High school and college students are always on the lookout for the next big event, season, or product launch. As eager Gen Zers, they crave experiences, and as affiliate marketers, it’s your role to deliver engaging, relevant campaigns that meet them where they are.
But let’s face it: student shopping habits have evolved. The traditional last-click attribution model is no longer the gold standard in affiliate sales. Instead, the focus has shifted to creating an end-to-end experience that resonates before, during, and after purchase.
Why should this matter to you?
To truly connect with Gen Zers this festive season, affiliate marketers need to understand what’s happening in their lives. This level of insight helps you know which products or services to promote, when to promote them, and how to drive affiliate marketing work effectively.
In this blog post, we’ll provide you with some insights and tips to help you craft a winning strategy.
The rising cost of living and its impact
This year hasn’t been an easy one for students, and Christmas 2024 isn’t set to be much better.
Traditionally, this is a time for gift-giving and experiences, but economic uncertainty is dominating people’s lives and spending habits are being impacted. 60% of Gen Zers are worried about their finances and 67% report mental health struggles linked to money issues.
For marketers, this means being empathetic and offering solutions that balance commercial objectives with students' concerns.
The solution? discounts
Offers for student discounts are a game-changer, especially during tough economic times.
In fact, 90% of students would consider shopping with a new brand if it offered a student discount, and 73% plan to visit a student discount site like Student Beans, Pion’s verification partner during the festive season.
Ultimately, students want to be frivolous at Christmas, but this year they’ll need to do so in a budgeted, cost-effective manner.
As an affiliate marketer, it’s a time of year when you can maximise earnings, but you need to have a solid strategy in place that supports students and offers great deals.
A significant 45% of students shared that they look for a student discount every they make a purchase, so it’s not something to be ignored...
Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we can help!
Finding success is all about choosing the right providers to promote and understand your consumer’s environment, and that’s where publishers like Student Beans, Pion's verification partner, can help affiliate marketers provide shoppers with the best products for the best prices.
Online vs. offline: the Gen Z shopping journey
While Gen Zers are digital natives, their purchasing journey isn’t linear this festive season.
From inspiration to conversion, their journey sits across multiple platforms, and young people expect brands to provide them with different opportunities and experiences to keep them interested and engaged.
This means they expect an omnichannel experience – so, blending physical products with online convenience. From product reviews on TikTok to IRL experiences like festive markets, young people crave variety in their shopping experiences.
TikTok Shop: the new frontier
Young people want a clean, intuitive shopping experience that will make the journey as convenient as possible, and TikTok’s in-app shopping platform provides them with just that. TikTok Shop, an integration with Shopify, allows merchants, brands and creators to sell products directly to their audiences on TikTok.
Equally, with tools like affiliate links, TikTok Shop allows brands to interact directly with their communities, leveraging already-dedicated communities and getting them involved in existing conversations.
TikTok is ideal for the festive season when students are actively searching for deals and recommendations – so it's a platform you certainly should not be ignoring.
How to offer IRL experiences for digital natives
Christmas markets, hot chocolates and festive lights: these are all experiences that shoppers miss out on if they choose to do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their beds.
Although online shopping is set to dominate the festive season, students still value physical products and real-world interactions. Brick-and-mortar stores can innovate by offering:
QR codes for exclusive discounts
The perfect way of blending IRL and URL experiences, QR codes encourage interactivity. Try sharing exclusive content and personalised discounts that shoppers can only access by visiting in-person stores.
Exceptional customer service to create loyalty
Any negative experiences in your stores will be publicly shared, and a good experience will lead to recommendations to friends and family.
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Ethical transparency to showcase good practices
This is applicable to both the online and offline world, but having a brick-and-mortar store provides you with the opportunity to showcase the good work you’re doing in the world!
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Gamify your experiences and events and make Gen Z want to stick around!
Whether it’s live streaming events, gamified experiences, or competitions, you need to offer Gen Z shoppers something they can’t resist that will drag them into your stores and away from their cosy homes.
Ultimately, the key to engaging student shoppers this festive season is blending offline and online experiences. They may be a generation of digital natives, but with the cold air and festive spirit coaxing them out, it’s vital that you maximise these opportunities.
Maximizing passive income through affiliate marketing
For marketers looking to boost passive income, tapping into Gen Z shopping habits is key. Use affiliate product promotions that resonate with their needs, such as student ID verification for exclusive deals (we can help with that, by the way...).
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