Millennials Understand that Social is Retail

Gregarious Narain
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

Many marketers are still working as fast as possible to adapt to the millennial generation. As a whole, this group has some fairly different preferences when compared to their predecessors. Retailers, already under siege from declining in-person sales, are being forced to adapt in realtime.

Today’s shopper has information and opinion at their disposal. Often times, this can put them at odds with retailers who historically have benefited from big budget campaigns, celebrity endorsements and impulse shopping. Now, trends are started and transactions are starting on social.

While the web still holds the crown as the most influential source for Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers, beyond that these groups diverge. Salesforce’s recent study, “2016 Connected Shoppers Report” shows how stark the difference is:

Mobile and Social stand out as significant differentiators. As noted in the report:

When researching products, millennials are more than three times as likely to turn to social media and mobile apps (both 48%) than their Baby Boomer counterparts (both 14%).

It is easy, and sometimes convenient, to simply think about mobile and social as merely platforms through which we can deliver messaging and engage customers and prospects, but nothing could be further from the truth. In both cases, when we are on these platforms, we’re up against their personal lives even more than the competition.

Mobile and social environments offer direct tunnels into your customers lives. Our moments live along side all of their primary experiences and must stand shoulder to shoulder. As this trend becomes more obvious, so does the ultimate truth — social selling isn’t a thing, it is the thing.


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Gregarious Narain is a serial entrepreneur and product strategist. A reformed designer and developer, he writes on his experiences as a founder, strategist, and father on the regular. Work with him at Before Alpha, connect on LinkedIn, follow on Facebook, or say hi on Twitter.

Before Alpha

An Innovation Consultancy, Designed for Rapid Iteration

Gregarious Narain

Written by

Perpetual entrepreneur. Advisor to founding teams. Husband to Maria. Father to Solomon. Fan of fashion. Trying to stay fit.

Before Alpha

An Innovation Consultancy, Designed for Rapid Iteration

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