Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail

by Kit Yarrow, Jayne O'Donnell

Overview

Discover the forces driving the decisions of today's most sought after consumers

According to recent statistics, members of Generation Y shop 25 percent to 40 percent more than the average consumer. In Gen BuY, Yarrow and O'Donnell argue that these voracious and fearless consumers have revolutionized the way Americans shop by turning traditional sales and marketing strategies upside down. Based on solid research, the book offers an in-depth look at what motivates these young people to buy certain products and reject others. The authors reveal what makes these consumers tic-how they define power, why they loath manipulation, and why they rely on technology-and show marketers how they can tap into the buying power of this burgeoning group of consumers.

• Shows what it takes to successfully woe and win young consumers with purchasing power
• Filled with surprising insights into the psyche of Gen Y buyers
• Written by an expert in consumer research and a well-connected media consumer author

Gen Buy is a must-have resource for marketers, advertisers, retailers, and manufacturers who want to understand the new generation of consumers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470400913
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	09/08/2009
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kit Yarrow, Ph.d., is an award-winning consumer research scholar and a professor of both marketing and psychology at Golden Gate University, where she chairs the Psychology Department. She speaks and consults regularly in the U.S. and in Europe, applying psychology to shopping, business, and society.

Jayne O'Donnell is a retail and automotive reporter for USA Today, where she has worked since 1993 and won several journalism and public service awards. A former columnist for Woman's Day, Jayne has written for publications including Good Housekeeping, Cosmo Girl!, and Parents.

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Table of Contents

Introduction.

1: Gen Y Is from Mercury.

2: They Shop Like They’re from a Different Planet Than Their Parents’, Too.

3: The Whys Behind the Buys.

4: The Lives, Minds, and Hearts of Today’s Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings.

5: Sex, Love, and Shopping.

6: Influence: The Force That Is Gen Y.

7: What Works with Gen Y.

8: Adapting to Gen Y’s Shopping Preferences and Power: Views from Our Experts.

Notes.

Acknowledgments.

About the Authors.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Yarrow, consumer psychologist, and O'Donnell, a USA Today reporter, explore the buying habits and influence of Generation Y-those born between 1978 and 2000-arguing that this cohort has become the nation's tastemaker and is revolutionizing how companies do business and how marketers reach their audience. Thanks to extensive research, including one-on-one interviews, focus groups and a national online survey, the authors offer an astute look at the motivations of these powerful consumers. They show how societal shifts contributed to a generation that's strongly connected to shopping; they also present Gen Y's unique-often gendered-buying behaviors. Of particular interest is the chapter on what savvy marketers are doing to harness this group's incredible buying power. The authors also include insightful commentary from Gen-Yers themselves who underscore how different their generation is from previous ones. This enlightening book is a must-read for all who hope to keep their companies relevant and viable. (Sept.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Yarrow, consumer psychologist, and O’Donnell, USA Today reporter, explore the buying habits and influence of Generation Y—those born between 1978 and 2000—arguing that this cohort has become the nation’s tastemaker and is revolutionizing how companies do business and how marketers reach their audience. Thanks to extensive research, including one-on-one interviews, focus groups and a national online survey, the authors offer an astute look at the motivations and influence of these powerful consumers. They show how societal shifts contributed to a generation that’s strongly connected to shopping; they also present Gen Y’s unique—often gendered—buying behaviors and the psychological motivations guiding its purchasing. Of particular interest is the chapter on what savvy marketers are doing to harness this group’s incredible buying power. The authors also include insightful commentary from Gen-Yers themselves who underscore how different their generation is from previous ones. This enlightening book is a must-read for all who hope to keep their companies relevant and viable. (Sept.) (PublishersWeekly.com, May 2009)

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