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Gen Z Does Not Need to be Told How to Add-To-Cart

There's been a generally accepted truth in the world of digital performance marketing since its inception: Direct, explicit messaging will always outperform subtlety.

That principle assumes two things: 1. We have something that that audience wants; and 2. Convenience is a motivating factor to purchase.

Today's younger consumer has always had online shopping available to them – they know how this whole shopping cart thing works, and they don't need to be told to Click Here or Buy Now. That's why Amazon, the most sophisticated retailer in the world — the same business that became dominant by inventing the one-click checkout — is adding content and storytelling to its shopping experience with a feature called Inspire.

In the Amazon app, users will be able to click over to a TikTok-like full-screen feed of shoppable product content.

For people who grew up without the Internet, this may feel like an unnecessary additional step, but for digital natives, curation is what they're looking for. They have always had more than they could possibly process available to them with a swipe or a double-tap, so experiences that cut through all of the clutter and serve up products in context are the most helpful.

But that's not just for shopping categories like fashion. New businesses are proving that content and product storytelling works across all categories, even in grocery, which is thought to be the most convenience-driven. For example, new startup Consumerhaus uses video content and "Meet the Maker" features to drive connection between consumers and the brands that will resonate with them.

If you don't have Amazon-level scale and budgets, this should all come as good news, because story and connection is where smaller businesses will always have an advantage.