TikTok is Gen Z’s Google. What will be Gen Alpha’s?

By

Beena Libi

Business Strategist

Today, search engines and social media are key for brands looking to reach younger audiences. A successful brand-influencer relationship and great SEO marketing can be sufficient to drive discovery and sales.

But as Gen Alpha comes of age, we’ll see the rise of technologies like AI and conversational search impacting their methods of discovery, while current digital marketing techniques fall by the wayside.

Take conversational search: our forecasts show that by 2032, at least 35% of consumers in all markets will have used voice commands, with the US, China and Brazil leading the way in speediest uptake. Rather than typing in a static search for the products and services they’re after, many Gen Alpha will chat to their AI agents and smart home assistants like they would to a friend. Given this, brands will need to rethink how they optimize for discovery, swapping out old techniques like keyword-stuffing for strategies that foreground natural language.

Recent product launches signal how this will pan out. In February, Amazon introduced Alexa+ – a new iteration of its assistant that is powered by generative AI. Alexa+ can book reservations, help consumers search and buy items online, and make suggestions based on the user’s personal interests. According to Amazon, the device will be able to understand everything from “half-formed thoughts” to “colloquial expressions”: “It feels less like interacting with technology and more like engaging with an insightful friend.” By the time Gen Alpha are old enough to be making household purchase decisions, AI agents like these will be the norm.

Put into action: Prepare for a world where text-based search no longer dominates. Explore how conversational content, shoppable videos and augmented reality tech can make your products more appealing and discoverable for the next generation of consumers.