- Generation Zalpha is a major target for marketers due to its talent and its spending power.
- A combo of Generations Z and Alpha, Zalpha includes anyone born after 1996.
- There are key differences between Gens Z and Alpha: Mainly, when they were given access to screens.
You've heard of Generation Z. You may have heard of Generation Alpha. Now meet Generation Zalpha.
Much like the name implies, the Zalpha generation can best be described as a combo generation — not to be confused with the similarly named Zillennials, a micro-generation born between 1990 and 2000, right between millennials and Gen Zers.
Confused yet? Then you're probably not a Zalpha. Members of the generation are young, they're internet-savvy, and marketers are clamoring for both their cash and their expertise.
What is Generation Zalpha?
"Zalpha" describes anyone born after 1996. That includes Gen Z, whose members are born between 1996 and 2012, and Gen Alpha, which comprises the birth years of 2013 to 2025.
That younger cohort, Gen Alpha, is the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century — hence the name "Alpha," the first letter of the Greek alphabet, Axios noted.
We want to hear from you: Are you part of Generation Zalpha? Tell us in this form.
While it's impossible to pinpoint who coined "Zalpha," the term was popularized by Kristin Patrick, Claire's chief marketing officer, who created the shorthand to describe the teen jewelry and accessories retailer's core clientele, The New York Times reports.
Why are marketers trying to win over Zalphas?
Zalphas, particularly Gen Alpha, are mostly the children of millennials and grew up entirely online.
Because they're still so young — the oldest Gen Alphas are turning 10 this year — marketers have to walk a fine line between appealing to kids, tweens, and teens without alienating their parents, Jacee Scoular, senior director of brand marketing and communications for teen apparel retailer Hollister and its sister brands, Gilly Hicks and Social Tourist, recently told AdAge.
"Our email file and loyalty program are mostly parents so we would never use Gen Z slang in a subject line," Scoular said. "But on our social, we're a much different brand. We have a youthful voice, memes that crush it, content that is super raw and unfiltered, designed by a 21-year-old on her phone that's destroying engagement rates."
The company isn't alone in hiring Zalphas — or, rather, Gen Zers — to handle social media marketing. Language-learning app Duolingo has an award-winning, 24-year-old social media manager; while Nerf hired a 22-year-old "chief TikTok officer," Fast Company reported.
The internet-native Zalpha generation is a prime target for brands for another reason: its potential spending power. Zalphas' spending is predicted to grow three times faster than other generations by 2030.
The generation is also expected to make up one-third of luxury consumers by the end of the decade due to its "precocious attitude toward luxury," according to a report by Bain & Company published in January.
Wait, but how do Generations Z and Alpha differ?
Patrick, the Claire's CMO, recently told AdAge that Gen Alpha is like Gen Z "on steroids."
"They are idealistic about the world. They cheer for diversity and demand it. They question their gender ... They're highly creative. They're entrepreneurial," she said, adding that Gen Alpha was born in a world "where Alexa always existed."
While Gen Z is often described as having grown up online, Gen Alpha was born online. Ashley Fell, a social researcher with Australian agency McCrindle, told Axios that kids born into Gen Alpha are part of an "unintentional global experiment" where screens were given to them at the same time as pacifiers. Experts therefore predict Gen Alpha will be more impatient than previous generations, because they'll expect their needs to be met instantaneously.