Young, tech savvy, socially responsible, and with a spending power of nearly $150 billion-Gen Z is a generation businesses cannot afford to ignore. These are customers who do not know what a world without the internet, smartphones, and social media looks like. They are digital natives that are more likely to associate with brands that have a strong online presence. And once they find what they like, they display a fierce brand loyalty.

So, what does that mean for the aesthetics industry? What can aesthetic medicine providers and clinics offering cosmetic procedures do to grab the attention of this younger generation?

With a few key marketing efforts and business strategies tailored specifically to Gen Z, companies can tap into this lucrative audience. The good news for aesthetic providers is that it's a generation that places a great deal of importance on physical appearance.

Today, we're taking a deep dive into the mind of the Gen Zer. Continue reading to find out what you should be doing to attract Gen Z to your aesthetic clinic.

What is Gen Z?

Generation Z is the post millennial generation. They are also called the iGeneration and the Homeland Generation. These are people born in the mid-1990s to early 2000s. So, in 2022, most of Gen Z are in their early to mid-20s. Many of the youngest members of this generation are in college or just finishing higher education. The oldest members have graduated and are in their first jobs.

How has the pandemic affected Gen Z?

Gen Z has not seen as many casualties from COVID-19 as older generations, but teenagers and young adults have witnessed severe disruptions in education, employment, family life, and social life. This has spurred a sense of urgency in this generation, a desire to grab opportunities and live their best lives.

What is Gen Z's take on cosmetic procedures?

With Instagram stories, Zoom calls, Tik Tok, selfies, filters, and what not, the post millennial generation is the first generation in history to spend so much time looking at itself. There is a hyper-awareness about physical appearance in people between the ages of 20 and 30. And this is already changing the face of aesthetic medicine.

While for older generations, cosmetic procedures were a way to reverse the visible signs of aging, for Gen Z, aesthetic treatments are a way to tweak their appearance and delay the aging process.

Add to this the considerable influence of celebrities and social media on this generation. From supplements to skincare and tweakments to treatments, the younger generation sees beauty in a way that's very different from Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials.

How is Gen Z different in researching and shopping for aesthetic services?

Pricing

Two underlying themes in the Gen Z attitude are frugality and skepticism. Not only is Generation Z likely to research prices before seeking cosmetic treatments, they are also less likely to easily trust providers compared to other generations. Aesthetic providers can be almost certain that the average Gen Zer who contacts them will have done extensive online research and will come armed with a truckload of information, including the pricing of cosmetic treatments. Given this, it is critical that aesthetic clinics price their services competitively and transparently if they are seeking to build a client base in Generation Z.

Convenience

Pricing is important, but at the same time, Gen Z is always on the lookout for new and more convenient ways of accessing health care and cosmetic treatments. That's where the MeTime app comes in. With an intuitively designed user interface, MeTime makes it easy for Gen Z, who are true digital natives, to connect with trustworthy aesthetic providers, compare prices, and book treatments. MeTime, therefore, addresses the key concerns of Gen Z while seeking aesthetic procedures.

Opinions

Generally speaking, Generation Z tends to have strong opinions, fueled by an information overload. However, due to their young age, they often lack conviction. This means that while many Gen Zers come seeking aesthetic treatments seeming to know what they want, they can be swayed by an older, more experienced, trustworthy person such as a dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, plastic surgeon, or aesthetic provider.

Technology

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has increased use of telehealth. But after the pandemic is over, Gen Z is the most likely to demand that aesthetic providers continue to offer video, text messaging, and other communication tools (all of which are services offered by the MeTime app). This is a generation that only wants to visit doctors’ offices and aesthetic clinics when necessary (for example, to have a cosmetic treatment). The expectation is that everything else should be done online, conveniently and quickly. Gen Zers and millennials prefer to use digital tools to communicate and schedule cosmetic visits, although not to the same extent as Gen Xers.

Some 44% of Gen Zers and millennials have indicated they might switch providers who did not offer virtual visits going forward. (HIMSS, April 2021). In other words, this generation will naturally gravitate towards providers who offer the quickest and most convenient options through a hybrid model of in-person and virtual care.

Given these healthcare attitudes and behaviors, aesthetic providers who want to market their services to Generation Z would be foolish not to pay attention to MeTime that caters to this market and audience more than any other generation.

Aesthetic Practice Marketing to Gen Z

Generation Z has a short attention span and is a very visual generation. These are consumers who respond more to inbound marketing than outbound marketing. Meaning, they don't want you to find them. They want to find you.

Aesthetic practices should therefore focus on offering trustworthy and trending content to this audience as part of their marketing strategy for Generation Z. The goal of the marketing strategies should ultimately be to answer all their questions at every stage in the decision-making process. This means aesthetic practices should offer detailed information about cosmetic procedures through landing pages, show this younger generation what the treatments can do with a before and after gallery, and provide pricing and contact information to aid the decision-making.

It's a good idea to market to Generation Z through demonstrations. This generation wants to be educated and craves information before making decisions. They are more likely to search for "How to" video content on YouTube. Gen Zers also value online influencers, including bloggers, social media content creators, and support groups for tips and advice about treatments.

Therefore, it makes sense that a key part of your strategy for marketing to Gen Z should be well produced videos. You should create content and post on social platforms regularly. Your aesthetic clinic marketing strategy for younger consumers should be one that answers common questions from potential Gen Zer patients, including questions that Generation Z may be too embarrassed to ask.