When you run a dropshipping business, it can be hard to keep up with shopping trends in a digital world that is always changing. But when consumers change the way they buy things, it gives brands and companies new ways to grow.
If dropshipping companies could only follow one trend for the next few years, they should pay attention to how millennials buy things. People born between 1982 and 1996 are Millennials. The oldest millennials just turned 40, and since they are at the top of their careers, they are the perfect group to buy from.
In addition to having more money to spend, millennials are a unique group because they can still influence trends even when technology and the economy are changing.
This article looks at the top ten buying habits of millennials to help you, as a dropshipping business owner, find new ways to grow your business and get tips on how to use them.
Millennials love mobiles
Millennials were born into a digital world, so it’s safe to say they love their phones. A study by WhistleOut found that millennials use their phones for an average of 3.7 hours per day, or 56 days per year.
So, what does this mean for your dropshipping business? It means that having a website that works well on phones is no longer a choice. No matter if your dropshipping store is built on Shopify, WooCommerce, or another eCommerce platform, you must have a version of your store that works well on mobile devices. In a time when people are becoming more isolated from each other, contactless payment systems are quickly becoming the norm for in-person purchases. In a survey done by the Ingenico Group and FreedomPay, 75% of millennials said that they like making payments without touching the card reader.
So, in your dropshipping store, you might want to offer ways to pay without touching a card reader. There are now a lot of eCommerce platforms, like Shopify, that offer options like Apple Pay and Amazon Pay to make shopping easier for millennials, who are likely to be your customers.
A 2018 report from eMarketer says that 90.4% of millennials in the US use social media every day. So, we know for sure that one of the main reasons millennials are so attached to their phones is social media.
People use social media for almost everything. People use it to talk to their friends, keep up with the latest news, learn new things, and buy things. With Instagram Shopping and the Facebook Marketplace becoming more and more popular, millennials can now interact with their favourite brands through social media. They talk to their followers more openly and aren’t afraid to tell them what they think, what they like, and what they don’t like. This change in how people use the Internet has led to the rise of influencers, who play a big role in getting millennials to buy things.
So, if you have a dropshipping store, you might want to think about building a social media presence to reach more people. You can also use less popular social media sites like Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, and TikTok in addition to Facebook and Instagram. In fact, the second one is becoming very popular around the world very quickly. Dropshipping on TikTok is becoming more and more popular as a way to reach millennials with interesting videos. TikTok and Instagram are great places to show off the things you’re selling through videos, reels, and stories. This is especially true if you specialise in dropshipping clothing and accessories.
Millennials enjoy an omnichannel experience
Millennials love their smartphones and social media, but they also like the freedom of an omnichannel experience that lets them buy when it’s most convenient for them. Providing an omnichannel experience doesn’t just mean merging online and offline operations. When you run a dropshipping store, you have to make sure that your customers and your channels can always talk to each other. Omnichannel means that you pay attention to what your customers do and give them what they need through any channel at any time, whether it’s through your social media channels or your email marketing.
In other words, if you want a smooth shopping experience, you should think about using an omnichannel strategy. For example, what should you do when a potential buyer comes to your store, puts something in their cart, and then leaves? The best omnichannel strategy here would be to send them a nice email reminding them that they left something in their cart and to retarget them with ads on social media to get them to come back to the store and make the purchase.
Millennials want a good bargain
Millennials enjoy having choices. No matter how or where they shop, they are always trying to get the most for their money. Gui Costin, the author of Millennials Are Not Aliens, says that 66% of millennials would buy from a new brand if they got a discount of more than 30%.
Even though this might seem discouraging, he goes on to say that 60% of millennials said they would stay loyal to a brand that put the customer first. But what’s more important is that they are aware of what they buy and buy things that are a good deal.
As a dropshipping store owner, you should think about giving discounts to millennial buyers in addition to making sure they have a good experience. For example, it would be smart to match your sales strategy with that of your supplier so that you could offer discounts on products during certain holidays. Once they’ve bought something, all you have to do is make sure they have the best possible experience, and they’ll be a customer for life.
Millennials like to have a good time when they buy something.
The Millennial generation is self-aware. They know what they want and are willing to do some shopping to get it. After the COVID-19 global pandemic started, 75% of consumers surveyed by McKinsey & Company said they had changed how they shopped.
