceive and prefer social interaction within the context of transactional environments, with younger generations potentially placing less emphasis on social engagement during shopping.

What is motivation beyond the trend (detailed description):

• Focus on Task-Oriented Shopping: For a significant segment of consumers, shopping is viewed primarily as a necessary task that needs to be completed quickly and efficiently. Minimizing social interaction helps to streamline this process and allows them to get in and out of stores or complete online purchases without unnecessary delays.

• Natural Introversion and Preference for Solitude: Individuals who identify as introverted may naturally prefer shopping methods that allow them to avoid prolonged or unnecessary social engagements, finding more comfort and ease in a less interactive shopping experience.

Description of consumers article is referring to:

• Age: The survey findings specifically highlight Gen Z (individuals born roughly between 1997 and 2012) and Millennials (individuals born roughly between 1981 and 1996) as the primary demographics demonstrating a preference for avoiding human interaction during shopping. Older generations, including Gen X (born roughly between 1965 and 1980) and Baby Boomers (born roughly between 1946 and 1964), exhibit a considerably weaker preference for these interaction-free methods.

• Gender: The GoDaddy survey report, as summarized in the article, does not provide specific data or insights into gender-based differences in this particular shopping preference.

• Income: While the survey targeted a broad sample of U.S. consumers, the article does not offer any information regarding income-based variations in the preference for interaction-free shopping among the mentioned age groups. It can be reasonably inferred that this preference likely spans across various income levels within Gen Z and Millennials.

• Lifestyle: The consumers in these younger generations who prefer to avoid human interaction during shopping are likely to be individuals who are inherently comfortable and familiar with technology, place a high value on convenience and efficiency in their daily lives, and may lead busy and fast-paced lifestyles where time is considered a valuable commodity.

Conclusions:

The findings of the GoDaddy survey clearly demonstrate a significant and growing preference among younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, for shopping methods that intentionally minimize or eliminate human interaction. This trend underscores a fundamental shift in consumer expectations within the retail landscape, driven by factors such as a desire for convenience and efficiency, increased comfort with technology, and potentially evolving social norms around transactional interactions.

Implications for brands:

• Invest strategically in developing and maintaining robust and user-friendly e-commerce platforms that offer a seamless and efficient online shopping experience accessible across all devices, with a strong emphasis on mobile optimization.

• Optimize and enhance Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) services to ensure a quick, convenient, and entirely contactless process for customers who prefer to order online and retrieve their purchases in person without prolonged interaction.

• Implement and consistently maintain reliable and intuitive self-checkout systems within physical retail stores to provide customers with a fast, efficient, and interaction-free payment option, catering to those who prefer to complete their transactions independently.

• Carefully consider and potentially explore the strategic implementation of AI-powered customer service solutions, such as sophisticated chatbots, to handle routine customer inquiries and provide support in a manner that aligns with the preferences of consumers who may prefer digital interactions over human conversations.

Implication for society:

• Potential for a continued and even more pronounced shift towards increasingly transactional and less socially oriented retail environments, impacting the traditional dynamics of in-person shopping experiences.

• Potential long-term implications for employment opportunities in customer-facing roles within the retail sector as automation and self-service options become more prevalent and consumer preference for them grows.

Implications for consumers:

• Increased levels of convenience, greater control over their personal shopping experience, and the ability to complete purchases more efficiently and on their own terms.

• Potential for a less personalized shopping environment in physical stores, with reduced opportunities for direct assistance or social interaction with store staff.

Implication for Future:

• Anticipate further advancements and broader adoption of technologies that enable increasingly seamless, contactless, and entirely interaction-free shopping experiences across all retail channels.

• Retail spaces may need to undergo significant redesigns and adapt their overall layouts and service models to effectively cater to the growing preference for digitally-driven and detached shopping experiences among key consumer demographics.

Consumer Trend (name, detailed description):

• Trend Name: Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping

  • Detailed Description: This trend describes the increasing reliance on and preference for digital technologies, such as e-commerce, BOPIS, and self-checkout, by consumers who actively seek to minimize or avoid social interaction during their retail shopping experiences.

Consumer Sub Trend (name, detailed description):

• Sub Trend Name: Gen Z & Millennial Autonomous Shopping

  • Detailed Description: This sub-trend specifically emphasizes the strong preference among younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials) to leverage technology to achieve a more autonomous, efficient, and less socially interactive shopping journey, aligning with their comfort and familiarity with digital platforms.

Big Social Trend (name, detailed description):

• Trend Name: The Expanding Influence of Digital Preference in Daily Life

  • Detailed Description: Society as a whole is demonstrating an increasing adoption of and preference for digital technologies as the primary mode for a growing number of daily activities, extending beyond communication and entertainment to now fundamentally shape how consumers choose to engage in retail shopping.

Worldwide Social Trend (name, detailed description):

• Trend Name: Global Acceleration Towards Convenience-Driven Consumption

  • Detailed Description: On a global scale, consumers across various demographics are increasingly prioritizing convenience and efficiency in their consumption patterns, driving a widespread adoption of shopping methods that offer the greatest time savings and the least amount of effort required to make purchases.

Social Drive (name, detailed description):

• Drive Name: Seeking Efficiency, Autonomy, and Comfort in Solitude During Transactions

  • Detailed Description: Consumers, particularly younger generations, are strongly driven by a desire for streamlined efficiency and a sense of personal autonomy in their transactional experiences. Many also find comfort and a sense of ease in shopping in solitude, preferring methods that allow them to complete purchases quickly, on their own terms, and without the need for social interaction.

Learnings for brands to use in 2025 (bullets, detailed description):

• Recognize and fully understand the significant and growing preference for interaction-free shopping experiences among key younger consumer demographics, specifically Gen Z and Millennials.

