How to Engage Alpha Generation Kids
at the point of sale

Who are Alpha generation children and how do they behave?

After generations X, Y and Z, now it is the turn of the Alpha Generation — babies born after 2010.

Many people say they are born smarter and more evolved than previous generations. This is because this new generation receives many stimuli — toys designed to develop their sight, hearing and touch — and they are born in direct contact with technology.

Tablets and smartphones are already allies of the little ones' development. The parents of "Alphas" are also fascinated by technology and have become sharers, increasingly exposing their children's daily lives and turning them into content creators from an early age.

Alpha children are born into this new context — a context that is new even for us.

Studies indicate that this generation will develop the following behaviors:

1. Gender flexibility
2. Female empowerment
3. Versatility in boys
4. Character identification focused on attitude rather than looks
5. Use of integrated media to evaluate products
6. More present father figure in education
7. Parents recognized as role models instead of celebrities

Stimuli

Have you stopped to think about how many stimuli these Alpha children receive today? And that these stimuli transform exactly how they behave and how quickly they develop?

1. TV

Ten years ago there were only 5 television channels aimed at this target audience; today we have 15. Some focus on education, others on edutainment, and they vary by age group, parental goals and the time the child spends watching.

2. Apps and social media

We have apps and social networks entering children's lives from an early age — PlayKids, Disney Junior, Discovery Kids, with their favorite cartoons and characters, music videos, interactive games and much more. Social media is no longer exclusively adult territory, as parents themselves record Instagram Stories and share on other platforms, immersing Alpha children in this universe before they can even read or write.

3. On-demand channels

In addition, there are streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV and YouTube (which also has YouTube Kids) — services that did not exist a few years ago but are now frequently used by Alpha children.

Result:

Children no longer have the patience to wait for limited content that airs when the channel decides. They want access to their own content, on their own time, as many times as they like and without commercials.

From an early age, these children's minds are developing the speed to process so much content and information. As a result, they become more authentic, independent and impatient with products, games and content that do not keep up with this evolution.

Consumer behavior of Alpha children

Here are some key data points to help us understand how this age group thinks.

1. Alpha children aged 1-2

• Mirroring: 76% of mothers say children repeat what characters do.
• Control: 62% of mothers say children love turning the remote control on and off.
• Security: 68% of mothers say that when children like a product, they do not want to switch to another.
• Curiosity: 61% of mothers say children want to touch products with their hands.

2. Alpha children aged 3-5

• Autonomy: 81% like doing things without depending on their parents.
• Invitation-based action: 67% of mothers say children repeat what characters invite them to do.
• Exploration: 61% like to test things and be tested.

3. Alpha children aged 6-8

• Accumulation: 81% enjoy consuming new products for the pleasure of having more.
• Showing off: 68% of children say they enjoy telling friends what they bought.
• Controlled surprise: 59% like controlled surprises.

How to engage Alpha children

When choosing which product to promote, which product to include in your store mix, or planning a promotional action, consider the following questions:

• 1-2 years: Does this product generate movement?
• 3-5 years: Does this product spark discovery?
• 6-8 years: Does this product empower these children?
• Is this product an invitation to action? Does the child feel like consuming it?
• Is this product interactive?
• Is it practical for parents?

Another tip: you can engage them through their senses. Children's senses are 200% more powerful.

Sound: rhythm on its own, or with storytelling, or associated with a jingle — depending on how you use it correctly for each age stage — creates context, can intensify mood, and the child associates it with a new memory.

Sight: colors are strongly present even for adults making brand associations — when you think of red and yellow, you immediately think of McDonald's — the same process applies to children.

Touch: children like to experiment and discover. Packaging or shape is one of the main motivations for purchase.

Smell: research reveals that 40% of people improve their mood when they sense a pleasant fragrance — it connects with emotional memory.

With all these insights, your job now is to awaken the main sense of any consumer of your brand: the experience.