There’s arguably no better proof that millennials are “softer” than their older generation than their different taste in wine. While older generations prefer more deep and dry types of wine, today’s generation has an overwhelming preference to sweet wines, such as champagnes.
Perhaps it’s a matter of toughness and perhaps it’s just a redefining of what sophistication means. What’s known for sure is that wine companies are adjusting their offerings to make younger people happy, as they are a large part of their customer base. These companies focus a lot more on selling sweet wine today, and tend to put the dry wines in a much less noticeable corner of their website.
Buying Cars, Especially Gas-Based Vehicles
While one of the biggest signs of adulthood used to be getting a car, owning a vehicle today is considered both a privilege and a waste of money. Young people today are much savvier when it comes to the environment, and also have amazing apps that allow them to order taxis and rent electric scooters and bicycles at any time, from any place.
This is clearly shown in various recent statistical changes, including the fact that over the last eight years, the number of young adults who got their driver’s license between ages 18 to 25 went down almost 25%. While experts try to chalk this major shift down to young people preferring public transportation and their favorite ride-sharing apps, it’s clear that vehicles are becoming more streamlined, while car dealerships are becoming a thing of the past.
Millennials Buy Clothes For Pleasure, Not For Necessity
Clothing brands used to focus their marketing on either brand recognition or the usability and comfort of their clothing. One of the biggest changes in today’s marketing when it comes to clothing is a much bigger focus on luxury and fun, rather than usability. When millennials buy clothes today, they don’t buy them because they necessarily need clothes, they buy them as a luxury, which changes the whole game for these brands.
It’s much more likely today that you’ll find fashion companies focusing on the influencers that promote their products, and how their clothing helps you “define yourself” better. The focus today has shifted from “basic survival” to self-expression when purchasing clothes, a fact that is clearly visible if you compare a clothing ad from the ‘80s and ‘90s with one from today.
Almost All Millennials Own Computers and Phones
One industry that is booming beyond all measures is the phone and computer industry. Almost 100% of all millennials own both a computer (either a desktop or a laptop) and a personal mobile phone. These are practically a necessity in today’s day and age, a fact that’s made easier by the cheap and powerful options available.
One of the coolest things about today’s technological performance, is that even a cheap Xiaomi phone or an entry level laptop, has hundreds of times more processing power than the original NASA supercomputers had back in the ‘60s. This trend is only progressing, which accounts for computer and phone sales consistently rising year after year.
Millennials Spend Most of Their Money With Companies That Have Similar Values to Them
One interesting statistic that was recently found is that millennials prefer to spend their money with companies that share their values. Most millennials have a pretty consistent set of values, these include fairness, inclusion, sensitivity, diversity, positivity, environmentalism and other related topics. This might help explain why many companies are actively pushing towards a more diverse and inclusive set of values.
Millennials are also known for being much more demanding than their older generation. They have much less patience for mistakes, tend to demand actions over words, are quick to drop and switch brands, and generally seem much more focused on themselves than on others. This is largely due to social media platforms such as Twitter, which sensationalize and motivate people and corporations to act in a grandstanding manner, rather than focus on product quality or their brand’s trust.