Every marketer’s obsession is to understand their customer, and knowing what makes Gen Zs in Southeast Asia (SEA) tick is top of mind for many.
The reason: There are many stereotypes surrounding Gen Zs, who make up about a quarter of the population in SEA.
So instead of basing your marketing plan on general perceptions of Gen Zs in SEA, listen to what they have to say about their likes and habits.
Here are three things they’ve spoken up on — scroll on to see how well you know them and how you can keep winning them over to your brand.
Gen Zs are heavy users of Search in general. They aren’t passive consumers; they're actively searching to discover, find information, and explore options.
In the Philippines, for example, 89% of Gen Z consumers report using Google and/or YouTube on a daily basis.1
If you want to market to Gen Zs as they seamlessly scroll, search, and shop, online and offline, use Search. Google Search paid campaigns deliver an average conversion lift of 56% for advertisers globally.2
E-commerce platform Shopee, for example, used AI Max for Search campaigns to scale user reach and optimise its campaigns. This drove 2X more conversions and 49% higher ROI, while reducing cost-per-order by 23%.
Gen Zs shop on Google. In Thailand, 82% of Gen Z use Google for their shopping, including discovery, browsing, getting ideas, researching and/or purchasing.3
Additionally, 95% of Gen Z viewers in Indonesia4 and 93% of Gen Z viewers in Thailand5 agree that because of the information found on YouTube, they felt confident about the purchase they made.
To reach and convert Gen Z shoppers, use ads solutions like Performance Max. It helps you find more converting customers across all of Google's channels like YouTube and Search.
By using Performance Max, beauty brand L’Oréal Vietnam was able to achieve a 4X higher return on ad spend for its 12.12 mega sale campaign.
Gen Zs view YouTube creator content as trustworthy. So they rely on the creators’ brand and product reviews on YouTube to help them make purchase decisions.
Additionally, Gen Zs value authenticity and transparency, so they're willing to consider sponsored content from YouTube creators, whom they regard as trusted sources.
In Thailand, for example, 67% of users say they can trust product or service reviews from creators/influencers on YouTube, even when they know they're sponsored by brands, compared to 38% on Instagram and 63% on TikTok.6
To connect with Gen Zs, collaborate with creators whose audiences align with your brand and who can speak genuinely about your product or service.
Indonesian online travel company tiket.com partnered with four YouTube creators popular among Gen Zs to promote its affordable travel options.
Each creator who partnered with tiket.com made Shorts in their signature style and language, featuring promo codes that audiences could use to redeem flight discounts on tiket.com’s digital sites. To drive awareness and reach for the Shorts, tiket.com used partnership ads and a Video reach campaign.
In just 11 days, the campaign reached over 2 million unique Gen Z users. It also achieved a 13% engagement rate — more than double the 6% average for social media platforms — and at 88% lower cost per view compared to other 15-second social media ads.
The bottom line: If you want to reach and engage a new generation of customers meaningfully, skip the stereotypes about Gen Z consumers and their buying behaviours.
Instead, tap into truths about Gen Z search behaviours and the platforms they turn to for trusted information and shopping, to build your marketing strategy and grow your business profitably.
