Gen Alpha as consumers, how to capture and retain them

By 2025, there will be 2 billion people in Generation Alpha. 

Yep, that’s a lot of kids and teens! Right now, the oldest Alphas are hitting their teenage years, starting to make their own choices, picking their favorite brands, and really getting into buying stuff for the first time. 

Remember how Millennials changed everything? They're why every brand today feels like they have to be online 24/7. There’s always something new on their socials, and they've got to be ready to chat anytime. Now, Millennials have outnumbered Baby Boomers, and they’ve set new rules for how things run. 

Every generation shakes things up a bit for businesses, impacting both strategy and operations, and Alphas will be no exception. 

Generation Alpha has grown up totally connected. Born after the launch of the iPhone, 3G internet, and Instagram, they’ve never known a world without instant access-to-everything. And when it comes to spending their money, it’s a whole new game. Instead of heading to the candy store like Baby Boomers did or collecting Pokémon cards (like I did), Alphas are using Robux and V-bucks to purchase perks and trinkets in Roblox and Fortnite. 

This is shaping how they think about buying things—virtual assets first, virtual worlds, everything a click away. 

Remember we used to say “be where the customer is”? I believe this is a done deal (at least in developed markets). The big challenge isn’t just being there; it’s grabbing their attention while competing with everyone there. If you want to win over this crowd, you’ve got to focus on three big things: creating cool EXPERIENCES, building strong COMMUNITIES, and offering LOYALTY that make them want to come back.

These aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re must-haves. Without a cool experience, they won’t come. Without a community, they won’t stick around. And without something in it for them, why would they come back? This is the MAGIC TRIANGLE, the new playbook for getting Gen Alpha (and previous generations) to tune in and stay engaged.

Do you want to get prepared for the next 10 years? We dive deeper into this topic and other such interesting ones in our book, ‘The Virtual Economy’.