When digging a little deeper into arguably the widest researched, yet paradoxically most misunderstood generation, this caricature is found to be precisely that; a lazy, blanket misrepresentation of a highly complex and nuanced group - one that currently represents 51% of the country’s workforce, or an approximate 12,6-million people.
We recently conducted a deep dive into this age category, drawing from anthropological and ethnographic research, trends and behavioural insights gleaned from big data. The objective was to strip away the stereotypes in a quest to better understand this multi-faceted consumer, and - particularly given the size of this demographic - how we’re impacted as an industry.
The most salient insights were those not explicitly obvious at first glance. Most notably was the juxtaposition between the western millennial and the Afrillennial. You cannot simply extrapolate findings from research conducted into the western millennial and apply a local lens - there are distinct differences which give rise to an entirely new set of behaviours.
A key departure was that, while western millennials were found to be preoccupied with emancipation and autonomy, the same does not necessarily apply to Afrillennials, who remain family-centric - both by necessity and design.
Much has been made of South Africa’s sandwich generation, where individuals are financially responsible for both their children and parents. This is not only due to financial inability on the part of older generations, but also evidence of South Africa’s socialist heart; there is a deep-seated reciprocity, an innate subscription to the pivotal role of the family, which manifests as a sense of community not always evident in western culture.
The report also highlighted a fascinating duality; the ease with which an Afrillennial can navigate between traditional and modern life. While Afrillennials display patterns typical of their age group in how they assimilate information, they remain deeply culturally-rooted and are at peace with this dichotomy.
They’re equally as comfortable donning traditional cultural regalia, as they are in Zara.
Underpinning another millennial behavioural set was the evolving supply-demand economy of information.
In the case of Gen Xers and baby boomers, information was in higher demand than it was in supply. Older generations had to actively seek information, and so became accustomed to casting as wide a net as possible, hoarding data and then processing it at a later stage in a mostly linear process.
Thanks to the proliferation of digital media, this supply-demand curve was upended. Access to information is no longer a challenge, and Gen Yers have adopted a multi-threading method of processing: information is sought, scanned, rapidly processed and discarded, in a continuous, fast-moving and decidedly non-linear path.
Consider the implications of this rapid-fire processing. It impacts every aspect of life; from how you engage and interact, to even your concept of time.
Current societal structures have developed over time, built by generations not raised in the same supply-demand economy. This has numerous implications, most notably a rising dissonance in the schooling and education systems.
There needs to be an adaptive process to counter this misalignment. “There is a great deal that we can learn from each other. While millennials are brilliant at rapidly processing information, Gen Xers, for example, are fantastic at building relationships.
The industry needs to adapt - and fast. There are a lot of learnings in terms of how - and the speed at which - consumers expect relevant information to be delivered, as well as their prioritisation of experiences over assets.
Financial services providers should consider the following:
It would appear that - despite what the memes tell us - millennials have no real aversion to ‘adulting’, after all.
