What Gen Zalpha can teach us
Gen Z is often described as Disloyal. Fickle. Lazy. Entitled.
However, what looks like entitlement or impatience is how they have adapted to the incredibly rapid pace of change we live in today.
Gen Zalphas are highly attuned to the world that awaits them and have something to teach us about how to survive and thrive in today’s frightening reality.
This research is focused on what we’re calling Gen Zalpha, an overlapping group of people born between 2000 and 2015.
I wish older generations understood the burden that is on us."
A lot of people in my generation have lost hope and feel helpless, but a lot of us are motivated to create a better future.”
Miranda, Gen Z
Change is not indecision or fickleness; it’s a response to what’s happening around them, a pragmatic survival mechanism in a world that rewards agility over permanence.
They are redefining career success, prioritizing wellbeing and work life balance over dues paying, climbing the corporate ladder, and the delayed gratification of retirement.
“The world is just so uncertain. We can’t have that same (retirement) mind-set that people used to have”
Marina Kauser, Gen Z
“People in my generation are less likely to have children because we don't feel comfortable bringing a child into the world as it is right now.”
Lily, Gen Z
Gen Z High School Students Considering
a Four-Year Degree
-20% Since 2020
Source: Study by ECMC Group
US Gen Z 18+ Don’t have or Don’t want Children
Source: Newsweek/ Independent Center
Gen Z High School Students Considering
a Four-Year Degree
-20% Since 2020
US Gen Z 18+ Don’t have or Don’t want Children
They will always be looking for opportunities to change, evolve, grow, reinvent and flex
They have learned to evaluate ROI, learn new skills, and suss out inauthenticity
After COVID lockdowns and with exposure to more possibilities, Zalphas want to do it all and see it all
They will always be looking for opportunities to change, evolve, grow, reinvent and flex
They have learned to evaluate ROI, learn new skills, and suss out inauthenticity
After COVID lockdowns and with exposure to more possibilities, Zalphas want to do it all and see it all
With a shift in the drivers for this generation, it changes how brands motivate them to work, engage, purchase, and commit.
Gen Zalphas will treat their careers like portfolios.
This generation would rather continuously collect knowledge insight from many different sources than deep vertical insight into one role and one topic.
Would change
jobs every year
Source: Work Is Broken. Gen Z Can Help Fix It, Amanda Schneider 2025.
How do brands motivate them?
Gen Zalphas have to be able to grow, expand, move roles, and reinvent themselves. They have to find lateral moves and new challenges on a regular basis.
“Having employer-provided learning and development benefits sounds like the dream.”
Class of 2025 Student
Essential for
Career Success
Work/Life Balance
Passionate
Skill Building
Source: Handshake
Source: Forbes, Handshake,
LinkedIn Workforce
How do brands motivate them?
Gen Zalphas have to be able to grow, expand, move roles, and reinvent themselves. They have to find lateral moves and new challenges on a regular basis.
“Having employer-provided learning and development benefits sounds like the dream.”
Class of 2025 Student
Essential for Career Success
Work/Life Balance
Source: Handshake
Passionate
Skill Building
Source: Handshake
Gen Z workers that have upskilled on
their own
Source: Forbes, Handshake, LinkedIn Workforce
Organizations that have robust learning programs
As employers, you are looking at the most entrepreneurial generation yet. Knowing they can’t rely on old faithfuls, they’re carving their own paths.
Gen Z explored
entrepreneurship
Gen A started a side hustle
Source: Acorn Money Matters Report, Business Wire / ZenBusiness
Flexibility for change and growth
Pragmatic skill-building
Portfolio-building experience
Gen Zalpha values experience over ownership with seamless fluidity as it offers flexibility and freedom.
As consumers, they are not just financially fluent – they are financially intentional.
And they’re not saving to own things —they’re saving for freedom
Flexperiential brands have to be Adaptable, Dynamic, and Culturally Relevant
Gen Z that have a
budget and stick to it
Gen Z would rather spend on
experiences than tangible things
Gen Alpha that are
saving for something specific
Source: GWI
As consumers, they are not just financially fluent – they are financially intentional.
And they’re not saving to own things —they’re saving for freedom
Flexperiential brands have to be Adaptable, Dynamic, and Culturally Relevant
Gen Z that have a
budget and stick to it
Gen Alpha that are
saving for something specific
Would rather spend on experiences than tangible things
Three examples of flexperiential approaches to brand building
Experience Multipliers
Gensler, the architecture firm, defines Experience Multipliers as something that “elevates the ways in which people move through the world.” Gen Zalpha’s want IRL experiences that are layered with tech, culture, and personal relevance– they don’t want to be told brand stories —they want to go into stories.
Remix
While Millennials drove the growth of fast fashion, Gen Z has made thrifting and resale a cultural phenomenon. It’s not just about sustainability or affordability, resale is cool because it is a way for to remix culture in creative, unique ways. And it’s entertainment; the shopping experience becomes a form of creative expression.
78% of Zalphas 13-24 have thrifted and about 1/3 of them shop secondhand every single month.
Source: yPulse trend report; Gen Z’s thrift shift, north america edition, Jan 2025
Experience Engines
Gen Zalpha is fueling the rise of the subscription economy because it gives them flexibility, access, and creates stickiness.
The rules of brand loyalty have changed. Gen Zalpha’s care about your ethics and your impact. They’ll ditch you if you don’t align with what matters to them – performative virtue signaling won’t cut it.
Your job is to earn trust—over and over again. Every single day.
Are willing to try new brands
Don’t believe mainstream brands' sustainability claims
Source: Morning Consult
I put trust mostly in local shops because I know if they share my values.
With big brands or corporations, I always have doubt because they stop caring about topics when they are no longer trendy.”
Mikayla, Gen Z
When designing for Gen Zalpha, you’re not designing for stability, you’re designing for constant evolution and movement.
They don’t want permanence. They want possibility. They want experiences that flex, adapt, and remix.
Remember that their pragmatism isn’t caution, it’s their power.
And most importantly, in their world—flexibility isn’t a feature. It’s the foundation.
