Ego shoes and Lounge Underwear have taken on the Gen Z world – quite literally. We checked in with the two fashion brands at YMS: Online to talk expansion to the US, influencer marketing and adaptation during COVID-19.
Back in March, as countries across the world transitioned into lockdowns, people of all ages found solace in social media and online communities. But Gen Z got there first – as digital natives, they’ve been socializing, shopping and entertaining each other for a long time – and they’re very much at home in digital spaces.
Perhaps nobody knows this better than the brands that class Gen Z as their main customer bases – Ego Shoes and Lounge Underwear, to name two. We caught up with Kiran Bains, head of paid media at Lounge Underwear, and Sophie Sharkey, marketing manager at Ego Shoes, at YMS:Online last month. Here’s what they had to say.
Keep it simple
“We create experiences that are straight to the point”, says Sophie. “Gen Zs want information upfront, so it’s important that we leave out all of the fluffy stuff”. Indeed, today’s students are motivated by marketing that delivers its message there and then: they’re far more likely to click on an ad with a high discount than be drawn in by a funny or cool-looking ad. Make sure you’re outlining what your brand offers – and how it aligns with Gen Zs needs – with the smooth, creative efficiency of a TikTok vid.
Fine-tune your SEO
Many brands found themselves pivoting into the world of loungewear as COVID-19 approached – but Lounge Underwear found itself on very familiar ground. “Lucky enough for us, this pandemic has been a breeding ground for our growth”, Kiran says. “Loungewear is exactly what we do, and as search volumes increased by around 134% in comparison to pre-pandemic, we’ve managed to completely mirror that with our site traffic, as well as lift conversion”. It’s a strong testament to the work done on-site – and a case study in how SEO can do the work for you in the long term.
Test the waters
Black Friday is always going to be huge for Gen Z – 72% of UK students and 80% of US students browse those late November sales. So it’s important to go into it with the strongest sense of what they’re looking for. “We always make sure that the product that we put in front of the audience is current, on-trend, and is proven popular – even in the lead-up to Black Friday”, says Sophie. “So we’ll use tactics like VIP early-access emails, paid social ads to a particular customer, just to really gauge if the product offering is what they want to see.”
Digital solutions for digital natives
Nobody is more acquainted with the digital world than Gen Z – but they’re also experience-driven, and they love the novelty that comes with a shopping experience that’s both digital and interactive. “We’re really pushing our online fitting room, where a customer can come onto our website and go through our virtual fitting room and answer questions about what they prefer,” says Kiran. It’s the perfect way to mix it up a bit, especially as we put in-person shopping on ice for a little while.
Ego Shoes and Lounge Underwear have both made waves across the world in the student market, working with Student Beans. Want to follow in their footsteps? Request a demo today.