• Make substantial and ongoing investments in developing and maintaining cutting-edge technology and robust digital infrastructure to effectively support seamless online shopping platforms, highly efficient BOPIS services, and reliable self-checkout systems in physical stores.

• Prioritize the creation of a consistently smooth, intuitive, and highly efficient digital customer experience across all online and mobile touchpoints to cater to the expectations of digitally native consumers.

Strategy Recommendations for brands to follow in 2025 (bullets, detail description):

• Significantly enhance their existing e-commerce platforms with a strong focus on mobile-friendliness, intuitive navigation, seamless checkout processes, and robust security features to cater to the "shop online from their phones and be left alone" mentality.

• Critically evaluate and rigorously optimize their Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) processes to ensure incredibly fast, exceptionally convenient, and entirely contactless pickup experiences for customers who choose this fulfillment method.

• Strategically deploy and continuously upgrade user-friendly and highly efficient self-checkout systems in all physical retail store locations, ensuring they are readily available, function reliably, and provide a swift and hassle-free payment option for customers who prefer to avoid traditional checkout lines and human interaction.

Final Note:

• Core Trend: Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping

  • Detailed Description: This core trend describes a significant shift in consumer behavior, particularly among younger generations, where digital technologies are not just facilitating shopping but are actively being leveraged to create a detached and largely interaction-free purchasing experience, reflecting a preference for autonomy and efficiency.

• Core Strategy: Digital and Self-Service Optimization

  • Detailed Description: To effectively cater to the "Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping" trend, businesses must adopt a core strategy focused on the comprehensive optimization of their digital and self-service offerings to create a seamless and hassle-free shopping experience with minimal or no human interaction.

• Core Industry Trend: The Automation and Digitization of Retail Transactions

  • Detailed Description: The retail industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by the increasing automation and digitization of transactional processes, propelled by the need for greater efficiency and the imperative to meet the evolving preferences of digitally native consumers.

• Core Consumer Motivation: Seeking Efficiency, Autonomy, and Comfort in Solitude During Shopping

  • Detailed Description: The primary motivation driving the "Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping" trend is a confluence of factors centered around efficiency, autonomy, and a preference for solitude during the shopping process, reflecting a desire for streamlined transactions and control over the purchasing journey.

• Final Conclusion: The preference for "Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping" among younger consumers, as highlighted by the GoDaddy survey, represents a critical and evolving direction for the retail industry in 2025 and beyond, emphasizing the need for businesses to invest in and optimize technology-driven, self-service shopping solutions to meet evolving consumer expectations and remain competitive in the digital age.

Core Trend Detailed (Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping)

• Description: Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping describes the increasing preference among consumers, particularly younger generations like Gen Z and Millennials, to utilize digital technologies to create a shopping experience that minimizes or eliminates direct interaction with other people. This trend involves a strong reliance on online platforms, self-service options, and contactless fulfillment methods, reflecting a desire for efficiency, autonomy, and a comfortable sense of solitude during the purchasing journey.

• Key Characteristics of the Trend (summary):

  • Emphasis on Digital Platforms: Strong preference for online shopping via websites and apps.

  • Self-Service Focus: Utilizing self-checkout systems in physical stores.

  • Contactless Fulfillment: Favoring options like Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup.

  • Minimizing Human Interaction: Actively seeking ways to avoid engaging with store staff or other shoppers.

  • Valuing Efficiency and Autonomy: Prioritizing speed, convenience, and control over the shopping process.

• Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend (summary):

  • GoDaddy Survey Data: Highlights the preference among Gen Z and Millennials for interaction-free shopping methods.

  • High Adoption of E-commerce: Significant and growing rates of online shopping, especially among younger demographics.

  • Retail Investment in Self-Service: Increased deployment of self-checkout systems and BOPIS infrastructure by retailers.

  • Comfort with Technology: Digital natives are inherently comfortable using technology for various tasks, including shopping.

  • Time Scarcity: Consumers often prioritize efficiency and time-saving solutions in their busy lives.

• How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior (summary):

  • Increased Online Spending: Younger consumers are shifting a significant portion of their retail spending to online channels.

  • Frequent Use of BOPIS: Regular adoption of buy online, pick-up in-store services for convenience.

  • Preference for Self-Checkout: Choosing self-service lanes over interacting with cashiers in physical stores.

  • Potential Decline in Traditional In-Store Browse: Less inclination to leisurely browse and interact within physical retail spaces.

  • Expectation of Seamless Digital Experiences: High demand for user-friendly and efficient online and mobile shopping platforms.

• Implications Across the Ecosystem (summary):

  • For Brands and CPGs: Requires a strong online presence and optimized e-commerce capabilities. Need to consider digital-friendly packaging and fulfillment options.

  • For Retailers: Must invest in robust online platforms, efficient BOPIS systems, and reliable self-checkout technology. May need to rethink store layouts and staffing models.

  • For Consumers: Offers greater convenience and control over their shopping. May lead to a less social and more transactional retail environment.

• Strategic Forecast: The trend of Digitally-Driven Detached Shopping is expected to continue its strong trajectory, particularly as digital natives become an even larger segment of the consumer market. Technological advancements will further enable seamless and interaction-free shopping experiences. Retailers and brands that prioritize digital and self-service solutions will be best positioned to meet the evolving expectations of these consumers.

• Final Thought: The increasing embrace of digitally-driven and detached shopping methods, especially among younger generations, signifies a fundamental shift in how consumers want to engage with retail, prioritizing efficiency, autonomy, and a comfortable distance in their purchasing journeys.

Source: https://chainstoreage.com/survey-gen-z-millennials-use-e-commerce-self-checkout-avoid-other-people