Today we love to talk about ‘iPad kids’, born consumers palmed off on iPads before they could even read, but Millennials weren’t so different. Granted technology was less sophisticated, but habits have persisted. Millennials joined the internet in its early days, before we were aware of the potential dangers. As such, their access to the internet was largely unregulated, and we are seeing a similar pattern with their children.

In this blog post we look at the layered relationship between Gen Alpha and their Millennial parents, and what early internet access means for their purchase decisions. Spoiler: these kids are sophisticated, and we might be seeing an end to the Tween years altogether.

To understand Gen Alpha, we must first look to their parents. A key driver of Gen Alpha purchase decisions is Millennial nostalgia. There are a handful of content creators who are making a living off this phenomenon, creating relatable videos e.g. ‘Getting ready for a garage party in 2005.’

This also influences the choices they make for their children. Millennials are gravitating towards more nostalgic brands, wanting their kids to have the same experiences that they had when they were young. “They’re emphasizing play with Legos, Hot Wheels, Barbies, Fisher-Price toys and other brands with retro vibes and packaging. Brands that they remember playing with. This nostalgia effect has had a huge impact in the toy category and consumer goods category, and there’s almost a skipping over of Gen Z with these brands.”

Nostalgic millennial brands, particularly toy brands, can expect to perform well with the youngest of Gen Alpha.

By contrast, brands nowadays are much more involved. Gen Alpha is accessing a more advanced internet at an earlier age than previous generations, consuming influencer content targeted at adults and seeking to purchase the same products. Kids as young as 10 are developing multi-step skincare routines and driving demand in these categories.

Colour cosmetics are the top sector teens are spending on, with E.l.f. as the top colour cosmetic brand, jumping 16 points year-over-year to 38%. Gen Alpha are also showing an emerging preference for premium, much like their parents who are expected to account for 75% of the luxury goods market by 2026. In February 2024, while prestige beauty spending grew 6% in households without children, it spiked 16% in those with children, signaling emerging engagement among young consumers.

So, to recap – Gen Alpha are consuming the same brands as their parents, both nostalgic childhood brands and current premium brands. As a result, the ‘Tween’ market might disappear altogether.

Gen Alpha is a very brand mature generation. Due to the sophisticated content they are consuming, they seem to be skipping the awkward Tween years altogether.

Millennials grew up with mega-popular tween CPGs like Bonne Bell – the makers of lip smackers. It’s a marked difference that Gen Alpha’s favourite brands – like E.l.f and Drunk elephant, are adult brands; this also makes authenticity that much more important. We’ve seen this with Gen Z, that polished influencer content no longer rings true, but with Gen Alpha you run a further risk of patronizing the consumer:

“Because this cohort is so brand mature, you have to be very aware of the authenticity of your brand,” says Josh Campo, New York-based CEO of Razorfish.

“I do think that that’s part of the reason that you see their affinities not towards the typical kid brands. It probably doesn’t have the same authentic feel because it’s almost like you’re patronising them.”

As we’ve seen so far, Gen Alpha is already presenting a profitable consumer group. They are shopping with adult brands and becoming more and more of a puzzle for brand managers. Taking advantage of Gen Alpha’s consumerism can be problematic. Drunk elephant, a Gen Alpha skincare fav, has recently received some backlash for targeting young children with unnecessary products:

“This was a brand created for adults that they are trying to retrofit to a younger audience.” – Dermatologist Brooke Jeffy, founder of skincare brand Btwn.

Drunk Elephant released a statement addressing the controversy, suggesting products which are suitable for young skin, but many fans were less than impressed, stating that children don’t need skincare products at all. Other brands have chosen to turn away Gen Alpha consumers altogether, emphasizing that children should focus on being children.

One such example is Dove:

This approach very much aligns with Dove’s brand values and is perhaps a stance they can afford to take, as they are not attracting a large Gen Alpha consumer base at present. For brands who are receiving an influx of these shoppers, the balance is a little more difficult to strike. They must both accommodate and protect young consumers who are keen to spend. If brands take too hard a line on turning Gen Alpha away, they will likely flock to competitors. On the other hand, brands that can find an appropriate way to engage these consumers early on, without alienating older consumers, will build a valuable potential customer base once Gen Alpha is of age.

Now is the time to address the Gen Alpha question. If you need help deciphering what this generation could mean for your brand, contact karen.rickers@theredflowerfactory.com to set up a call.