Kids To Marketers: We Want Tech Gadgets, Not Toys

Two-thirds of children between the ages of 7 and 13 would prefer to have a tech gadget than a toy to play with.

Children in that age group, some 46 million strong, make up the bulk of the consumer segment that researchers have labeled “Generation Z," according to new research revealed at the Four As Conference, and are “the main drivers behind parental purchases.” Nearly 60% of the GenZers access the Internet from a mobile phone at least once a week. And Generation Z does its homework before buying a product, or having Mom or Dad buy it for them. More than half of the segment was found to do online product research before buying. One-quarter of the segment wants a say in product development, while 30% want to customize their own products. And 60% said they’d prefer customized products whether they did the actual customizing.