Zillennials, who are they?

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Human generations are determined when a particular group shares, within a period, stages in the history of humanity; for example, historical milestones, social or political movements, and technological developments. This is also called a generational cohort.

On the other hand, generational diversity is related to the business field because people from different generations work together in a company or organization.

Although there are many generational cohorts, the generational diversity currently predominates in the market is reduced to four: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (Millennials), and Generation Z (Centennials). However, there is a new sector that does not fully identify with the generation that goes before or after them: the Zillennials.

Zillennials are located between millennials and centennials but do not fully identify with either. Therefore, this micro-generation is being called with a different name.

The following infographic illustrates explicitly the timeline of the generations:

Urban Dictionary defines Zillennials as “a micro-generation born between 1992-1998; Too young to be a Millennial but too old to be a Gen Z. Zillennials are the forgotten middle children between Millennials and Gen Z”.

The Zillennial traits

Whereas Zillennials are also considered to be digital natives like millennials, this demographic cohort has other particularities. Additionally, they share some characteristics with generations Y and Z.

They transitioned between the analog and digital eras. Their childhood may still have analog elements, but they are moving towards the digital. For example, having lived through the VHS era, migrating to DVD.
They grew up with technological developments but they also remember the world without the Internet or smartphones.
They are concerned about social inequalities and the environment.
They tend to be multicultural and diverse, with a great capacity for adaptation.
They prioritize present expenses.

Zillennials today

In marketing, Zillennials are a focus group because this generational cohort comprises more than 30 million inhabitants in the United States.

The traits of this group are relevant to the world of consumerism since many of them have not yet become independent from their parents, so they do not have high housing expenses. This implies they can spend money on varied experiences, brands, and tastes. Unlike most millennials, who became independent from their parents and now have more expenses than income derived from housing costs, food, pets, etc. Nevertheless, this trait could be more related to Generation Z, causing Zillennials to be the demographic cohort with the most relevance for brands due to their lifestyle and consumption.

It could be said that the Zillennial generation is the “sandwich” brother of the millennial and Gen Z, which is misunderstood and whose existence is sometimes forgotten. However, we must remember that this micro-generation has experienced significant transitions between the technological developments that marked Generation Y, which now are the “daily bread” of Gen Z. Therefore, adjusting and giving it an accurate term is not a bad idea.

After reading this, do you know someone who is a Zillennial, or do you think you could belong to that micro-generation?