Engaging With Gen Z Car Buyers Online

To effectively engage Gen Z car buyers, dealerships must adapt their marketing strategies to resonate with this tech-savvy, socially-conscious generation. Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z is currently between 12 and 27 years old and is reshaping the car-buying experience. They aren’t just passive consumers—they’re driving a new wave of purchasing behavior.

While understanding their specific language and trends can be helpful, the key to success lies in creating authentic, relatable content that resonates with their values and lifestyle. This generation expects brands to communicate in a way that feels genuine and aligned with their interests, especially on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

To capture Gen Z’s attention, dealerships must bring innovative, engaging content to the table—content that feels personal and reflects the unique preferences of this group. By embracing digital platforms and adapting to their fast-evolving preferences, dealerships can effectively meet the expectations of the next wave of car buyers.

With the rise of targeted ads and influencer partnerships, brands can create personalized experiences that resonate with their values and lifestyle. By leveraging data, dealers can craft tailored content that speaks to their needs, whether that’s eco-friendly features, advanced technology, or modern aesthetics. Our team focuses on developing holistic advertising strategies, as it involves creating a seamless, integrated journey for the consumer across all digital touchpoints. Both paid and organic strategies are needed for this generation so that they’re not just seeing a car ad but they’re also interacting with a brand that understands them, speaks to their unique desires and fosters an authentic connection.

Understanding Gen Z’s Car-Buying Behavior

Gen Z, the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age, has a distinct approach to purchasing vehicles. For them, the buying process is a journey of research and careful decision-making, with time and education being key factors in their choices.

Gen Z shoppers prefer to take their time to thoroughly explore all options before committing to a vehicle purchase. On average, they spend around 140 days researching online before making a final decision. Additionally, 16% of Gen Z buyers express interest in engaging with a knowledgeable dealership representative. This highlights the importance of having well-informed and approachable staff to guide them through the entire process.

When it comes to online research, a 2023 survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that 45% of Gen Z respondents identified TikTok and Instagram as the top platforms affecting their buying choices. These platforms not only serve as discovery channels but also as search engines for this demographic. A 2024 survey revealed that 67% of Gen Z users turn to Instagram for search, while 62% use TikTok, surpassing Google’s 61% usage in this age group.

They don’t rely on a single source and this adds up to nearly 90% over multiple platforms to gather information. They’re not just scrolling mindlessly, Gen Z are skeptical, savvy, and deliberate. They’re rewiring markets and car-buying culture, so as dealers, you need to adapt and meet them on their playing field. Their cautious, meticulous persona means dealers need to hit back fast and smart. Timely, thoughtful responses aren’t optional; they’re the key to keeping these buyers hooked and constantly coming back for more.

In addition to practicality and cost-effectiveness, Gen Z places high value on sustainability and technology. They prioritize eco-friendly vehicles that integrate advanced tech features while staying within budget. Car dealers looking to cater to this generation need to focus on offering green options, cutting-edge technology, and competitive pricing to meet their expectations.

By understanding these key aspects of Gen Z’s car-buying behavior, dealers can better tailor their marketing and sales strategies to connect with this influential group of consumers.

Catching Gen Z’s Attention Online

Born and raised in the digital world, Gen Z expects authenticity and relevance in every brand interaction. If you want to engage them and win their business, you’ll need to be strategic about your content and more importantly, make sure it’s genuine.

Here’s how you can effectively grab their attention:

Organic Strategies

1. Showcase Your Team and Expertise: Gen Z wants to connect with real people. Does your dealership have a charismatic staff member who knows how to showcase a vehicle’s features or an expert who can break down financing options in a relatable way? They’ll connect with the person behind the knowledge, not just the car. Think of it as storytelling, but with the people who make your dealership unique.
   
   
2. Support Social Causes: Gen Z is highly engaged with social causes. They are drawn to brands that align with their values, particularly around community involvement and sustainability. Show them that your dealership is more than just about selling cars. Highlight your efforts to support local causes, green initiatives, or other values-driven actions. This builds trust and shows that your dealership stands for something they care about.
   
   
3. Maximize Social Media Platforms: Instagram and TikTok are top platforms for Gen Z. To engage them, your dealership should take an active role on these platforms, sharing short-form videos, behind-the-scenes content, and live Q&A sessions. Social media offers an excellent opportunity to foster a direct, real-time connection with Gen Z and promote a more authentic, personable side of your business.
   
   
4. Partner with Experts for Content Creation: If creating consistent, engaging content feels like a challenge, leverage your staff and influencers to help. By partnering with experts, you can craft tailored, impactful content that resonates with this demographic. Taking the burden off your shoulders, while ensuring your messaging speaks directly to this generation in ways that engage, inform, and ultimately drive interaction and in turn sales and trust.
   

Paid Strategies

1. Be Present: Having a holistic digital advertising strategy is key to ensuring your brand is at the top of this generation’s mind, and that includes being on multiple platforms. Meet Gen Z where they are: Instagram, TikTok and Google. Try different budgets out to see what can fit into your strategy and track where you’re seeing engagement growth.
   
   
2. Get Creative: If you’ve been running the same ads for years, now is the time to try something new. Ad formats across every platform have evolved and there’s something for everyone. From collection ads on Meta to video AIAs on TikTok, there are so many ways to capture this audience’s attention.
   
   
3. Adjust Retargeting: Knowing that Gen Z buyers are in market for ~140 days, check to see what your retargeting campaign date ranges are set too. It might be time to extend that range to ensure you’re not missing out on potential buyers who need a little extra time to decide.
   
   
4. Track Engagement: We all want more leads, but with form fills on the decline, we need to expand our horizons and consider additional metrics that matter:
   1. Engagement rates: track likes, shares, comments, and video views to measure performance.
   2. Click-through rates (CTR): ratios that show how often people see your ad and click it. They can be used to gauge the performance of your keywords and ads.
   3. Conversion rates: the percentage of users who have completed a desired action, which can be a form fill, chat, or click to call.
      
      

Successfully reaching and engaging Gen Z car buyers requires a shift in approach and moving away from traditional, one-size-fits-all advertising to a more authentic, personalized, and values-driven strategy. To amplify your efforts, it’s important to differentiate between organic and paid strategies. 

Organic content, like social media posts, influencer partnerships, and community engagement, allows you to build genuine connections with Gen Z. It gives your dealership an opportunity to showcase its authenticity and highlight your brand’s values without the pressure of a hard sell. 

Paid initiatives are crucial to expand your reach and visibility. This is where a strong partner (like sMedia) can make a significant impact. By leveraging our expertise in paid media strategies that work, we can ensure that your dealership’s ads are strategically placed on the right platforms, at the right time, and with content that speaks directly to your target audience. A well-balanced combination of organic and paid efforts, guided by a skilled partner, will elevate your brand and ensure it resonates with Gen Z, driving both awareness and conversions. 

Ready to take your digital advertising strategy to the next level? Let’s talk!