What does the future of search look like for Gen Z and beyond?

Look around, Gen Z is far more connected to the internet than any generation that came before them. Even Millennials, with massive purchasing power, cannot compare with the obsessive might of our younger counterparts when it comes to sitting around on the socials consuming content.

And, given that 40% of Gen Zers already use Instagram and TikTok instead of Google (tech.co), it’s easy to see why smart marketers the world over have turned the trade towards the two platforms.

After all, if you can market a product directly through the platform where the audience is most likely to see it, wouldn’t you prefer that over advertising through a search engine where the audience would have to seek it out among the other competition?

We know which one we’d go for, and for this reason Gen Zers are making it easy for marketers to sell their products. And, whilst it may seem a little daunting for business owners to think they would have to market their products through a platform where they may have personally missed the boat, it actually presents wonderful opportunities for marketers to get in before the competition starts marketing their products on social media.

So, what does the future of search look like at Gen Z’s fingertips?

Well, we already know a few things, especially regarding their purchasing power: they’re more frugal, more interested in practical products and surprisingly prefer chatting in person as opposed to over social media.

But let’s look a little further into how these habits – and their digital mores – will influence the future of internet search:

They will search & find products through social media more than standard search engines! 

Google will always have a special place in the hearts of everyone from Millennials to Baby Boomers and beyond, but the younger generation simply doesn’t share the same sentiments, well most of the time.

And whilst Google will always remain the world’s search heavyweight, especially given that 77% of current searches go through Google with no eye toward slowing down (MattWard) – the younger generation is looking elsewhere to find what they’re looking for and bypass the search engine when buying it.

We Millennials may have started the trend of buying products via social media, but the Gen Zers are the one truly ramping it up, especially when you consider that 45% of Gen Zers search for products directly via Instagram (Adweek) – this is a massive number to be bypassing the classic Google search in turn for a more social-based method for product search.

This can really only mean one thing for business owners trying to sell their products to the younger generations, and that is to prioritise your digital campaign on social media. Savvy marketers like the Digital Debut crew (just putting it out there) have been saying it for years: why waste your too much time and effort solely on a search engine spend when you could diversify into social media and holistic marketing?

Not only will it help you reach a far larger audience than if you were to prioritise Google search engine, but it will also help you make those all-important Gen Z sales, thus allowing you to have the best of both worlds: those of us who still revel in a good old Google search, and those of the younger generations who find the bulk of their online products through the likes of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

Google still takes up most of the pie 

Despite social media’s raucous popularity among the younger, hipper generations, you can bet that Google will still hold a massive place in the future of search.

Google is the mainstay monolith that will always hold its place as the go-to search engine, staying strong despite the threats from social media platforms and their quick grab forms of fast entertainment. Its endless array of features and users make it the ongoing marketing dream, ensuring that business owners always have a place to show their product and win a lasting target audience.

This really comes down to one thing: usability. TikTok may very well be a place where people can search for products, directions, services and more, but it is still yet to offer a winning user experience and especially one that could surpass that of Google.

It is, of course, a short-form video platform – this is its primary function – it doesn’t exist primarily as a search engine. So, when it comes to researching for products, directions and services, it doesn’t actually offer a top class user experience, instead falling short when it comes to reaching key objectives like finding exactly what you want.

Google, conversely, is the unstoppable megalith that runs the search engine world. Google has absolutely no qualms about receiving billions of searches every day, effortlessly guiding its 4.3 billion users to finding exactly what they need and in an incredibly short timeframe.

For this reason alone Google will continue to be the ultimate staple when it comes to search engines; the place to be when you want to find a restaurant that delivers tagliatelle in your neighbourhood at two in the morning, or where you can quickly find a website that sells that pair of boots you’ve been eyeing for a few months now.

How can digital marketing leverage your business for the future of search? 

If you’re a business owner who wants to stay relevant for the future of search but doesn’t know their Snaps from their TikToks, you may have found this read a little overwhelming.

After all, the future of search will be rapidly different from the one you have likely enjoyed all along both personally and professionally, and it might seem difficult to make the transition to the more social searches and stay relevant in an online realm that seems to be shifting with each passing week!

But this, of course, isn’t the case, and you have at your disposal the knowledge and tools required to market your product in the ever-changing face of the search engine.

A digital marketing company such as Digital Debut will ensure that your business is at the forefront of any digital shifts that happen before your eyes, providing you with the analytics, content and scalability to reach your target audience regardless of whether they are searching on Google, Snapchat, TikTok – wherever!

With years of industry experience under our belts we have truly seen it all, and we are adept to the changing patterns of search and how Australian businesses can easily leverage them to their advantage.

We are also very passionate about digital marketing, and are revered for staying ahead of the curb when it comes to taking our valued clients to new horizons like those that will be found in the future of search.

If you’re a business owner looking to reach your target on those new digital frontiers, simply get in contact with the Digital Debut team and we will be happy to discuss your business and how we put it well ahead when other businesses are sticking with the old school and falling behind as a consequence!