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A MILLENNIAL MAMA’S PERSPECTIVE ON INNOVATION Millennials. We’ve heard so much about them over the years – and now over half of them are parents. Millennials, also known as Generation Y are the parents to Generation Alpha (birth years early 2010s to mid 2020s). I am Katie, born right in the middle of the Millennial Generation. I live in suburbia in Southern California and have two children, a one-yearold and a three-year-old. I’ve worked for Marketing by Design for 9 years, working on packaging design projects in sales, marketing, and creative account management. Following design trends for many years, as a parent I now have a new perspective on innovation for products across all categories. As Millennials, we are digital natives to our core. Social media heavily impacts our buying decisions. We decide where to shop and what to purchase based what we see on our feeds, or what Instagram accounts are tagged in a cute photo of a friends’ baby. We unfortunately are also known as Generation “Me”. We are filled with confidence and tolerance, but as the selfie generation, we can also be self-centered and entitled. Many of us faced the challenge of starting jobs during the recession, and/or being at the peak of our careers as COVID-19 hit. Even though these things curbed our
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optimism, our passion for change remains strong. We are filled with a desire to see change in both society and business. We care about sustainability, ethical practices and equality. With all of this in mind, it seems there are five key purchasing values for millennials:
EFFICIENCY:
As digital natives, we are leading the pack with online purchases. Almost half of us shop on Amazon at least 1x/week (Source: Advanis Insights). My family has packages delivered just about daily. We value options like
Order Pickup, with Target leading the charge. With no order minimum, an easy-to-use app, and highly accurate fulfillment, this free service is saving parents lots of time, not to mention less buckling & unbuckling of car seats. For food, we are looking for products that are can be easily packed into a Bento Box for lunch at the park, or packed into the diaper bag for healthy snacks on the go.
ETHICS:
Millennials believe in the power of an individual to affect change. We believe when we make a purchase that is serving a greater cause, it matters. We embrace personal responsibility, and we like to see companies that will partner with us in this way. We want to know that the packaging is recyclable (or that it’s not). Across all categories, we are aiming to purchase products that are organic, sustainable, and ethically produced.
