DTC606: How Different Generations Use Social Media

Good morning,

Let's do a quick temperature check. Do you know what the most popular social media app is with Gen Z and Millennials right now?

How about the most popular form of branded content?

Sprout Social recently released insightful stats on each generation's social media habits, including the most likely reason for consumers to unfollow a brand.

Keep reading to see what's a turn-off or a deal breaker with online audiences.

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Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

⭐ Learn how Pilothouse created a winning Amazon store page for Big Blanket that improved the user experience and resulted in higher conversions.
🤔 How well do you know each generation’s social media habits? Here are all the latest stats you need to know.
👀 And…Pinterest debuted its AI tool Canvas, which creates beautiful backdrops for product shots and the results are impressive.

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: La Vie Foods, Reviver, and White Bird Jewellery. 👋

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🛌 Big Blanket’s Winning Shoppable Amazon Page

When revamping Big Blankets' homepage, the Pilothouse Amazon team worked closely with their team to create something that introduced their catalog but also remained on brand and incredibly shoppable.

Here's how the Pilothouse Amazon team created a high-converting and shoppable homepage.

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Let's break down the main page components 👇

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Catchy copy: At the top of the fold, there's a slogan that immediately shows how the product will benefit the user.  "Welcome to a new world of comfort" hints that there is a unique selling point and to keep scrolling down to learn more.

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Celebrity endorsement: The main image features professional basketball player Boban Marjanović (with his height of 7'4" displayed) to provide scale. They also added four icons to emphasize key selling points, such as the 'absurdly oversized' blanket size, machine washability, and solution to cold feet and blanket fights.

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Moving down the page, customers have two choices.

Customers who are familiar with the brand can easily click and scroll through the product catalog.

For customers higher up in the buyer journey, there is also an introduction to their best-selling products before moving through other categories in order of priority and sales volume.

Each banner is directed to a store page expanding on that particular product, but each product tile is directed to the product listing, so if customers see a particular item that catches their eye, they can make a purchase with minimal clicks.

Finally, the Pilothouse Amazon team closes out the page with additional social proof, including logos, quotes from major publications, and the classic Big Blanket cheekiness of "Caution Oversize Load."

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The takeaway?

How you structure your Amazon store home page can greatly impact your conversions.

Introducing your product catalog, showcasing your brand's personality, and building trust while guiding customers towards a purchase is a great winning formula.

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🎂 Sprout Social Shares Latest Social Media Stats

Do you know which is the most popular social media platform with Gen Z? How about Millennials? Or Boomers? Let’s do a quick temperature check of the social media landscape.

Sprout Social polled over a thousand U.S. and U.K. consumers from different age groups, and shared these revealing stats:

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The #1 platform is now Instagram which surpassed Facebook for the top spot. Here’s how it varies by age group:

• Gen Z used Instagram the most, followed by TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook.
• Millennials used IG followed by Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Gen X still prefers Facebook followed by Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
• Baby Boomers prefer Facebook, followed by YouTube, Instagram, and X.
• 45% of consumers surveyed have taken a ‘social media detox’ in the past six months, and 51% plan to do so in the next six months.

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As for brand content, consumers prefer:

• Edutainment: 65.5% of consumers prefer a brand that educates them about a product or a service in a fun way.
• 40% prefer posts using memes
• 38% enjoy serialized content
• 38% like one-off video skits
• 34% like interactive content like polls and stickers
• 46% of consumers are less likely to buy from a brand that posts AI-generated content on social media, while 31% say they are neither more nor less likely.
• Although lo-fi content is trending, consumers say that production value impacts whether or not they engage with a brand.

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Consumers are most likely to unfollow brands if:

• 43% of consumers say they will most likely unfollow brands for having an unoriginal content strategy
• 42% feel collaborating with the ‘wrong’ influencer that doesn’t align with their values will warrant an unfollow.

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The takeaways?

The preferred social platform varies by generation but overall, Instagram is gaining in popularity.

Most consumers across age groups prefer edutainment, so branded content needs to strike a balance between education and entertainment.

AI-generated posts are viewed negatively by almost half of the consumers surveyed.

💸 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

• HexClad announces a strategic $100 million investment from Studio Ramsay Global.
• EssilorLuxottica purchases streetwear brand Supreme for $1.5 billion in cash.
• Non-alcoholic beer brand Athletic gets a $50 million investment at a $800 million valuation.
• Nvidia-backed startup Fireworks AI raises $52 million at $552 million valuation.
• AI startup Huma raises $80 million at a near $1 billion valuation.

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🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE

Pinterest just demoed a new AI tool called Canvas, which makes it easier than ever for ecommerce owners to create product photos.

Their advanced tech isolates the background from the foreground, ensuring that the product’s image quality is not negatively affected.

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Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• 🕶️ Parker Godfrey on How Kiaura Went Viral on TikTok Shops
• 😆 AKNF 421: Grow Top Of Funnel With Humor and Controversy
• 🌽 FFUPS founder Sam Tichnor on How He Scaled Snacking
• 💰 AKNF 419: Bidding on Branded Keywords on Google Ads
• 🦙 Paka Founder Kris Cody on His Peruvian Retail Journey
• 🤖 AKNF 417: Learn How To Build Your Own Brand GPT

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Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

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