Millennials think carefully about what they buy. When they go shopping, they want more than just to spend money. They want to have fun while shopping. For example, even when they are shopping for clothes or accessories, they are looking for a store that will give them a good shopping experience.
Taking this into account, you should stop trying to get buyers to spend money and instead focus on giving them the fun experience they want. For example, you can make it easier for millennials to browse your website or make your interactions with them more personal so that they feel like they are part of a larger cultural trend.
Millennials like being loyal to brands
Millennials might seem picky, but once they like a brand, they can be very loyal to it. Millennials love loyalty programmes because they give them discounts and make shopping easier. Oracle Corporation’s research report, How to Engage Customers Across Every Generation, found that 70% of millennials would switch brands for a loyalty programme and pay more for perks.
The same report also found that 77% of millennials redeem their rewards at least once every three months. So, if your dropshipping business doesn’t already have a loyalty programme, you should think about adding one. Even a simple free shipping programme can do a lot to keep customers coming back and keep them from leaving.
Also, and this is important for dropshippers who sell luxury brands, you should highlight the brands you sell. Millennials trust quality, so branded products will always get their attention more than average products from unreliable dropshipping suppliers.
Millennials despise traditional ads
When asked, 84% of millennials told The McCarthy Group that they didn’t like ads. Also, between 32 and 33 percent said that they didn’t trust advertising or salespeople.
But now comes the exciting part. When asked to rate how trustworthy their friends are on a scale from 1 to 5, 42.1% gave them a 5, and 32.5% gave them a 4. This means that millennials trust their friends and peers more than traditional ads and salespeople.
So, the way for dropshipping store owners to promote their products to millennials without seeming pushy is to use user-generated content and social media. The best way to reach millennials in a way that fits their preferences is to give customers a reason to post about their shopping experiences on social media. You should also spend time making a blog to go with your dropshipping store. On this blog, you can share the success stories of your customers. This will not go unnoticed by your potential customers, and it will probably increase the number of people who buy from you.
Millennials know what good content looks like.
Millennials love quality content. And only 1% of millennials surveyed by Forbes said that ads helped them trust brands more. They can spot nonsense from a mile away and hate sneaky ways to sell things. Every day of the week, they trust people more than businesses.
Compared to older people, millennials care more about being real and rely heavily on online content to form their opinions. This is hard for traditional marketers, but it has created a booming industry of bloggers and influencers that millennials trust and follow closely.
As the owner of a dropship store, you can use this trend to your advantage by putting money into content marketing. You can also think about investing in influencer marketing to get your products in front of the right people.
Millennials are good citizens.
Millennials are very aware of the greater good because they have lived through global pandemics and big economic changes. More importantly, they expect businesses and corporations to do the same.
Cone Communications did a study in 2015 that found that nine out of ten millennials would switch to a brand that was socially responsible and helped a cause. They also found that 62% of millennials would take a pay cut to work for a business that cares about the world.
In the past year, there has been a sharp rise in the number of people who support their local communities and buy from businesses that care about social issues. In addition to setting up a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, dropshipping business owners should make sure that their brand’s efforts are shared on social media. Millennials don’t want to buy from companies that are only interested in making money. They want the businesses they buy from to help make the world a better place.
If you want your dropshipping store to stand out, try connecting with or partnering with socially responsible businesses and donating X% of every purchase made through your store to a certain cause. So, your customers will be able to buy their favourite products and do good for the community at the same time.
Millennials find personalization appealing
Gone are the days when everyone got the same thing. Personalization is the name of the game when you’re trying to reach millennials. Epsilon Data Management did an online survey and found that 80% of consumers would do business with a company that gave them a personalised experience.
Also, 90% of the people surveyed said that they liked personalization. Different mediums and channels show personalization in different ways. It can be anything from sending personalised emails to giving out discounts and coupons.
As the owner of a dropshipping store, you can use customization to give your most loyal customers a coupon or discount for a brand they buy often. No matter how you do it, it’s clear that offering customization to millennials is a great way to boost dropshipping sales.
Conclusion
Millennials are strong because they have strong opinions, are well-informed, and are loyal. They know what they want and say it loud and clear. We hope that our list of buying habits of millennials will help you and other dropshipping business owners find growth opportunities and ways to take advantage of them.
In the next few years, the growth of millennials will have a big impact on the future of online commerce. So, dropshipping suppliers should try to stay on top of the latest trends so they can spot changes in buying habits and successfully adapt to them.
