Restaurant Brands Are Trying To Reel In Gen Z Customers Using Amazon
For years, it was as simple as airing a commercial during Sunday Night Football showing a man or a woman biting into a sandwich with a look of immense pleasure on their faces to draw potential customers to restaurants. Nowadays, restaurants are having to rethink how they market themselves as they chase after the Gen Z crowd who isn't as likely to spend their money dining out and are using their time differently than generations before, according to CNN.
Defined as being born between the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Gen Z population grew up entirely during the digital age, per Britannica, and that has influenced how they live. It's estimated that members of the Gen Z population have "spending power" amounting to $143 billion (via Insider). And with 40% of the worldwide consumers falling in the Gen Z category, it's no surprise that retailers and restaurants are targeting the group with their advertising, but what they are learning is that the same-old marketing plans are not always working. QSR says companies need to target where Gen Zers spend a lot of their time, and that's online.
It's no secret that people of all ages spend a lot of time is Amazon, which in 2021 recorded net sales totaling almost $470 billion, according to Statista. Amazon collects data on its customers, per The Guardian, which can then be used to help companies who advertise with the online retailer target certain demographics, locations, or other criteria.
Amazon Ads offers interactive solutions
Attracting Gen Z customers is critical for restaurants, according to QSR, but it hasn't been easy. The pandemic affected the number of people going to restaurants in general, but it had an especially dramatic effect on the Gen Z population, reports CNN, which said members of this group learned how to cook during the pandemic and are continuing to use those skills. They are also not commuting to work as often, meaning fewer opportunities to visit restaurants. How Gen Zers spend their money is also different from their predecessors with disposable income more likely going toward tech and clothing versus eating out.
While this may seem like an uphill battle for restaurants, Amazon thinks it has an advertising solution that can help them. According to a study by Kantar and Amazon Ads, about 80% of Amazon users who stream TV get food weekly from restaurants (via QSR). 41% of those users who stream TV services get restaurant-prepared food four times weekly.
Amazon Ads can be used to target potential customers via Streaming TV, Twitch, and ad placements on the Fire TV home screen. Restaurants and other advertisers needn't worry that the ad will be old-fashioned and boring. QSR reports that Amazon staff can develop the ads to be interactive and include a QR code that syncs up with a mobile app, digital ordering solutions, or a reward program page for a seamless digital experience.