Officeworks has taken out top spot as the most loved retail brand in Australia among Gen Z consumers, those aged between 14 and 24 years old, according to a recent YouthInsight brand values survey.
The overwhelming majority of Gen Z shoppers (89%) voted for Officeworks, ahead of Woolworths (87%), JB Hi-Fi (85%), Kmart (84%) and Coles (84%).
Big W was named in the top 10 for the first time, taking out seventh position (75%), alongside Aldi which ranked ninth (74%). Ikea was in sixth spot (77%), followed by Target in eighth (75%) with the top 10 rounded out by Chemist Warehouse (74%), which also made its debut in the list.
Interestingly for Gen Z, online isn’t king with only 42% saying they would buy everything online if they could. Nearly half (47%) of Gen Z shop in-store every week while three-quarters (75%) do at least a few times a month.
Quality is a highly valued factor in the purchase decision with 52% saying they would never buy from a brand that produces low quality products and 71% saying they would pay what they need to get the best quality products.
Loyalty is another key purchasing influencer for Gen Z’s with 81% of respondents saying, ‘once I find a brand I like, I will buy from them for a long time’.
In addition, 75% of young people say that brand advertising should be diverse and inclusive, while 70% agree it’s important for companies to take a stand on the issues they believe in. Further, almost six in 10 (59%) say they would stop buying from a brand if they didn’t agree with their morals or values, and 42% have put this into action and boycotted a company for this reason.
Beyond values, while 60% said they would buy from a brand that they discovered on social media, only 36% are swayed by brand partnerships with influencers and celebrities.