Digital Architects

Post-digital Natives

Digital Architects are incredibly digitally articulate consumers. Going beyond digital natives, they are technology masters. Often the first to learn about new technologies and smart systems, they’re aware of the different tools, platforms and channels that are available to them. They are the generation coming to the fore after a significant global push to invest in STEM subjects at school. They grew up intuitively adopting gestural design and navigating multiple interfaces for technology.

Being online and connected is second nature to Digital Architects. They have a precarious relationship with brands that access their data and privacy. Kayla Curry, a 19-year-old TikTok user, jokes in one of her videos: ‘Apparently, TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that data-mines user information and sells it to the Chinese government… Yikes. But honestly it’s a small price to pay because this app is free and therapy is not.’

88% of UK Generation Z say they would prefer brand experiences delivered by blending digital and physical channels

Digital Architects are also driving the use of mixed reality (MR), particularly in retail. With a recent study by Retail Perceptions showing that 71% of people would shop at a retailer more often if it offered Augmented Reality solutions, consumer hunger already exists. According to YouGov, 88% of UK Generation Z say they would prefer brand experiences delivered by blending digital and physical channels. Brands that stand out in this area include adidas, which uses mixed reality to blur the line between the physical and digital by letting customers integrate personal football data into EA Sports FIFA Mobile.

Digital System-builders

Digital Architects are constantly evolving and building their own digital eco-systems. Their experiences allow them to understand and manipulate algorithms for their own purposes, curating from different feeds to make exactly what they are looking for. ‘We are living in an age of DIY and the rise of being able to create your own platform,’ says Thidarat Kaha, a Depop user who sells about £6,000 ($7,340, €6,725) of clothes a month to her 44,000 followers.

They’re likely to have a number of Finstas (fake Instagram accounts) to curate different feeds and interests. Using the Discovery section of Instagram has fuelled new opportunities for shopping. Some 60% of US Generation Z shoppers use the platform to discover new brands, while 73% want brands to connect with them about new products and promotions through Instagram (sources: Composed, Piper Jaffray Investments 2019).

We are living in an age of DIY and the rise of being able to create your own platform

Personal curation and expert recommendations are more important than ever as Digital Architects build their virtual eco-system with brands, channels and platforms they know they can trust. Instagram continues to be entrenched as a source of inspiration for many; recent Instagram-propelled items include the Saks Potts winter coat and the Bottega Veneta pouch.

New Product Discovery

When it comes to the discovery stage, traditionally consumers have been driven by convenience-led product offerings. As the product landscape has become saturated with copycat products and direct-to-consumer (DTC) challenger brands, Digital Architects are eschewing convenience for curation.

In response, retailers are launching tools like Thingtesting, a community-driven approach to product discovery, promising no ads and powered by bite-sized peer reviews. ‘I’ve realised that there is a new internet-born generation of brands emerging, and they grow in a different way than their predecessors,’ says founder Jenny Gyllander.

Apps that help you find the clothing or items that influencers have posted in their Instagram photos are also popular with Digital Architects, such as the LikeToKnow.it app used by fashion influencers like Sophie Milner and Gemma Talbot.

Virtual Store Experience

When it comes to the experience stage, Digital Architects ultimately seek meaningful interactions in the online marketplaces they visit. They want these to counter the sanitised and often banal user experiences of navigating platforms like Amazon or Alibaba. Although these offer convenience, the shopping experience is neither easy nor interesting.

Brands that have invested in comprehensive user research to understand the consumer experience on their website or other online platforms are elevating digital offerings to set themselves apart. Obsess is an experiential e-commerce site that aims to transform the interface of online shopping away from traditional grid structures to make it more social and interactive using virtual reality.

In China, e-commerce giant JD.com teamed up with a local record label to host a virtual clubbing experience. In a bid to make digital experiences meaningful and which truly push the boundaries of the phygital offering, the team worked with alcohol brands including Rémy Martin and Budweiser to deliver drinks to self-isolating customers during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Consumers are mobile, and the mobile experience is worse than the desktop experience for online shopping. Shoppers are getting used to more visual, interactive experiences

Mobile is a key component of Digital Architects’ virtual shopping experiences. But in its current form, it continues to lack meaning and offers a significantly worse experience than a desktop platform. Neha Singh, founder and CEO of Obsess, elaborates: ‘First of all, consumers are mobile, and the mobile experience is worse than the desktop experience for online shopping. Shoppers are getting used to more visual, interactive experiences through Instagram – where discovery is happening – and Snapchat, where millions of people are using augmented reality (AR) filters daily.’

Discovery Shoppers

These consumers are ultimately driven by delight. They seek surprise and newness, and have curated their feeds to help facilitate the digital adventure playground. They want to feel like they’re the first to discover something new.

As Neha Singh of Obsess explains: ‘We’re doing that with specific technologies, but really it’s about moving past online shopping as a catalogue of products to make it a guided experience and an exploration process like you have in real life. That stronger connection with the consumer is going to be very important.’

Digital Window Shoppers

Serendipity Programmers are open to new brands, new products as well as new channels and platforms. They can find themselves getting lost in long periods of digital window shopping and will happily scroll through curated lists that go beyond the traditional categories like ‘new collection’ or ‘party wear’. They want to explore feelings, moods and identities, and be drawn in with sensationalised hooks such as ‘revenge dress for break-ups’ or ‘workout gear for your zodiac sign’.

Their short attention spans are easily distracted so retail offerings should continue to excite and delight throughout the journey. The unexpected moment of play will continue to draw them in. ‘If you think of online shopping today, every website has a grid-based interface with thumbnails on a plain white background that you scroll through. Although that’s good for searching and finding specific things with a filter, it’s not great for discovery,’ says Singh.

Fashion blog Man Repeller launched the gamification-powered e-commerce site where consumers can choose to "Play" and explore a sensorial digital playground with shoppable products. Welcome Back is an exciting new finite 2 minute digital store that changes every time you log in with a new shopping experience every time.

Hyper-personalisation Shoppers

As Brand BFFs, these consumers seek to build a deep and meaningful relationship with brands through tailored, hyper-personal experiences. They want to feel special and be rewarded for their loyalty through every step of the journey. They enjoy personalised surprises and touches throughout the digital consumer experience that allow them to connect with the brand beyond a transaction.

According to AI marketing expert Emarsys, almost half (47%) of UK consumers are happy with brands using machine learning instead of humans to personalise marketing experiences, if it improves the offers and recommendations they receive.

VIP Consumers

This consumer type wants to feel like the only customers that matter to the brand they are engaging with, especially as our perception of what a brand is evolves. ‘Brands are no longer static. They are living, breathing. Kinetic,’ says David Lee, chief creative officer at Squarespace. Brand BFFs want to be rewarded for their engagement and connection with these living, breathing entities, and seek demonstrable evidence that the brand gets them.

Brand BFFs will love the curated gift edit series by health and beauty retailer Boots' Gift Like You Get Them campaign are built using data from their loyalty scheme. Another iteration of this is Nike SNEAKRS Day. In 2019, the brand built on hype and rumours by sending Nike super-fans to a random location unlocking exclusive access to limited-edition products.

Yet, Brand BFFs prefer direct communication with brands and are not satisfied speaking to AI chatbots. They want real-time conversations on their own terms. Cementing this, Generation Z and Millennials in the US are 2.5 times more likely than Boomers to reach out to a brand’s customer service team more than 10 times a year (source: Gladly).

In response, Rooted NYC offers an SMS chat service for plant owners who are looking for plant care advice directly from its specialists. In this way, SMS services are offering brands an opportunity for more casual conversations with consumers who receive hyper-personal care.