Gen BuY

“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. This enlightening book is a must-read for all who hope to keep their companies relevant and viable.”

--Publisher’s Weekly

Tweens, teens and twenty-somethings are today’s most enthusiastic and influential consumers and tomorrow’s economic powerhouses. Generation Y, those born between 1978 and 2000, have overtaken Baby Boomers in sheer numbers and are poised to do the same with their incomes by 2017.

In Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail (Jossey-Bass; September 2009; 978-0-470-40091-3; $24.95), consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow and USA Today retail reporter Jayne O’Donnell offer fresh insights and strategies for marketers and retailers hoping to capture the interest (and incomes) of Gen Y; and arm consumers with a better understanding of the motivations and triggers behind shopping and buying.

Filled with insightful, often funny and sometimes shocking tales of the relationship between people and their possessions, Gen BuY is the first in-depth, psychological look at why young people buy what they do and what works (and doesn’t) in retail. The authors explain the hearts, minds and motivations of Gen Yers, arguing that a deep understanding of this generation is essential bedrock for the more authentic relationships they demand from the brands and retailers they support. They follow this up with insights for retailers and marketers hoping to win with today’s Millennial shoppers.

The author’s proprietary research includes a survey of 2,000 Americans, 11 focus groups across the country, hundreds of interviews with Gen Yers and scores of mall visits. They also interviewed dozens of retail executives ranging from CEOs of Macy’s and J.C Penney to the founders of Juicy Couture and the upstart website Karmaloop; and analyzed hundreds of surveys from top research firms in the United States.

The authors explain everything from the ways marketers can successfully use social media, to how technology has changed the way Gen Y thinks (and consequently considers purchases), to the ways that Gen Y guys shop differently from their fathers – and what that means to retailers.