Gen Z consumers are rapidly reshaping the ecommerce landscape. As true digital natives, they bring a new set of expectations to how they discover, evaluate, and engage with brands online. Shopping is no longer a linear journey. For this generation, it is an ongoing experience shaped by social influence, mobile-first behavior, and a desire for two-way connection.
For brands, especially those competing for long-term loyalty, meeting Gen Z where they are means more than optimizing the checkout experience. It means rethinking the entire relationship. In-app communities offer a powerful way forward, helping brands build trust, foster participation, and create richer engagement from discovery through retention.
Below are six core behavior shifts that define how Gen Z shops today, along with practical ways in-app communities can help brands keep pace.
1. Social Commerce Is Now the Default for Discovery
Gen Z doesn’t browse. They scroll. Over 55% of Gen Z shoppers have made a purchase while casually browsing social media in the past six months, a behavior more than four times more common than among older generations. From Instagram drops to TikTok Shop hauls, buying via social feeds is second nature for young consumers.
What this means for brands:
This social commerce wave shows Gen Z wants to shop where they socialize. Brands can capitalize by cultivating in-app community features and social shopping experiences on their own platforms. Think, peer posts, creator content, and community discussions integrated into product pages. This strategy transforms your owned app into a vibrant discovery engine, fostering engagement and driving conversions organically.
2. Influencers & Peer Reviews Shape Purchase Decisions
Traditional advertising is losing influence over Gen Z. Nearly 63% of Gen Z say that reviews and recommendations from real users or influencers are the most influential factors in driving their purchase decisions. In practice, content creators have become key shopping guides, where over one-third of Gen Z consumers bought a product from an influencer-founded brand in the last year. This generation actively seeks out social proof from TikTok reviews to unboxing videos, and community forums.
What this means for brands:
Creating spaces for real conversations matters. In-app communities that feature influencer content, customer reviews, and Q&A threads provide the credibility Gen Z demands. Every interaction becomes first-party data — rich with insights into sentiment, product feedback, and emerging trends. In short, fostering a community of advocates and advisors around your products can amplify word-of-mouth influence and drive conversions more effectively than any polished ad campaign.
3. Mobile-First Shopping & the Rise of Retail Apps
For Gen Z, smartphones are the command center of daily life and that includes shopping. A consumer index found 56% of Gen Z have made an in-app purchase in the last year. 75% say a brand’s app or mobile site is essential to earning their loyalty. Whether they’re researching products on a phone in-store or one-click buying from a push notification, young consumers expect seamless, app-centric commerce at their fingertips.
What this means for brands:
A mobile app is no longer just a transactional tool. It is the core to Gen Z engagement. Beyond offering smooth checkout and fast load times, leading brands are transforming their apps into community hubs. Features like forums, social feeds, and live chat can transform static apps into interactive ecosystems. Owned community space keeps Gen Z shoppers returning even when they’re not immediately looking to buy, increasing their lifetime value. The bottom line: a vibrant app community strengthens loyalty and makes your mobile channel sticky in an era when Gen Z has endless options a tap away.
4. Value-Conscious Shopping Drives Pre-Purchase Research
Economic pressures in recent years have made Gen Z shoppers strikingly value-conscious and research-driven. Whereas older cohorts might have prioritized brand values or convenience, Gen Z overwhelmingly prioritizes price and value. 60% say price is the number-one factor when choosing a brand. They research more, impulse-buy less, and hunt for value.
What this means for brands:
To win cost-conscious Gen Z customers, brands must offer more than a good price. Offering value through community can help make your pricing strategy stickier. In-app discussion threads that share tips, showcase product hacks, or highlight limited-time deals can elevate perceived value. Meanwhile, features like community wish lists or vote-driven product drops help brands align offers with actual demand. And because these interactions happen within your owned ecosystem, you build loyalty that price alone cannot secure.
5. Two-Way Engagement Replaces One-Way Marketing
Gen Z wants brands that listen. They join communities not just to consume, but to share ideas, give feedback, and co-create experiences. This generation leads all others in online community participation, with over a third actively engaging in brand or interest-based communities. Studies have even noted the collapse of the traditional purchase funnel, as modern consumers (led by Gen Z) seek ongoing engagement and conversation with brands beyond the point of sale. A brand that “ghosts” them with silence after a purchase risks losing them.
What this means for brands:
The rise of Gen Z engagement culture means companies must shift from broadcast-style marketing to community-building. In-app community tools from polls to user-generated content showcases and live chat events, offer a way to turn customers into collaborators. This approach doesn’t just build loyalty, it accelerates word-of-mouth, amplifies user advocacy, and turns your app into a destination for more than just commerce.
6. Privacy Concerns Drive Demand for First-Party Data Experiences
Gen Z is wary of surveillance marketing. They block ads, reject cookies, and tune out irrelevant messages. Gen Z purchases driven by banner ads have plunged nearly 50% year-over-year. But they are not anti-data, they are pro-transparency. In fact, 74% say they’ll share personal data in exchange for better experiences, as long as the relationship is built on trust.
What this means for brands:
As cookies crumble and privacy regulations rise, first-party data and direct engagement are becoming the holy grail. In-app communities are a powerful way to build that trust and gather zero-party and first-party data ethically. When a Gen Z shopper joins a brand’s community, every profile detail they share, every discussion they participate in, is information they choose to give for the sake of a better experience. Brands can use these insights to personalize recommendations, content, and rewards in a way that feels helpful, not intrusive.
Community Is Not a Feature, It’s a Strategy
The shifts in Gen Z shopping behavior are not surface-level trends. They signal a deeper transformation in how young consumers relate to brands; one rooted in connection, collaboration, and control. In a world where loyalty is fleeting and attention is fragmented, community is how you keep Gen Z close.